«You’re not allowed at our vacation home,» Mom texted. A week later, they got a notice: the resort had a new owner. Their access cards stopped working…

The next day, Amanda tentatively suggested some tweaks to the villa’s bedroom layout. By the following afternoon, she was helping coordinate a photo shoot for the resort’s new brochure, styling scenes with a natural talent I hadn’t fully appreciated before. Even Gregory thawed slightly after overhearing me handle a minor crisis with the kitchen staff.

You’re good at this, he admitted grudgingly. Managing people, I mean. I always thought tech CEOs were just coders who got lucky.

Most of building a company is about people, not technology, I told him. Something medical practice has probably taught you to. My mother remained the final holdout, maintaining a dignified distance until the evening before their departure.

I found her alone on Villa Serenity’s porch, watching the sunset, a sunset I now owned, in some strange way. I suppose you’ll be changing the name next, she said as I approached. Something modern and trendy to replace a century of tradition.

Actually, no, I sat in the adjacent chair. Bluewater Cove stays Bluewater Cove. Some things shouldn’t change.

She was quiet for a moment. You’ve always delighted in opposing me, Harper. From the moment you could form complete sentences.

I wasn’t opposing you, Mom. I was just being myself. And now you’ve gone to extraordinary lengths to prove your point.

Buying our family vacation spot? It’s unprecedented even for you. I took a deep breath. It wasn’t about opposing you.

Not entirely, anyway. It was about claiming something that matters to me. On my terms.

She studied me with an expression I couldn’t quite read. Your father thinks you’ll be brilliant at this. Jason too, surprisingly.

And what do you think? She smoothed an invisible wrinkle from her linen pants. I think you’ve always been determined to forge your own path, regardless of the advice or traditions others might offer. A pause.

Perhaps the determination will serve you well here. It wasn’t quite approval, but from my mother, it was significant. As she stood to leave, she handed me a small, wrapped package.

I was going to mail this to you after we returned home. Now I suppose I can deliver it in person. Inside was a framed photograph.

Not one of our formal family portraits, but a candid shot I’d never seen before. Me at about seven years old, building a sandcastle on Bluewater Cove’s beach. Intense concentration on my face as I shaped the towers.

You always did like to build things, she said quietly and walked inside. Six months later, Bluewater Cove resort had undergone a comprehensive transformation. We extended the season by two months with targeted marketing and special events…