Jayce was pretty sure staying inside the inn with no air conditioning was not his father’s first choice.
He lay back on the bed and flung his arms wide. He liked the quaintness of the room, the smell of freshly cut hay wafting through the window screen on the tail of a cool breeze. But this was going to be the longest month of his life. He’d only agreed to work for his father because he offered Jayce a ridiculous amount of money to basically be a roadie. At the end of the month, he’d have enough money to get his own place and walk away from Brandon Clarkson once and for all.
That was what his father wanted after all, and it was definitely what Jayce wanted. He didn’t have any idea where he wouldgo, but it would be far away from the hub in Los Angeles. His father thrived on the hustle and bustle. Jayce longed for alife that wasn’t so busy. The price of freedom was enduring each other’s presence for a month.
Jayce’s father represented everything he didn’t want to be. His dad was greedy, unscrupulous, and had a way of convincingeveryone in his life that he was a god to be worshipped. People actually worked hard to earn a place in Brandon Clarkson’sworld, a world Jayce had been trying to escape since his mother ran off with another man seven years ago. That had been ahard pill to swallow at fifteen, especially since his mother insisted Jayce stay with his father. His dad had been difficultbefore the split, but his disposition grew progressively worse after he became a single parent. Jayce didn’t think dear oldDad missed his mom as much as he let on. It was the blow to the man’s ego that bothered his dad most.
Now Jayce was twenty-two and had given up the party life the Los Angeles elites had to offer. It had been over a year sincehe’d walked away from that lifestyle. He credited God for guiding him onto a different path—God and a girl named Susan. UnlikeJayce, Susan had been raised going to church. She introduced him to God, and once the acquaintance was made, Jayce knew hisrelationship with the Lord was going to be lifelong, even after things didn’t work out with Susan.
His father didn’t credit God for anything, and it was a source of contention between them. Sadly, if Jayce hadn’t run with the wild crowd for so long, he would’ve already had enough money to move out of his father’s condo.
He’d done a short stint in college, then tried his hand as an entrepreneur, a venture that might have thrived if not for hisfather’s interference. These days, his jobs came in the form of bartender or waiter.
He and his father lived together as roommates, tolerating each other. It made Jayce sick to watch the man use people, mostlywomen. But Brandon Clarkson had made a fortune by taking advantage of plenty of men too. The sad part was that he was a brilliantman. He didn’t need to flaunt his wealth or treat people poorly. His talent alone could have made him into the better manJayce occasionally caught a glimpse of.
Jayce thought his father’s movies were successful because they included multidimensional characters, all created with thepositive attributes Brandon Clarkson kept hidden from the world. But Jayce had given up on any real relationship with hisfather a long time ago. And his mother was flitting around the country with a man half her age. Jayce couldn’t remember thelast time he’d heard from her.
Forcing the gloomy thoughts from his mind, he got up and walked to the window. Eyeing the motor homes and limos from upstairs,he knew half of the occupants were whining about the accommodations. Jayce found this small room in an old farmhouse to bea welcome change. And whatever was cooking downstairs awakened his senses and reminded him how long it had been since he’dhad a home-cooked meal.
The Amish seemed like strange people. They didn’t use electricity, drove around in buggies pulled by horses, and dressed like pioneers. Jayce had Googled the area during the long drive. He was skeptical until he saw his first horse and buggy, and he noticed that the people were dressed like the photos he’d seen online. He found their traditional way of living appealing, in a strange sort of way. Except for one thing. According to what he’d read, they were super religious. Jayce considered himself a man with a strong faith, but organized religion had left a bad taste in his mouth.
From the aromas wafting up the stairs, the Amish were apparently good cooks, and Jayce was hungry. When they stopped to eatearlier, the meal was cut short as soon as his father finished eating and rushed everyone else to hurry up.
Jayce made his way downstairs, hoping the food was as good as it smelled.
A quaint but roomy dining area revealed enough prepared dishes to feed an army. An old grandfather clock chimed just as hewalked into the room, and then he was drawn to several paintings on the walls, colorful landscapes with modest wood frames.Some were signed by N. Lantz and others by A. Lantz.
He refocused on the food and couldn’t believe Quinn and the others were going to pass this up. Surely they could smell thefood too. Hungry or not, anyone should have been lured by the heavenly aromas.
“Wow. That’s a lot of food.” He eyed the offerings as the two older women who had greeted them walked into the room. “Sitanywhere?”
“Ya, of course.” The woman who had introduced herself as Esther, and who had done most of
