“Hey.” Noah greets me with a sheepish smile and a tan face. Unfortunately, the spark in his eyes is only a reminder he’s leaving like Isaiah did. He’s stepping away from the issues at hand like Joe. I’m left to fend for myself, and I’m drowning. “What’s wrong?”
He rounds the corner of the front desk and slips into the office that feels suspiciously bare of the paperwork I need.
“Nothing.” As a temporary employee, this is not his concern. “How was the resort?” I don’t really care, but the question tumbles from my lips. I continue to flip through a file, uncertain of what I’m even looking for among the papers.
“Good.” Noah steps closer and places his hand on my arm. “What’s going on?” When I don’t answer him, he adds, “Do you need a kiss?”
What I need is someone to help me. What I need is someone to see through this mess. What I need is someone beside me for once in my goddamn life.
“I don’t think kisses can solve this,” I mutter without glancing up at him. “And this is nothing a temporary employee needs to concern himself with.”
“Temporary employee,” Noah snarks. “So we’re back to that?”
My head snaps up. “Were you ever not that?”
Noah stares at me. “We slept together.” The reminder is almost like a slap in the face. Yes, we did, and he didn’t contact me once in four days. Then again, what did I expect? Him to stay?
“I’m certain it’s a common occurrence for you.” The words are cold and bitter and unnecessary. I’m lashing out at him because I’m stressed, and I’m hurt.
“You got what you wanted.”
The comment has me narrowing in on his eyes. “I got what I wanted?” I snort. “That’s rich. I can’t remember the last time I got what I wanted.”
“You used me.”
My mouth falls open.
“Everyone uses me, and you’re no different.”
My heart races. “How did I use you?”
“Fixing your inn and playing babysitter to your kid.”
I stare at him. Is he serious? “You offered to take care of Jonas. I was sick.” This isn’t happening. I cannot be fighting with him. I don’t have the energy or the time.
“You just wanted me to fuck you.” His voice drops, and he steps closer to me, crowding my space in the tight office.
I stare at him, my fingers itching to slap him. How dare he? “You’re fired. Enjoy your life in the Caribbean.”
His expression remains still. His eyes are unwavering as they narrow in on me. I turn away first.
“Yeah. Have a nice life, little bird.”
Ha. I would… if only I had a nest.
And as soon as Noah leaves, I slam the office door and fall to the floor, scattering the papers in the file, and burst into sobs.
15
[Noah]
The resort made me an offer.
After days of touring the five-star location with its three pools, beach access, and endless amenities, the decision wasn’t difficult.
I wanted to call Tessa once I decided. I should have texted her the morning after our night together, but I didn’t know what to say. How do you tell someone they rocked your world?
I never express commitment. I don’t text a one-night stand. But Tessa is different. She had to be as she was technically my boss until a few minutes ago. But deep down, Tessa was more than an employer or one night to me. She’d become everything to me, but I certainly wasn’t everything to her.
Uncertain of what just happened, I pull my car into my brother’s driveway and call him despite being parked in his yard.
“How was the Caribbean?” Zack’s voice is guarded, tight, and terse like he can be.
“Beautiful.” My mind recalls the scenery down there. Lush greenery. White sand. Turquoise water. The sound of steel drums. The place was a tropical dream.
“So, what’s up?” Again, a sharp tone. “How did the interview go?”
“It went.” I liked the place. A dream, like I said. The position entailed doing all the things I’d done before. Securing whatever a guest needed, making their stay as comfortable and lavish as they deserved. Fulfilling their dream vacation while working there would be my every day. I’d live at the resort as I’d done in one of my former positions. The accommodations wouldn’t be a hardship as the place offered nice rooms to their staff, plus use of all the amenities. The view wasn’t bad either.
But something was missing.
When Zack doesn’t respond to my flippant answer about the interview, I ask him about Tessa. “How did the bank meeting go?”
Zack sighs. “I think you should speak to Tessa about it.”
I tried. “Why? What happened?”
“Pulling the attorney-client confidentiality clause, I’m going to decline to answer you. Speak to Tessa.”
My heart races. What the hell? “Zack, did she get the loan or not?”
“Noah.”
My palms sweat. That inn is her livelihood as well as her home, but it’s also in her heart. She’s passionate about Bluebird Hollow.
“Just tell me. How did the meeting go?”
“It didn’t.” Zack exhales.
“As in, it didn’t happen?” How could that no-good loan officer cancel on her again?
“As in the loan. It didn’t happen.”
So much for attorney-client privilege.
And my poor little bird.
+ +
I speed back to the inn and storm into the office. Tessa isn’t there.
“She said she needed air,” Monica tells me. “I think she might have gone down to the lake.”
The day is breezy while pleasant. The sun is absent, though, matching my mood. After exiting the inn, I cross the street and head down the one-hundred-and-fifty wood stairs to the lakeshore below. As I descend, Tessa stands in the sand. Her feet bare despite the cold. The wind picks up nearer the water.
Her arms wrapped around her middle. Without seeing her face, I’m certain she’s zoned out, staring into nothing. Her head full of concerns.
“Little bird,” I whisper, coming up behind her. She doesn’t turn but swats at her cheeks. “Hey.” With my hands on her shoulders, I try to spin her to face me, but she shrugs forward.
“Go away, Noah. The Caribbean is calling you.”
I sigh, digging my shoe-covered toe into the sand. Slipping my hands into my pockets, I lower my head. “Actually, it’s not.”
Tessa doesn’t respond.
“I didn’t plan on taking the job until my boss fired me about a half hour ago.”
Tessa turns. Her eyes are red-rimmed. Her cheeks ruddy from the wind and tears. “What?”
Reaching for her neck, I place my fingers along her pulse point. “As soon as I left here, I had a feeling the Caribbean wasn’t going to be what I wanted. All that bright sunshine. The heat. The sand.” I shiver while offering her a weak smile.