Chapter Thirty-One
Colin
It’s been a little over a week since she left.
Nine long days ago, she took my heart with her. I’ve been going through the motions for most of the day. I haven’t stopped smiling because of the little person with me who fills my heart in just the right places. But the hole Audrey Reed will remain.
I’ve been hoping she’d reconsider and call. The radio silence is killing me.
My parents were reluctant to leave today, but the cold is terrible for Mom’s arthritis. My sisters drove back home and took our parents to the airport.
When I left Perry at school, she asked when Audrey would be back.
I’ve yet to break the news to my daughter that I lost the girl, and we no longer have a friend. What am I supposed to say?
Sweetheart, I messed up, and she’s never coming back?
Okay, I need to work on the delivery to make it more eloquent and less angry. I’m upset with myself. I sprung my feelings too soon, and to top it off, I hid vital information from her.
But I swear we seemed to be in sync. Maybe that’s the problem. I was wrong about her all along, and what I thought we had was one-sided.
Fortunately, I have clients to visit, quotes to prepare, and a kid who needs all my attention. I’m tired of thinking about what I did wrong and how I could’ve acted. What is done . . . well, it happened, and I have to move on.
Next time . . . I rub my chest, thinking about the next time. I don’t want there to be a next time. I love Audrey.
Instead of brooding, I make my way around town. Mrs. Pollard needs help taking down the New Year’s Eve decorations. At the hardware store, Frank wants me to look at his roof. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to spot any issues with the drone since everyone’s roofs have snow from last night’s storm.
When I reach Morgan’s shop, he’s in his office staring at the monitor.
“Shouldn’t you be watching soap operas at home?”
He looks up at me and laughs. “Nah, I’m trying to get everything ready for my accountant. At least you still have your sense of humor.”
Clicking his mouse a few times, he finally focuses on me. “Why are you here?”
“Well, it was nice of you to get Audrey’s rental ready, but . . . I need my truck,” I say. “You know, the one you parked on the corner and haven’t touched since it arrived.”
His eyebrow raises, and he crosses his arms. “What’s happening with Miss Reed?”
“What do you mean?” I ask, confused. “Did you forget to submit the claim for it?”
He’s got to be kidding me.
“No, I mean, what happened between you two?” he asks. “Your truck should be ready next week. You have an SUV, and if you need to use one of my trucks for work, you can just come by.”
“Well, then, next week,” I confirm.
“And Audrey?” he insists.
“You fixed her car, she’s back in California, and we’re all hoping she won’t tell her boss that Mom owns the place. Then again, I think she will—to save her job.”
“Uh-huh.” He bobs his head a couple of times. “So that’s it. You just give up on her?”
“No, more like I accept we’re not happening,” I conclude. “If you’re wondering about the B&B, I’m posting the job on several websites. Hopefully, we’ll have a few applicants to help us renovate the place.”
“You are in denial.”
“No, I’m practical,” I inform him.
“You’re an idiot.”
“I’d beg to differ, but today, I don’t care if you call me names.”
“Go fight for her.”
“She doesn’t want me.”
“You caught her off guard, then confessed how we deceived her.” He summarizes the worst night of my life.
And I thought the worst one had been getting drunk in college and having my stomach pumped. I thought I was dying.
“I told her I loved her,” I said slowly. “What is there to fight for when someone doesn’t love me back?”
“Did she say that?” he asks. “With those exact words? I don’t love you.”
“No, but what am I supposed to do? She has a job and a life. She’s right. I can’t just uproot her.”
“But you can leave,” he suggests. “Perry’s going to be okay here, in LA, or wherever you take her because one thing she has is a father who loves her. Your business here is going to be fine too. You know how to manage your people. Go open something else in California. It’s a two-hour flight from there. You can come here often.”
“You say it as if it’s so easy.” I'd already uprooted my little girl once. She has stability, friends, family here. It isn't fair to upend her life again, especially now that she's growing up and taking everything in. Can I change her world again to chase what I want? But isn't Audrey what she needs too?
He shakes his head. “No, it’ll take time for you to figure everything out, but if someone can do it, it would be you.”
I wave at him and leave. We can discuss this for hours, but nothing he’ll say will convince me. When I go across the street to visit Becky, I’m knocked with yet another memory. “We’re running out of peppermint mocha, Colin. Do you want the last cup?”
I nod and sip it while walking back to pick up Perry. Morgan isn’t right, but he isn’t totally wrong either. Audrey and I left a few things unfinished. I need her to tell me she doesn’t love me. We have to wrap everything up and tie this issue with a bow before we disregard it. I have to see her one last time. Tell her I’m miserable without her and that she’s right, it was unfair of me to expect more when we haven’t been together for long.
But also tell her she’s wrong. Because I have watched true love for years in my parents’ marriage. It’s not perfect, but the openness and love and genuine respect were what I knew I never had in Remi. But with Audrey? It was there. It can be there.
There’s another way, and I’ll find it soon.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Audrey
I spent three nights in that hotel.
Mostly because it hurt too much to be awake. And I didn’t want to go back to LA to my lonely apartment or ridiculously empty life.
I just want Colin and Perry, right before the moment he dropped the bombshell. When I was blissfully ignorant of the lies. When I’d felt so close to figuring out what I wanted to do, even if it was crazy.
He’d taken that chance from me.
In the aftermath, I’m pretty sure my eyes will be permanently red and irritated from crying, and I’ll eventually grow used to the pain in my chest. It hasn’t dulled. If anything, it’s intensified.
Once I make it to Las Vegas, I stop at an In-N-Out Burger and manage to get a few bites down. Sitting in the parking lot, I think about the last couple of weeks without the haze of anger.
Though the illusion of Winter Valley is gone, I’m changed.
Are you really going back to the way you were before?
I think about countless nights at the office. About the woman who has made my life hell. About how I never get to see a project from start to finish.
No. I’m most definitely not going back to the way I was before.
I shove a french fry in my mouth and grab my phone. For a second, I stare at what I’ve typed on the screen. Can I do this? Should I do this?
Before I can talk myself out of doing what I know is right, I hit send.
Audrey Reed: I quit
I wait for the moment of panic. The instant when I text Aurora back and tell her I sent that to the wrong person. But it doesn’t come.
I’m nervous. Scared even. More than that, I’m free.
My time in Winter Valley taught me to see things through a fresh lens. I’m not letting that go to waste. I might even go on a date . . . eventually.
Something about that, though, doesn’t sit well. I push the cardboard tray of food away. I don’t want to go on a date with just anyone. I want . . . No, I won’t think about him or
what we’ll never have.
My phone vibrates in the cupholder. I glance down, but the name on the caller ID isn’t who I expect.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Hey, sweetheart.” Her worried voice surrounds me over the car’s speakers.
“I’m okay.” That’s a lie. “I’m going to be okay,” I amend. Another lie.
“I know you will be.”
Her confidence in me gives a much-needed boost. After my last breakup, she seemed more concerned about Stan than me. I know now that wasn’t the truth, but at least she’s not telling me what a great guy Colin is. She wouldn’t be wrong except for the lying.
I’m also glad Mom doesn’t hold it against me that I left without her and didn’t even send a text telling her where I was going. Her forgiveness has been my daily balm since our first phone call when all I could do was cry.
“I actually thought you were Aurora calling.” I throw the car in reverse and back out of the parking spot.
A disgruntled noise comes through the phone. “What’s she up to now?” Mom doesn’t bother to hide the disgust in her voice.
“I wouldn’t know. I haven’t talked to her.”
“Thank goodness for small mercies,” she mutters.
I press my lips together to keep from laughing. She’s not wrong.
“I quit.”
Silence.
I check my phone to make sure we’re still connected before I turn onto the highway.
“I’m proud of you.”
She is?
“I don’t have another job—”
“You’ll find your way.” Her belief in me is so strong I feel it through the phone. “You took the power back and stopped letting that woman run all over you. That takes courage.”
Or stupidity. But I prefer her assessment. I already feel stronger with not one ounce of regret.
“I’m not sure what I want to do, but I have a few ideas.” The stirrings of excitement swirl in me. It doesn’t diminish the pain from the hole where Colin and Perry used to be, but it gives me hope.
“Don’t rush into anything. When the right thing comes along, you’ll know.”
I get the impression we aren’t talking about my career any longer. She’s been suspiciously silent about all things Bradford, even though I know she has the inside track. She’s still in Winter Valley.
“Have you decided when you’re coming back?” I ask carefully. I’m not ready to see my mom yet—I’m not ready to see anyone—but I’ll need the kind of hug only she can give soon.
“I’m not sure. I have some things to sort out myself.”
Like what? Instead of asking, I let it go. “Love you, Mom.”
“Love you too, sweetheart. Let me know when you’ve made it back safely.”
“I will.”
The minute she’s gone, loneliness surrounds me once more. I did the right thing by quitting. I deserve more.
I can’t be completely angry with Aurora. Because of her, I have a little thicker skin. She’s business savvy. I’ve witnessed tactics I’d like to carry forward . . . and ones I’ll leave behind. I’ve had a taste of different aspects of the hotel industry. Now I’m certain which ones appeal to me.
I have the skills to pursue my own adventure or take to a new career with another company. And I won’t put up with crap from another horrible boss. Ever.
What if I’m doing exactly what my mother says I always do? Burying myself in work.
This feels different.
She’s right. I’ve finally taken back power over my life. I’m controlling what I can.
It’s going to take a lot of time, but I’ll eventually learn how to deal with what I can’t control. Colin’s behavior and the lost opportunity for us to take a leap of faith with each other.
I pass a billboard with a unicorn on it and touch the pendant Perry and Colin gave me. The waterworks start all over again.
The late afternoon sun streaks across the parking lot of my apartment as I wheel in. There’s no blanket of snow on the ground. There’s no sparkle in the trees. Just a dark Mercedes with pitch-black windows in my spot?
I’d know that car anywhere.
I yank on the door handle. Why is she here?
Aurora glides out of the back of the car and wrinkles her nose in disdain at my attire but says nothing. Her look conveys her thoughts perfectly.
I’m a mess.
But I don’t care what she thinks anymore.
“Was your text a joke?”
She seems to think everything I do is a joke. I temporarily set aside my heartbreak and let the anger come back in full force.
“No.” I pop the trunk of my car and grab my bag and purse.
“You didn’t get me that bed and breakfast. I want it.”
I slam the trunk. “You can’t have it.”
I may be furious with the Bradfords. They might have handled the situation totally wrong. But I won't betray them. I don’t want someone like Aurora coming to Winter Valley and tainting Perry’s goodness.
“I paid you to complete the job.” She straightens her black suit jacket.
“You paid me a salary to do many jobs, including being your punching bag. I won’t do it anymore.” I hike my purse on my shoulder. “Besides, how many times have you threatened to fire me? Find someone else to torment.”
Good luck, lady. Most people would never tolerate you as long as I did.
“I expect that contract on my desk next week,” she calls as I climb the stairs.
“You won’t get it.” I reach my door, and there sits my lost luggage. I roll my eyes and dig through my purse for my keys.
Aurora stands at the bottom of the steps, staring up at me. “You’ve had a vacation. You’ll be in the office early in the morning.”
My hand freezes when it wraps around the snow globe keychain. Reminders of Colin and Perry are everywhere. Will they ever hurt less?
“What part of ‘I quit’ don’t you understand?”
My eyes sting when I catch sight of the heart Perry drew on the base of the snow globe. I miss her smile and that sweet laughter. I miss her energy. I just miss her.
“You can’t quit. I refuse to allow it.”
“I’ll call Karen to confirm the deposit of my final paycheck.” I unlock my door and step across the threshold. It’s dark and as lonely as I suspected.
“The contract. Next week!” Aurora yells.
I slam the door. She’s insane. I wouldn’t wish her on anyone. Not even the Bradfords. God help them if she ever finds out they own the B&B.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Colin
It’s been a hot minute since the last time I visited Los Angeles. My eyes burn from the hazy air. The drive from the airport to Audrey’s office was longer than I expected. I should take this as a sign and go back home.
But I have to keep going and finish what I started this morning for one important reason. Taking a deep breath, I step into the offices of Capell-Stanley Hotels.
The logo is engraved in gold on the marble floor. The counter of the reception desk matches the flooring. Several frames contain black and white pictures of what I assume are the buildings they own.
“Welcome to Capell-Stanley Hotels,” the receptionist greets me. “How can I help you?”
“I’m here to see Audrey Reed,” I answer, pulling out my identification.
She flinches. “Is she expecting you?”
“I—no. It’s a last-minute appointment.”
She looks at my ID and makes a call. She talks so low I can’t make out the words. When she hangs up, her smile becomes stiff.
“Ms. Reed is no longer employed here.”
My entire being stills at the words. I take a deep breath, shifting my hand to the back of my neck.
“She got fired anyway,” I mumble under my breath, and I feel as if I’ve failed one more time. She lost her job because of me.
You should’ve called her.
How could I surprise her if I’d called?
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I take a deep breath.
I’m not giving up. We’re going to sit down and talk. If Audrey wants me to leave after we say what needs to be sorted out, I’ll be crushed. However, I’ll leave.
“Do you have a way for me to reach her?” Like a home address.
Her smile is on point. “Sorry, sir. We can’t give out personal information for current or former employees.”
I pull out my phone and call Morgan. “Can you text me her address, please?”
“I shouldn’t. It’s confidential.” Is he for real right now? Isn’t he the one who wanted me to come after her?
“You’re not her lawyer, her therapist, nor her doctor,” I claim. “You didn’t sign any document assuring her information would be kept private. Just text me the damn address.” I really don’t want to ask Audrey’s mother. She’s given me the stink eye since Audrey took off. A well-deserved stink eye, but still . . .
“I take it Colt and I are in charge of Perry until you’re back.”
I grunt a yes while walking outside the building. Before heading to a restaurant to pass the time, I make one last attempt. I call her.
Her voicemail picks up almost instantly. I try a couple more times before I give up and leave a message.
“Audrey, I’m at the coffee shop across from the office building of Capell-Stanley. I was hoping you could give me a few minutes of your time, but they said you don’t work there anymore. It’s been almost two weeks since the last time we spoke, and I just want to . . . Please give me a chance to explain. I’m so damn sorry for not knowing how to handle things between us. And I’m so sorry if I cost you your job.”
I take a deep breath. “I’ll be here for another hour if you have time. If not, I’ll just catch up with you after business hours.”
Fifty-two minutes later, she appears down the sidewalk wearing black slacks and a pink button-down dress shirt with her hair up. She looks beautiful but stressed out. Her face is pale, her mouth tight, and her shoulders tense. Just like I feel. Maybe it’s because of our separation? Of course it’s not, you idiot. She has no job. I want to reach out to her, take her in my arms, and ask what I can do to make everything better.
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