Falling For You (Honey Leaf Lodge #1)

Chapter Seventeen

Violet

I had been pacing my tiny kitchen for what felt like hours and glancing at my phone every few minutes. I’d sent Owen three texts and hadn’t heard back from him for two days.

Normally, we chatted throughout the day, sharing banter, funny memes, and little inside jokes that had developed over the past week.

But the last few days?

Nothing.

It was like he had vanished.

I stopped and stared out my kitchen window at the remaining few bronze leaves fluttering from the trees.

Laughing to myself, I shook my head in disbelief.

My picker struck again.

An unavailable man visits Buttercup Lake, and who chases after him like he is the last male on the planet?

This girl.

I frowned at the thought and stared aimlessly out the window, not fully believing it.

There was something more to him than that.

More between us.

We hadn’t even slept together, and I felt closer to him than anyone I’d ever been with.

After a week…

Granted, we’d spent nearly every day together in some form.

It was the perfect day for wandering through town, grabbing coffee at the coffee shop, or taking a walk by the lake.

It would’ve been incredible with Owen.

But instead, he wasn’t responding.

I chewed on my bottom lip as a knot of worry tightened in my gut.

Something seemed off.

Had I done something to upset him? Things had been going so well between us. I couldn’t stop thinking about our hayride a few days ago—how he’d caught me when I slipped on the floor.

The way we’d laughed.

It had all felt effortless.

Natural.

And now, nothing?

The clock ticked toward noon, and I couldn’t stand it any longer.

If he wasn’t responding to my messages, I would find him myself.

I was determined to get to the bottom of this.

Simple as that.

Buttercup Lake wasn’t a big place. I grabbed my jacket off the back of the chair and slipped it on as I headed out the door. His hotel was only a few minutes away.

He couldn’t hide in a town this small, after all.

The brisk wind skated over my cheeks as I walked to my car. The familiar scents of woodsmoke and fallen leaves filled the air. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves.

Maybe he was just swamped with work. I knew he had a lot going on with his business, but it wasn’t like him to go completely silent. My concern for his well-being was growing with each passing moment.

As I drove through the winding streets of Buttercup Lake, I couldn’t help but notice how peaceful everything looked.

The small shops lining Main Street, the pumpkins sitting outside the grocery store, the new bakery with its glass cases full of fresh apple pies.

This was the kind of town where people knew each other’s business, and if you weren’t careful, secrets didn’t stay hidden for long.

My only worry was that Owen had plenty of his own.

I pulled up outside the hotel where he was staying. The hotel was quaint, with dark wooden beams and flower boxes hanging from the windows. It had recently expanded but managed to keep the small-town charm. I exited the car, and my boots crunched the leaves underfoot.

The lobby was cozy. A fire crackled in the hearth, and conversation murmured from the lounge nearby. I approached the front desk, where Jessie stood, thumbing through a reservation book. I went to school with her in high school, and she had always been sweet.

I was hoping to use it to my advantage.

“Hey, Jessie,” I greeted her, trying to keep my voice light despite the anxiety churning in my stomach. “Have you seen Owen today? He’s staying here, right?”

Jessie looked up, her brow furrowed. “Owen? Oh, you mean that hot guy you’ve been spending time with?” She gave me a wink. “I haven’t seen him since yesterday morning. Is everything alright?”

My heart sank. “He hasn’t answered my texts. I hoped to catch him here, but if you haven’t seen him…” I twisted my mouth into a frown, knowing what I was about to ask wasn’t exactly the best question to bring up for privacy’s sake. “He hasn’t checked out yet, has he?”

Jessie pursed her lips, tapping her pen against the desk. “You know we aren’t supposed to answer that stuff.”

I chuckled. “But, you know… we have a history.”

She grinned and nodded. “I know, and the answer is that he’s still here.”

“You’re the best.” I looked around the lobby and brought my gaze back to hers. “Did everything seem okay when you last saw him?”

“Now that you mention it, he did seem a little distracted when I saw him last. Kept checking his phone like he was waiting for bad news. He’d reserved one of our conference rooms. He went in looking uneasy and came out looking sick.”

That didn’t help my nerves at all. “Did he say where he was going?”

She shook her head. “Not a word. But while you’re here, I’ve meant to ask you something.” Jessie leaned forward, lowering her voice as if she had a secret. “Have you heard anything about the property next to your family’s lodge?”

I blinked, caught off guard by the sudden change in conversation. “The property next door? No, what about it?”

Jessie leaned in closer. “I overheard some talk when he wason that call. Something about it being sold or developed. Big changes coming, or so they say.” She frowned. “I don’t know what’s happening, but it piqued my interest.”

“Yeah. I can see why.” A strange sense of unease crept over me. “I haven’t heard anything about that,” I said slowly. “Are you sure it was about a development project at Mr. Medowski’s?”

She shrugged. “I could have misheard.”

I nodded, though my mind was already spinning.

The property next door?

Going up for sale?

Developed?

None of that sounded right.

My parents had agreed years ago that Honey Leaf Lodge would have first dibs on the property if Vern ever wanted to sell it. Vern had never mentioned it to my parents, right?

Or had they kept it from me?

After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Jessie, I left the hotel, but her words clung to me like a heavy fog.

I climbed back into my carand sat for a minute, trying to process what she had said.

Is the acreage next door being developed?

What would that mean for my family’s business? My parents had worked so hard to keep our lodge running. The idea of some colossal development moving in next door made me sick.

I clenched my eyes shut.

Or maybe this could be a good thing. Perhaps it was shopping to bring people to our town, an amusement park, or… I blinked my eyes open and sighed.

And then there was Owen.

Could he really be involved?

No, that didn’t make sense. Owen wouldn’t keep something like that from me… would he? The doubt gnawed at me, and before I knew it, I was driving again, searching for answers.

I stopped at the bakery first. If gossip floated around town, someone there would know about it, or at Abby’s coffee shop.

As soon as I walked in, the smells of cinnamon and fresh bread hit me. I spotted Ellen and Carol sitting in the corner, sipping their coffee.

“Violet, honey!” Ellen called out, waving me over. “What brings you here today? Your mom usually does all her own morning baking.”

I grinned and nodded. “Oh, she’s still at it. But I might grab a chocolate-filled croissant in a bit.” I slid into the seat across from them, trying to sound casual. “Have you two heard anything about the property next to our lodge? Someone said it might be going up for sale.”

Carol exchanged a glance with Ellen before leaning in, her voice low. “Oh, you mean the Medowski place? Yeah, I heard some folks talking about it. Could be a big deal in the works, but no one’s saying much.” She eyed me cautiously. “Didn’t your parents have some agreement with Vern and his wife, though? Shouldn’t you all know about it?”

“Well, we don’t know much of anything…” My voice trailed off.

Ellen nodded, stirring her tea. “You know how these things go. Somebody from out of town is probably looking to buy it. Everybody wants a piece of Buttercup Lake these days.”

Owen.

My stomach twisted, and I hopped up from the table.

“Don’t you want that croissant, honey?” Ellen asked, following me.

Even though the last thing I felt like doing was eating, I breathed in and nodded. She trundled to the counter and slipped one in a bag for me.

“It’s on the house.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I know, but I still owe your mom for coming in last month when I was down with a cold.”

I smiled and thanked her quickly before heading back outside into the chilly air. I could barely focus—first, Jessie overhearing Owen’s conversation and then, these rumors.

Something was happening, and I needed to find Owen to get some answers.

I poked my head inside the coffee shop, looked around, and snuck out before Abby noticed.

I hurried over to the park and wandered the sandy beach. It always surprised the tourists that Wisconsin had sandy shores. I combed the area, and my heart sank when I realized Owen was too good at hiding.

When the sun started to dip low in the sky, I sat on a bench at Buttercup Lake. The water shimmered under the fading sunlight. The trees along the shore reflected on the glassy surface in a brilliant patchwork of color with the last few remaining leaves.

The setting was peaceful, but it did nothing to calm the storm brewing inside me.

I stood at the lake's edge, arms wrapped around myself to keep warm as I stared at the water.

Why hadn’t he called me back? Where was he?

Just as I was about to head back to my car, my phone buzzed in my pocket. My heart leaped as I pulled it out, and I felt a flicker of hope for the briefest moment.

Owen’s name popped up with his message.

Can we talk?

Relief and anxiety crashed into me all at once as I typed out a quick response, my fingers trembling.

I texted back.

Of course. Where are you?

I stared at my phone, waiting for what felt like forever before his reply finally came through.

Meet me at your lodge. I’ll be there in 10 minutes.

I slipped my phone back into my pocket, taking a deep breath.

Whatever was going on, I was about to find out. But I had a sinking feeling that it wouldn’t be good.

With one last glance at the lake, I turned around and walked across the street to my car. I said I wanted answers, and I was about to get them, but my heart washeavy with dread.