After my nieces and nephews ripped through their presents, my family prepared to return to Boston. My dad, Hunter, and me helped them to load their vehicles, and we all exchanged kisses, hugs, and wishes for a happy New Year.

Mom and Dad must have talked to Raven, because she informed me that she would be here in two weeks to take over; she of course had loose ends to tie up at her all-important job as a swanky hotel director. She also informed me that it was my responsibility to pay the fines since I'm the one who mismanaged the hotel and never got it in good standing with the city.

I wondered if it ever hurts to constantly act like such a raging bitch.

I waited until the last of their cars pulled out of the parking lot and trudged up the steps of the Reynard. All that was left to do was to get my mom on the road so I could have a moment alone with my dad. If I could make him understand why the hotel was so important to me, then I could turn this around. Nothing was final until the trust was turned over to Raven.

When I walked into the lobby, I came to a quick halt. My dad sat on the antique couch, the glowing lights of the Christmas tree illuminating his face, and next to him was my mother. She looked like she had no intention of going anywhere any time soon.

"Come take a seat, Gemma," my dad said with a firm tone.

I sat across from them in a red velvet chair that matched the rest of the décor and folded my hands in my lap.

Dad ran his fingers through the gray hair at his temples and cleared his throat. "I want you to understand that this isn't a total loss for you. I'll even help you with a new venture if that is what you want to do. But this hotel...it needs too much work and to be managed by someone who has experience. Raven has been successfully running hotels for years now, has a Hospitality degree, and she is very capable. It will be good for everyone."

I kept my composure, holding my head high even though I felt like screaming. "Dad, if you let Raven take the Reynard, it is a total loss to me. It's a loss for this town, too. Aunt Hazel ran this place a certain way, and I know that I've messed up in the past few weeks, but before that, things were going very well. Please don't judge me on the last month. This is a big adjustment for me, and to be honest with you, I was proud of the way everything was turning out." Mom and Dad just stared at me, and I blew out a frustrated breath. "Raven hated this place; Hazel gave it to me for a reason. Every summer and Halloween when I came to stay here, I felt like I really belonged. That wasn't the norm for me." Dad opened his mouth to object, but I shook my head. "Let's face it; I'm not the daughter you hoped for. I wasn't valedictorian or the star athlete, I'm flighty and stubborn, and as you always love to remind me, I can't commit to anything. But I have committed to this. Please, please don't take it away from me. Give me a chance."

If they didn't see it my way after that speech, I didn't know what else I could possibly say to change their minds. This was my heart and soul splayed out on the table and awaiting them to carefully hand it back to me or demolish it until nothing was left.

Dad stood and clasped his hands behind his back as he paced the room. "I hear what you're saying, Gemma, I do. But this place is falling apart. You need funds to fix what is broken and without my help you will have to earn those, and you can't bring in money if you can't open your doors. Raven has the money to get everything up to code already." He looked around the room. "She may even decide to tear it down and build some condos. Or she can keep the bar and this lobby and build something new around the rest of this place. It will be a nice little place where you can come to remember Hazel."

"That's not an option." Soren appeared at the top of the stairs, waving a yellow envelope as he descended them. "Not only is the Reynard considered by the state of Connecticut to be a historical landmark, but Hazel had stipulations in her will about altering the building."

My eyes grew wide, and I gaped at Soren, both for what he held in his hand and how handsome he was in his red turtleneck and black slacks.

"And who are you?" Mom asked looking him up and down. I noticed that her normal distaste for those she was unsure of was absent. He penetrated even her snotty exterior with his good looks and confidence.

"Soren Hyde. I work with your daughter."

"With? Don't you mean for?"

Soren kept his cool gaze on my mother and in a slow, deep cadence said, "I work with your daughter, among other things."

My cheeks flushed, but I got up and walked to Soren, holding out my hand for the envelope. "Where did you get this?"

"Most of the time, fines excluded, Hazel made sure things got done but didn't always communicate the results. She applied for this distinction a few months before she died. I found the certificate in your office," he said, handing me the papers.

I grinned up at him and made sure my fingers brushed against his as I took the envelope from his hand. "Thank you, Soren," I murmured before turning back to my parents and looking at them as if silently asking, Well? What do you have to say now? Of course, I already knew that no one, no matter if it was me or Raven, would be able to tear the building down or sell it, but I had chosen to keep that information to myself.

"Just another reason you can't afford to keep this place," Dad said, shaking his head.

Soren took a deep breath and directed his frustration at my parents. "The hotel was left to Gemma. Doesn't she have any say in this?"

My mother sucked in her cheeks, making them look larger than the plastic surgery already had. "Not when she needs our help to keep it afloat. She had her chance to get it right."

"It's a shame that you won't support her with something she is so clearly passionate about," he said to whoever was listening.

I was in awe of Soren. No one ever stood up to my parents the way he had just then, not even Hunter. Everyone always bowed to their whims and never called them out on their bullshit. Seeing Soren put them in their place was thrilling, and honestly, pretty damn sexy.

Mom and Dad glanced at each other, and my father spoke first. "Gemma has been passionate about a great many things in her life; it is what makes her remarkably who she is and at the same time, it is her greatest downfall."

Mom changed the subject, almost certainly in the hopes that she could rattle me even further. "You said you 'work with' my daughter... 'among other things.' What other things might those be?" she asked, glancing at me to see if I was turning red.

I'm sure I was.

"I was always taught that a gentleman keeps the details of his love life between him and his partner. So, I beg your pardon if I choose to leave that at Gemma's discretion, Mrs. Fox."

I pulled my lips between my teeth in order to keep from laughing. My mother's head looked like it was about to explode, and my father's eyes were wide in astonishment.

When my mom finally got her bearings, she sneered, "Well, Mr. Hyde, don't get too attached." She gestured to me with a pointed thumbnail. "This one doesn't have a good track record in the relationship department."

Soren leaned in close to my mother, his cheek almost touching hers when he said, "And that is what makes all those details I didn't tell you about so much fun." He turned away from my shocked mom and addressed my dad. "Mr. Fox, it was a pleasure meeting you. I hope you will do the right thing by your aunt and by your daughter, and not turn the Reynard over to your niece." His gaze met mine as he passed, and he gave me a somber nod.

I followed him toward the stairs, but he was already halfway up, and my brother was descending the last step, glancing over his shoulder with a confused expression on his face. His gaze then darted to our parents, who were whispering to one another, then back at me before leaning in and whispering, "Was that—I mean, how did—"

I opened my mouth to answer, but he held his hands up. "You know what, I don't wanna know. I don't even fuckin' wanna know," he said, a grin playing at his lips.

My brother never wanted to dabble in the possibility that the paranormal was real. And despite all the clues that were so unexplainable like Soren and Archer being at the hotel the night of the pipe burst and the bizarre color of their eyes, he would rather stay blissfully ignorant of the truth. He didn't want to know that an otherworldly being just tried to go head-to-head with our mother and save me from losing the Reynard.