Page 66 of Love is a Game
“So what do you plan to do, then?”
“I’m not sure,” she confessed. “I’m going to move back home for a while and figure it out.”
“I don’t mean to sound insensitive, but are there even jobs out there in Briar . . . what is it?”
“Cove. Briar Cove,” she told him, not for the first time.
“Right.”
She finished loading up her box and taped it shut. All of the papers and files inside of her desk would have to be turned in before she left, but everything else was packed. The room looked small and sterile without her personal effects. For a moment she wondered how large her office would have been if she’d gone over to Genevieve’s team, but she knew it didn’t matter. She was ready to go home. Still, she worried that might be a bridge she’d regret burning.
“I hope Genevieve wasn’t too upset about me quitting after she’d already requested my transfer,” she said, watching Archer’s face for any clues he might give away.
“No, don’t worry about that,” he assured her. “Gen’s always looking for new talent she can sink her claws into. Honestly, I think you dodged a bullet there.”
“It would have been fun to be part of the coastal collection. I really liked the idea of bringing Maddox to my old stomping grounds,” she said wistfully. “But I guess moving back home will give me a chance to watch the new locations come together.”
Archer snapped his fingers. “Oh, I forgot to tell you. That hotel of yours, what was it?”
“The Cypress? I know they made an offer. Genevieve told me.”
“No, they were going to, but it fell through.”
Sadie froze. “What?”
He nodded. “I know. I was surprised too. Apparently, someone else got to it before us. I think they said it was a developer or something. Makes sense. Beachfront property like that? Throw up some condos there and you’d be set. I just hope it doesn’t lead to more vacation homes in the area.”
Sadie sat down hard in her chair, tuning out Archer’s familiar rant about their competition. She could feel the color draining from her face as he spoke. A developer? Condos? What had she done? If the hotel was torn down, she would never be able to face Andrew again, which would be a real problem if her move was permanent. Briar Cove was too small a place to avoid someone for long. Would he even stay? Or would it be too hard to watch something new go up where the place he loved so much should be?
“Ah, well,” Archer continued. “Can’t blame the owner for taking the first offer he got. From what you said, it sounds like he didn’t realize what he had there. He missed out on a pretty sweet deal from us. I can tell you that much.”
Would Robby really give up his parents’ beloved business like that? Yes. From what her dad and Andrew had said, she knew he would. The Cypress had stood in Briar Cove for over a hundred years, and just like that, it would be gone. Her shoulders fell. She should have helped Andrew like she’d promised. He was right, she realized. She’d been too focused on helping her career to see the big picture.
“Sadie? Yoo-hoo,” Archer said, waving a hand in front of her face.
Her attention came back to the room and she looked up at him. “Sorry, I got distracted.” She looked at the box on her desk. Other than her purse, everything she needed to take with her was packed inside. “Archer, I have to go,” she said, standing.
“What? Where are you going?”
“I have to catch the ferry.”
“B-but,” he sputtered, “I thought we had you for one more day.”
“I know. There isn’t really anything left for me to do though,” she said, pulling her purse strap over her shoulder.
“Wait.” He held a hand out in front of the doorway. “You have your exit interview tomorrow.”
She lifted the box into her arms. “Have HR call me; we’ll do it over the phone.”
“I need you to go over your files with me before you leave. You know I can never remember what needs to be in those.”
Sadie stood in front of him and took a deep breath. “Archer, I want you to know that I appreciate everything you’ve done for me here. I learned a lot from you, and I know you to be a very intelligent, capable man. So please understand what I mean, with all due respect, when I say, you can figure it out. Goodbye.”
He was so shocked, he didn’t even try to stop her as she pushed through the door and made for the elevators. She would have to stop at home to grab her suitcase before catching the ferry, but if she hurried she might be able to get on the water within the hour. She had to get back to Briar Cove. She had to get to Andrew.
She was sure he already knew. Robby probably told him right away; he’d been so eager to be done with the property. There was also a good chance Andrew wouldn’t want to see her. After the way she’d unloaded on him before she left, she couldn’t blame him. Still, she was the only person who understood what the Cypress meant to him, and the least she could do was offer an understanding ear, if he would take it. For the briefest of moments, they had been friends, and she knew that was what he needed right then more than anything.
She drove home in a daze. Everything she would need for the next few weeks was already packed and ready to go. Her dad had promised to come back with her on a weekend to help clear out her apartment, so she left the box of things from the office on her table and hurried back to her car with her suitcase.