Dedication

To Carian Cole, who inspired me to write and ignited my love in angsty age gap, marriage of convenience books.

PROLOGUE

AUTUMN

Four years ago

Emotions sting the back of my eyes, but I hold on to them as I watch my grandpop lying on the hospital bed through the glass door.

“This isn’t his first heart attack, Jasper. We’ll try the best we can.” There’s sympathy in Dr. Hoot’s voice. He’s the head of the cardiology department and my dad’s colleague at Cherrywood Hospital.

I don’t hear Dad’s response, most likely it’s a simple nod, and when Dr. Hoot leaves, he pulls me closer. “It’ll be fine, Autumn.”

I burrow myself more into Dad, but tonight, the comfort of his familiar soft frame isn’t enough to ward off my worries.

“I don’t want him to die,” I whisper, and it becomes difficult to breathe when Dad doesn’t assure me that he won’t. He simply squeezes my shoulder once before turning me around.

Mom and Grandma are perched on the metal chairs, holding each other’s hands and looking lost, which goes against their entire nature. Especially Grandma. She isn’t the type of person who waits for things to happen, but I guess sometimes even the strongest are helpless against the forces of life.

I just want this night to end and go back home with everyone.

* * *

There’s an uprising of nerves in my stomach when I plod toward the window of my bedroom. I have a good view of my grandparents’ living room. Upon the sight of Grandpop sitting on the couch facing the TV, I let go of a deep breath, and it washes away the anxiety.

He was finally sent home yesterday, after six days spent at the hospital. He survived, but for how long, no one really knows. Dr. Hoot said a month, maybe two, and recommended we spend as much time as possible with Grandpop.

Flopping onto the bed, I glance at the vision board I’d made after listening to a seminar being held at our inn.

Manifesting your dreams by the power of visualization.

I wonder if my vision board has the power of working against nature.

Laced with more hope than belief, I print a picture of Grandpop smiling as he cut his birthday cake last year. Using a pin, I stick it to the board with the image of our inn. It has always symbolized the day I’d take over the family business from Mom.

I close my eyes and try to visualize that day, Grandpop next to me and whispering in my ear, “You did it, firefly.”

“Tums?”

My eyes pop open, and I find Dad standing in the doorway.

“Grandma asked us all to come over.”

“Why?” My voice trembles as I rush to the window, but Grandpop is still sitting on the couch.

“He’s fine. He wants us to have breakfast together.” Dad covers the distance in short steps, smiling at me. “When your grandparents decided to move next door, I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. They can be a little…pushy.”

I don’t even try to hold back my chuckle. Pushy is an understatement. My grandparents always have a way of getting what they want.

I’m unaware right now that soon my grandparents are going to prove we didn’t know the extent of their pushing abilities.

“I want to meet Lukas,” Grandpop says as we all sit around the circular dining table, a healthy breakfast of oatmeal, nuts, and berries in front of us.

My heart rate picks up at the name I’ve heard only once—two years ago.

Silence stretches in the room until Dad clears his throat. “Why?”

I look up from the bowl, and Grandpop’s affectionate gaze is on me. “I cannot go knowing your life’s at risk, firefly.”

A cotton ball forms in my throat, and it takes a huge effort to swallow it down. “You’re not going anywhere.” I get up and hug him from behind. My face rests on his shoulder, and the familiar scent of his talcum powder slowly calms my nerves.

Grandpop pats my cheeks, and I feel the rumble of his voice as he speaks. “Call him, Jasper. Tell him I don’t have much time.”

“Dad, he’s in the military. He might not be able to…” Mom trails off, but her meaning is clear to us all. He might not be here in time.

But Grandpop doesn’t even flinch. “Just call him.”

Coincidentally, Lukas is in the area and promises to stop by. A week later, we’re waiting for him at the inn’s dining hall.

“Autumn, can you check if he’s here?” Grandpop nods toward the exit.

I reach the porch and throw a quick glance at the parking lot, but there’s no unfamiliar car. I’m about to turn back and tell everyone that he’s still not here, when there’s a loud rumbling of an engine.

My erratic heartbeat thunders behind my rib cage as a motorcycle stops outside the gate. A man wearing a black leather jacket, jeans, and boots steps off. He removes his helmet, and that’s the first glimpse I get of Lukas Spencer.

He strides to the porch confidently, and my pulse skips a beat.

“I’m here to meet—”

“Lukas! Welcome.” Dad joins us and slides next to me. He shakes hands with our guest before introducing me. “This is Autumn. You both exchanged some emails two years ago, if I’m right.”

“I feel like I should apologize once again.” I smile, which is followed by Lukas’ low chuckle.

“Believe me, after the initial shock, it was…entertaining.” His deep blue eyes crinkle, reminding me of the ocean. “How’s Grandpop?”

There’s silence for a second before Dad explains, “His heart is fragile. He insisted on meeting you, and we’re all glad you could come see him.”

We walk into the dining hall where Mom, Grandpop, and Grandma are waiting.

Once everyone is seated, a server pours coffee for us all, and as soon as he leaves, Grandma asks, “I’m sure you know about the promise that binds our families, Lukas?” Her words disrupt the calm at the table.

“Lukas is here to meet Grandpop. Let’s discuss the past some other day.” Dad presses his lips together in disapproval before giving me a tight smile.

“But that’s why we invited him here, Jasper,” Grandpop asserts, placing his cup on the table with a slight tremble. “To fix the mistakes of the past. You’ve seen what this promise does when left unfulfilled, Lukas. We don’t want Autumn’s fate to be like your mother’s.”

“Dad!” My mother’s gasp is lost over Grandma’s next words.

“Your grandfather is right, Autumn. We cannot close our eyes to the consequences. There’s only one way to fix everything. You and Lukas should get married.”

* * *

My belief that Grandpop’s health scare last month was the worst nightmare possible turned out to be dreadfully untrue. My grandparents’ ridiculous demand of my marriage to Lukas turned into a failed request. Dad was livid, Mom was upset, and Lukas was– I don’t know what he was, to be honest, because he stormed out of the inn five minutes later.

There’s a tension in our home I’ve never experienced before. My two favorite men, Dad and Grandpop, aren’t speaking to each other. My easygoing grandfather is more adamant than a four-year-old that Lukas and I are to be wed, but if only he were just asking for a toy.

“Hey, kiddo.” Grandma knocks on my bedroom door. “Do you have a minute?”

“Grandma! Is everything okay?” I get up from my desk in a rush, bumping my knee against the wood.

“Yeah. All’s okay.” She ambles inside and perches on the edge of my bed. When she pats on the mattress next to her, I join. “I know everyone thinks we’re crazy.”

“That’s not true. But...this is my life.”

“And you think your grandpop would ever want something less than grand for you, tums?”

Her words rattle my core, and I don’t need a minute to think before shaking my head.

“Your parents don’t believe in my mother’s promise, but I’ve seen what it can do when left unfulfilled.” She pats my hand with her trembling one, and my pulse rises a notch realizing the stress my grandparents are under. “You’re eighteen, Autumn, no longer a kid. Think and decide. Only you can give me a few more days with your grandpop.”

“Grandma!” Tears gather in my eyes at her words, which aren’t completely false.

“Think, kiddo. That’s it.” She gets up, places a kiss on my forehead, and leaves me with a thick black cloud of ominous thoughts.

The next night, I’ve just turned off the lights when I hear Mom’s footsteps outside my door, followed by her rushing inside. “Tums, wake up. Grandpop just collapsed. We’re rushing him to the hospital.”

A day has passed and Grandpop still hasn’t opened his eyes.

“Be prepared for anything.” Dr. Hoot has repeated the line to us several times now.

But how do you prepare yourself for losing a loved one?

Right now, I’m standing outside Grandpop’s room, waiting to see him. We have permission to go in but only one person at a time. When Dad comes out, there’s a grim line on his face. He pats my cheeks, but that’s the only comfort I get. He doesn’t tell me that Grandpop will be okay.

On shaky feet, I reach the bedside. I want to hold Grandpop’s soft hand, but I’m scared to disturb the needle coming out of it. So, I hold his finger like I used to as a kid.

“I’ll do anything if you come back to us, Grandpop. I promise.” My heart skips a beat when I feel a twitch of his finger. “Grandpop!”

His eyes flutter and I rush out of the room to call Dad and Dr. Hoot.

“Talk to Lukas, Dad,” I whisper when it’s just me and my parents in the waiting room.

“Tums.” Dad heaves a sigh. “You imagined it, sweetheart. Your grandfather isn’t responding.”

When Dr. Hoot checked Grandpop, they found no change in his condition and chalked up my observation to wishful thinking. But I know what I saw.

“Please, Dad. Maybe we can do something, just until Grandpop…” The word dies doesn’t come out of my mouth.

Dad raises an eyebrow. “You mean…pretend?”

“No. Not pretend.” My heart hammers against my rib cage. I can’t lie to Grandpop, not on his last days.

“Is it possible, Jasper?” Mom, who has been quiet the whole time, speaks in a small voice.

“This is crazy, Laura. Lukas will never agree, and it’s…wrong. It’s wrong for you, tums.”

But how can something that will make Grandpop’s passing smoother be wrong?

A week later, while Grandpop is still in the hospital, Lukas and I stand outside our inn. Dad’s holding a camera, recording what’s probably the saddest wedding in the history of weddings so Grandpop can see it later tonight.

Mr. Big, our concierge at the inn, officiates the wedding. And when it’s time to exchange rings, my mom hands us two wedding bands.

I’m about to pick them up when Lukas shakes his head. He stares at me for a few moments, confusion and something resembling nerves haunting his face before he looks away. Without a word, he pulls the silver chain hanging around his neck from under his T-shirt and unlocks it to retrieve a black metallic ring.

Lukas twists it, and with a flick of his fingers, the ring clicks open into three parts: two hands surrounding a tiny heart.

I gasp in surprise when he says, “This belonged to my mother.” Lukas pushes two of those thin parts onto my ring finger before handing me one. “You can count on me, Autumn. I’ll be here as a friend, always.”

I like that he added the last word, because this marriage isn’t for forever. My dad’s lawyer already has the annulment papers ready, and as much as it hurts me to think of Grandpop leaving, that moment will also be the end of my marriage with Lukas. Maybe it’ll be a few hours or even a few days.

My hands shake when I slide the thin band onto his thick finger, where it stops halfway.

“I’ll get it resized,” he says before fisting his hand. “Once put on, this shouldn’t be taken off,” he whispers to himself, but I hear it nevertheless.

And then taking me by surprise, he shakes my hand. Moments later, Lukas takes off, leaving me wondering when I’ll see him again.

1. Autumn

1

AUTUMN

Present Day

I’ve just placed a cup of coffee on my desk when my best friend, Chiara, scampers into my office. “Autumn, there’s a couple at the reception desk screaming their heads off. You better come out.”

“I was just there. What could have happened in the past two minutes?” I ask, although I’m already rushing behind her.

We enter the reception area of The Butterfly Inn, the cozy, romantic lodge that’s my family’s pride and joy and a beloved part of all of our lives. My mom inherited it from Grandma, who inherited it from her mother, and now at the age of twenty-two, I’m ready to take charge.

I know this inn inside out, every nook and every corner, and I feel its energy running through my body as soon as I wake up.

My mom says it’s our great-grandmother showing she’s with us. Maybe she’s right.

Ever since I can remember, I’ve been here every day after school, helping Mom and learning how the business works. She treats this place like it’s no less serious than practicing rocket science.

As a trial run to show my parents and grandparents I’m prepared to take over this huge responsibility, I booked them a week’s vacation while I took over running the place. It’s been three days already, and even though we’ve had some chaotic moments, like right now, I’m having the time of my life.

“Hi. My name is Autumn Smith, and I’m the manager of the inn. How can I help you?” I smile and put on my best hostess face for our guests.

I rest my hand lightly on our front desk supervisor’s back, letting her know that everything’s okay. From the red and angry faces of our guests, I’m sure they’ve given Emma an earful. But why?

The woman doesn’t keep me guessing for long.

“We’re the Hardys, and your staff messed up our reservation. Big-time. We booked the honeymoon suite facing the lake for three days and two nights. We paid in advance and everything.” She throws her hands up in the air. “It’s our tenth wedding anniversary, and we wanted to have a kids-free vacation, but now everything’s ruined.” Her throat chokes as she finishes.

Warmth expands throughout my chest as I make a silent wish to the universe that I’m able to fix whatever happened and this couple gets their much-deserved peaceful stay.

“Mrs. Hardy, I promise you we’ll fix this, and the two of you will have such an amazing time at The Butterfly Inn that you’ll want to come again next year.” I tip my head to the side, motioning to Chiara, and she quickly bolts toward the kitchen.

“While I check your booking, why don’t we sit,” I suggest. Emma hands me her iPad, and the couple looks at each other reluctantly. But when I point toward the corner couch in the sitting area, they thankfully follow. “Please leave your luggage. We’ll take care of it.”

As soon as we’re seated, Chiara is back, followed by one of our servers. He places two tall drinks and a plate of hors d’oeuvres on the glass table.

“Our bartender has carefully prepared a special tenth anniversary drink for you.” I point toward the cocktail glasses. “It’s a Blue Lagoon.”

While our guests take their drinks, I quickly go through their booking.

Crap! I chew my lip, seeing what I’d anticipated.

I hate booking issues, even when it’s not our fault. Guests come to the inn with a ton of expectations, like the Hardys here, who just want to have two days away from their normal life.

“Did you find what’s wrong in your system?” Mr. Hardy asks. The frown has slowly started disappearing from his face.

“Yes.” I turn the iPad toward them. “You did book the honeymoon suite.” The couple looks at each other triumphantly. “Unfortunately, you didn’t book the one facing the lake and the hills, but the one facing the inn’s gardens.” I click the picture next to their booking.

The smile on Mr. Hardy’s face slips away, and he places his drink back on the table. “How is that possible? I was careful, Carly. I knew you wanted the honeymoon suite with a view of the lake.” He turns to his wife, and I hate the despair on their faces.

I quickly check for any available lake-facing room, but as expected, we’re fully booked.

“It’s an honest mistake, Mr. Hardy. We have several honeymoon suites, so I can understand how you’d have gotten confused. Unfortunately, we have no lakeside rooms available.”

I rack my brain, trying to come up with something that will erase the disappointed look from my guests’ faces.

My mother’s words ring in my ears all the while.

“We make memories at this inn, Autumn. Always make sure we give our guests the best ones so they want to come again and again to relive those days.”

I look out the window, hoping to get some inspiration, when one of the construction workers crosses the lawn, and an idea strikes.

“Mr. and Mrs. Hardy, would you be up for something…unconventional?” Excitement crackles inside me, and Chiara raises an eyebrow.

But Mr. Hardy doesn’t look fully convinced. “What do you mean by unconventional?”

I close the booking system and open the photos folder on the iPad. Once I’ve found what I’m looking for, I turn the screen toward our guests. I consider their gasp and the way Mrs. Hardy clutches her chest to be a good sign.

“This is not open to our guests yet,” I whisper and even curl my hand around my mouth, as if telling some secret, which is partly true.

Mrs. Hardy’s eyes gleam as she leans forward, and Mr. Hardy chuckles.

“It’s actually a secret.” I smile. “This is an extension of the inn. We’re building these private cottages for honeymooners like you who’d rather spend time in the serenity of Cherrywood, enjoying the lakeside view.”

I point toward the wooden cottage that was my brain child. “This is the only one that is fully operational. My parents did a dry run last weekend and spent the night, but because we still have construction happening on the other cottages, we haven’t opened it yet. But…like I said, it’s perfectly ready for use.”

I pause, letting them digest what I’m suggesting, and then add, “There’s a small porch, and our resident gardener has planted some beautiful flowers. You’ll have the best view of the lake. Today is Friday, and construction will halt from the afternoon onward. Then we can get you settled in, if you’d like.”

Mrs. Hardy glances at my iPad screen with so much longing that I know it was a good proposition.

“What were you planning to do today?” I ask.

“After freshening up, we had planned to take a walk around town and then grab some lunch,” Mr. Hardy states, looking between me and his wife.

“Perfect!” I can’t stop my grin. “We can bring your bags to the pre-reserved room for now, and you can freshen up. By the time you’re back in the evening, we’ll have your things in the cottage.” I speak so fast that by the time I’m done, I’m breathless.

Mr. Hardy sits straight, motioning toward my iPad. “And how much extra would we pay for…this?”

“Nothing at all.” I shake my head vehemently. “Like I said, it’s not open to our guests yet, so we haven’t even decided on a price. If you’re willing, I’d love to talk for a few minutes after your stay. You can tell me what you liked and what you think we can improve. You’d really be helping us out.”

“That’s so nice of you.” Mrs. Hardy has a huge smile on her face. “My husband and I spend so much time apart. He was a Marine and retired early this year. In our ten years of married life, this is the first time we’re together for our anniversary.”

Her words send a shiver down my spine, reminding me of one Navy SEAL in particular. The two bands on my left hand suddenly feel heavy, as if they’re missing a lost part.

I take a deep breath and put that smile back on my face. “We’re really thankful for your service, Mr. Hardy. How does Italian sound for lunch? We have an amazing restaurant in town called Giovanni’s.”

“Oh, I saw that on the town’s website,” Mrs. Hardy exclaims.

“Chiara’s family owns it.” I nod toward my best friend, who’s already on the phone.

Chiara joined us a few months back on the ruse of gaining work experience, but really, she’ll do anything to gain some independence from her overbearing parents.

“Arianna,” Chiara begins, “we have some special guests at the inn who are celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary. Mr. and Mrs. Hardy will be stopping by Giovanni’s for lunch. Can you make sure you give them your special VIP treatment?”

I tap on Chiara’s elbow once as she states our request to her elder sister.

“Can you tell her to add it to our tab?”

The Story Continues on BooksBarbecue!

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