Page 55 of Love is a Game
Fortunately the birds hadn’t tried to get into their take-out boxes. Andrew untied the bags around them and handed one to Sadie. “The fries aren’t exactly bottomless,” he told her, “but I know Tessa is generous with her to-go orders, and the Cokes should still be ice cold.”
Sadie giggled. “There had better be more than fries in here,” she warned him.
“Tessa said you always order the club,” he explained, watching her eyes light up at the sight of the sandwich.
“I don’t know how she remembers that,” Sadie said. She took a bite and let out a small moan, wiping at a glob of mayonnaise on the edge of her lip. “This is so good. I guess the travel did make me hungry.”
They ate mostly in silence. Sadie watched the seagulls flying over the cove and Andrew watched her. What she’d said about Seattle filled him with fresh hope. He knew her time in Briar Cove was almost over, but maybe that didn’t mean their time together was too. He imagined catching the last Friday night ferry and meeting her for a late dinner in a restaurant that stayed open past 8:00 p.m. and served more than American comfort foods. They could spend the weekend walking around the city as she showed him her favorite places. On Sunday nights he would head back to Briar Cove with the promise of seeing her again the next weekend.
“What is it?” Sadie asked, breaking into his thoughts. “Is there something on my face?”
He hadn’t realized he was staring. “Uh, yeah. Right here,” he lied.
He reached out and rested his knuckles against her cheek as his thumb brushed an invisible crumb from the corner of her mouth. Her eyes locked on to his and she didn’t pull away. This time he wasn’t going to hesitate. He leaned in slowly, feeling his heart pound against his chest.
“Thanks,” she said, turning away from him suddenly to grab a napkin.
It felt like missing the last step on a staircase. He sat back up and eyed her cautiously. Was that it, then? Was she telling him she wasn’t interested? He wasn’t ready to believe that. Maybe the timing just wasn’t right. Maybe it wasn’t the moment. He’d been out of the dating game for so long, maybe he was rushing things a little.
Sadie wiped her hands on the napkin and packed her trash back into the take-out bag. When she looked at him again, her smile was warm, offering him a modicum of relief. “Thank you for dinner. It was really great, and the view is so lovely,” she said, gazing back out over the hill.
A strong breeze blew past them and Andrew felt something dampen his face. He looked up nervously. “I hope it’s not about to rain.”
Sadie held out a hand and shook her head. “It’s just misting. Feels nice.”
“Good. There’s a trail on the other side of the park. If the rain holds off, I thought we could go for a walk.”
“Before we do that,” she began, rubbing a hand against the back of her neck. She looked nervous, which set him suddenly on edge. “I really need to talk to you about the Cypress.”
Relief washed over him as he realized he wasn’t about to be rejected. He nodded and set aside his food. “Right. I want to hear all about your presentation. This weekend I went over everything I’ve gathered so far, and I have some new ideas for the application. Maybe tomorrow night you can come by the library and we can take a look at what I have.”
“I don’t think I can do that.”
He shrugged. “Or any night you have free this week.”
“No . . .” She shook her head. “Andrew, listen. About the proposal—”
“Wait.” Andrew sat back, finally registering the look of discomfort on her face. She had bad news, he realized. “Is Maddox not interested?”
“No, they’re interested. The director of the coastal collection came by my office to tell me that she’s very interested.”
“So, what, then?” He watched her wince at his words and look away from him. His fingers stretched and flexed against his knee. “You told me we both wanted the same thing. Why do I get the feeling that’s no longer true?”
“We do want the same thing,” she insisted. “We both want to see the Cypress reopened and successful. The best chance of making that happen is if Maddox buys it from Robby.” She chewed her tongue, hesitating, and then said, “It’s just that landmark status might get in the way of that happening.”
He felt his stomach drop. “Is that what they told you?” he asked. “They don’t want me to go through with it?”
“It would put constraints on the company that might make it hard for them to do the things they need to do.”
“The constraints are the whole point, Sadie. I don’t want to see the Gregsons’ legacy torn apart and reduced to photos and a plaque acknowledging what once was.” He was raising his voice but he didn’t care. After everything she had said to convince him to go along with her scheme, he couldn’t believe she was backing out now.
“That’s not going to happen. I won’t let it happen,” she said.
“Oh? And you think you have that kind of authority?”
“Well,” she said carefully, “there’s a decent chance that if Maddox does acquire the hotel, I will be one of the people overseeing its introduction into the coastal collection.”
Andrew chuckled darkly, a humorless sound, as bitter understanding dawned. “I see. This is about you getting the promotion that you wanted.”