Even though it was one in the morning, Jameson went in search of a place to bury himself in work. So he couldn’t think about what had just happened. The office building held no appeal, so he wandered around the farm. He’d never seen it so still in all his time here.
Estelle the Emu lifted a sleepy head as he passed her pen. She stuck her curious little face over the fencing but she couldn’t goose him from her enclosure. Something in his favor tonight, at least. He gave her a face rub, which got him a soft happy emu sound, and kept going.
He ended up in the tack room of the rescue animal barn. He sat there at the table surrounded by gear and with a baby goat on his lap, like he hadn’t just had his dreams crushed hard.
“Numbers will never fail you,” he told Dammit Ziggy, who had no comment. “Never.”
DZ looked Jameson in the eye, then slowly and gently nudged him in the chest with his knubby head. He might not understand English, but he knew bro code.
Jameson took in the spreadsheets on his screen, but the numbers were a blur. Luna had been right. He’d lied by omission and broken a promise to her at the same time. He could still see the look of devastation and betrayal on her face, and his chest had been aching ever since she’d said she was done.
He’d warned himself, but still he’d delayed telling her the truth because he’d known it would blow them up.
He’d been right.
At some point he must’ve fallen asleep because he woke to the sound of animals stirring in the early dawn light, and then Stella poked her head into the tack room. “Interesting choice for an office,” she said. “I like it. Oh, and you’ve got a . . .” She gestured to his jaw.
He lifted his hand to his face, and a pen, the one he’d fallen asleep on, fell and hit Dammit Ziggy, still perched in Jameson’s lap, on the head.
Stella smiled. “Just wanted to tell you that Sunday brunch is starting.”
This was the weekly staff brunch that had nothing to do with work. These people actively wanted to spend time together. “Thanks, but I haven’t showered or anything.”
“No shower required. Come on.” She pulled him up, took him by the hand, and began walking him out of the barn, toward the café.
“I don’t want to make things awkward.”
“You mean because Luna dumped you?”
He let out a rough laugh. “She told you?”
“No. I eavesdropped on Luna’s call with Willow when she was in the office a few minutes ago.”
Wonderful. “So does everyone know?”
“Yep. I’m sorry my granddaughter is so shallow.”
He went still. “What do you mean?”
“Well, because she broke up with you because of your . . . issues.”
“Issues?”
“Your snoring, how you leave the toilet seat up, you’ve got an extra toe . . . oh, and you fart in your sleep. Which, honestly, who doesn’t?”
Jameson just stared at her. “What?”
Stella patted his hand. “Don’t you worry. Your secrets are safe with us. And just so you know, none of us think that any of those things are deal breakers.”
Jameson wasn’t sure if he was shocked that Luna hadn’t ratted him out, or horrified at the reasons she’d made up for dumping him instead of telling the truth. “How in the world did everyone else find out?”
“Oh, because I told them. I really thought I’d taught Luna better than this.”
He shook his head, not willing to let her take the fall for what had happened between them. “Look, you guys are her family and I won’t get between that. There are things you should know—”
Stella stopped walking and turned to face him. “Oh, honey, don’t you get it yet? We’re your family too. Now get your cute patoot in gear. If the bacon’s gone, I’ll kick your ass.”
They entered the Bright Spot and stopped at the “family” booth. Everyone was there but Luna, all of them treating him the exact same as always.
He’d just decided that maybe this was going to be okay when Luna walked in. When she pulled off her sunglasses, it was clear she’d been crying.
That was on him. So was the punch to the gut from just looking at her.
She eyeballed the full booth, clearly trying to decide which side to squish in on. Jameson was in the middle, and he realized belatedly he’d been outmaneuvered by Stella, probably so he couldn’t leave. And yeah, he would have if he could have because Luna’s unusually stilted body language said that if she’d known he was here, she wouldn’t have come.
No one scooted over for her.
Luna crossed her arms and went brows up.
“You do know you fart in your sleep too, right?” Chef asked Luna.
Luna gave Stella a long look.
“You know there are no secrets here. And brunch is canceled today.”
“Seriously? You’re all literally sitting right here.”
Her grandma slid out of the booth and gently set her hands on Luna’s crossed arms. “Sweetheart, I know you’ve never been sure how to conduct yourself in a relationship, but—”
“Excuse me?” Luna asked in sheer disbelief.
“You don’t dump a good man for having an extra toe,” Stella said. “A bad man, maybe, but not a good one.”
Luna let out a choked sound. “You used to con rich men for a living.” She then turned to Chef. “You let me think you loved me for three years.” Milo was next. “And you. You dumped your last lover via a TikTok video.” She ignored Jameson entirely when she looked at everyone. “Stop judging. I’m not the jerk here.”
Stella kissed her on her cheek. “I know you actually believe that, but we took a poll. And the jerk is you.”
Jameson stood up. “No, she’s right. I’m the jerk.”
Luna’s gaze flew to his, like she was shocked he’d stand up for her, which just about killed him. “Listen,” he said to everyone, “the truth is—”
“No,” Luna said quickly, shaking her head at him.
She didn’t want him to spill on what had really happened. Why? “Can we talk?” he asked her. “Privately.”
She lifted a shoulder in clear indifference. Ouch. He looked at the group. “Excuse me.”
No one moved to let him out.
“I will climb over all of you,” he warned, and with some grumbling, everyone dramatically scooched over and got up to let him out.
“I hope you’re not going out of earshot range,” Milo said.
Luna pointed at him and he sighed. Then she walked out of the Bright Spot.
Jameson followed. “Where to?”
She shrugged. “This is your meeting.”
He gestured to an empty bench in the Square. They sat among the gorgeous, fragrant spring flowers Willow kept so beautifully in those big clay pots. Birds tweeted. A cow mooed. He looked over at Luna and found her watching him. He hated the uncertainty and unhappiness he saw there. “Luna—”
“I didn’t want them to hate you,” she said. “You’re an owner too, and I don’t want what happened between us to jeopardize your authority here.”
Stunned, he stared at her, his throat tight at her generosity. He had never deserved her. “I’d like the chance to explain some things to you. Things I should’ve told you when I first got here.”
“About my grandfather?” She lifted a shoulder. “I heard you. You made a promise.”
“Yes. But—”
“Oh, don’t second-guess yourself now.” She looked at the sky as if it were the most interesting thing she’d ever seen.
“. . . But,” he repeated softly. “It left me with a moral dilemma.”
“Me or Silas.” She nodded. “And you chose the man who took you in. I get it.”
He doubted that. “I chose wrong, Luna. I should’ve told you everything up front, like a true partner would have.”
“It doesn’t matter now.”
He was really hoping that wasn’t true. “Silas was a complicated man, and a hard one. But he had one soft spot.”
She snorted, and he gave a wry smile. “I know, it’s hard to imagine, but it’s true.”
“If you’re about to tell me that I was his soft spot, I won’t believe you.”
“Even if it’s true? Luna . . . He didn’t tell you when he first hired you because he wanted to give you time to find your way. He wanted you to fall in love with the place so that you wouldn’t want to let go of it, just like he couldn’t. I know it’s hard to believe, but think about it. The farm was never particularly profitable and he kept it anyway. He kept it for you.”
“And you,” she pointed out.
He nodded at the truth of that, not telling her he’d already started the work to reverse that. “My point is you earned your half.”
“I didn’t earn anything. He lied to get me here to save something he loved. The end.” Shaking her head, she looked away.
He struggled to find the right words. “It was literally you in this place that he loved so much. He got to see you be happy from afar. You’re the thing he cared about here, Luna. He had zero idea how to be a grandparent. He always said it was Rose who made him human, and without her, he knew he was terrible at it, and nothing even close to what you might have needed. So he did this instead. He gave you the best part of him. And you literally saved this place. You earned every bit of what he gave you and more.”
She drew a ragged breath. “Thank you. But the truth is, I’d have rather had him, flaws and all. I’d have rather had the truth than be left feeling like I do now, with my love of this place tainted by the knowledge that he manipulated me here.”
“Luna—”
“No. I don’t want to hear any more, Jameson. Knowing what I know now about the financials, I realize some hard truths. He never believed in me.” Her laugh was rough, and far closer to a sob than amusement. “I never got this job on my own merit. And I certainly didn’t make the farm succeed.”
“Listen to me,” he said. “No one could’ve made this place run like you do.”
Shaking her head, she looked him in the eyes. “Thank you for that. I think I even believe it. But while we’re being honest, you should know that I’d have rather you’d just kept your secrets and taken them with you.”
Each word was like a knife to his chest, but he nodded his understanding. He’d probably have felt the same way in her position. “For what it’s worth, Luna, I’m really sorry.”
“Me too.” Then she got up and walked away.