Page 75 of The Haunted Hotel

“And that’s why I’m calling you now, while you’re still freezing your ass off in the middle of the English countryside and I’m safely tucked away on a different continent, instead of when you’re back in the same city as me and can cause actual bodily harm.”

“You exhaust my brain.”

“What a coincidence.” Warren grins. “I exhaust my brain too.”

I let out a loud sigh and look up at the roof of the car while I try to sort through my tangled thoughts.

“You don’t have to come back, you know,” Warren offers softly.

“That is evident by the fact that I’m not actually booked on a flight,” I grumble.

“No, I mean you don’t have to come back.”

I frown at the phone screen. “Thanks for clearing that up.”

“Morgs, you can work remotely, you can fly back for the occasional meeting—hell, you could cut back completely. We can hire another CEO and you can just live off your share of the profits. I know you love the hotel business, but this high-end, rich people’s bullshit was Dad’s dream.”

“You do realise we are part of the rich people bullshit,” I point out.

“Why actually yes, Morgs, I do, and that is making my point for me. You have choices. You don’t have to kill yourself flying back and forth for an endless stream of meetings you hate. You were always happiest on the hotel floor, running things on the ground. This CEO shit makes you miserable. I’ve spent years watching you slowly disappear, and you know what I’ve seen every time we’ve spoken this week?”

“What?”

“My brother,” he says simply. “The one who used to laugh and smile.”

“Ren.” I blow out a breath. “It’s not as simple as that. My grandfather’s hotel is on the verge of closing and is about to go to auction, and all the people living there, including him, are about to be homeless.”

“So go and save it.” He grins, and it’s the same grin he always used when he dared me to do something that would no doubt result in both of us being grounded. “I know you love a challenge.”

“It isn’t?—”

“As simple as that. Yes, I know, you already said so. But things that are simple are rarely worth it,” he replies a little more soberly. “Things have been crazy this last year since Dad died, and we both just slid into the roles he’d carved out for us when we were kids. Maybe it’s time to reevaluate whatwewant out of life, whether that’s continuing his legacy or carving out something of our own.”

“You’re very introspective all of a sudden. What’s going on?”

He shrugs.

“Warren? What’s going on.”

“I ran into Jonah,” he says quietly.

“Ah, your unicorn,” I murmur.

“Don’t call him that.” He shakes his head. “Anyway, this isn’t about him. This is about you and what you want for yourself, and forgive me, but I think what you want might just be a run-down, quirky hotel with a gorgeous twinky desk clerk. So the question now is, what are you going to do, big bro?”

“I love you. You know that, right?”

“I love you too.” Warren smiles. “And enough of all this mooshy shit. Go get your twink.”

“Stop calling him that.” I sigh and, rolling my eyes, hang up on the sound of Warren’s cackle of laughter.

24

It feels like I can’t breathe as I watch him walk away, but I keep my back stiff and pull my cardigan around me tighter, as if it can keep the pieces of me from flying away. Blinking away the tears in my eyes, I swallow against the lump in my throat.

“Are you okay, Sparky?” Rosie’s hand lands on my back when her soft voice calls me by the same nickname my mum uses.

I bite my lip and draw in a shaky breath. “Well,” I say, forcing a brightness I don’t feel into my voice. “Anyone got any ideas?”