Page 37 of A Lifetime of Afters
“Why?” I whispered.
A wariness shadowed his eyes as they met mine. “He’s not sure,” he reached for my hand. “And you are. And I don’t want to lose you for another ten years if he hurts you again.”
“What do you mean again?” I asked more sharply than I intended.
Lacing his fingers together on the table, he again looked out the window. “I know something happened between the two of you. Before Hunter passed. Before Hawk brought that woman home.” He faced me. “I don’t know what happened, but I don’t want history to repeat itself.”
I opened my mouth, but he raised a hand to ask for another minute. I noted that I inherited that mannerism from my dad as well.
“At the same time, I love him like he’s mine. He’s been hurting so long, and I know you’d be the best thing to ever happen to him. I’m not so sure he’ll be good for you.”
“So, what do I do?” I shook my head, at a loss.
“Honey,” he sighed. “I wish I knew. But whatever happens, I’m here for you. And as much as I wish things were easy for you, sometimes you need to fight for the good stuff.”
“Did you have to fight for Mom?”
“Not in the early years, but we had our tough times. As good as things look from the outside, we’re all a little broken, and sometimes those jagged edges cut deep.”
My dad’s softly spoken words stayed with me as I hurried across the parking lot and through the lobby of Sage Ridge. Still unsure about the wisdom of what I was about to do, I continued on.
Inside, I bypassed the front desk and knocked briskly on Harley’s office door.
“It’s open,” she called.
As soon as I stuck my head in, she brightened. “Noelle! Come in! What are you doing here?”
“Looking for a job, boss lady,” I half-joked.
Harley’s eyes narrowed then went wide. “You’re serious.” Her smile split wide open as she screeched, “You’re serious!”
I held my palms up but she barreled around her desk to grasp my hands. “I’m so happy! You’ll fall in love with Sage Ridge again and you’ll stay forever and I’ll neverin my lifehave to plan another wedding!”
I threw my head back and laughed. It was difficult, if not impossible to be around Harley for any amount of time and not laugh. “Truly, Harley, I need you to be serious for a few minutes.”
“Right, right,” she chanted as she paced away from me then darted behind her desk. Sitting poker straight, she laced her fingers together on her desk and grinned at me. “You were saying?”
“I’d like to take the job on a temporary basis. Until I decide if I’m staying or going. I have no objection to you continuing your search for a replacement and I’ll step aside if you find someone.”
“Nope,” Harley sliced a hand through the air. “With Christmas coming, it’s almost impossible to hire anyone. The soonest I’d be able to start a search would be January. And by then you will have decided to stay, so, no need.” She smiled cheekily, beaming with excitement.
“I have another concern, one I’m not sure if I should talk to you or your mom. Who oversees long-term bookings?”
“Mom,” she answered decisively. “I’ll page her. While we wait for her, I’ll go over your responsibilities with you.”
While there were lots of bookings, planning didn’t pick up until late January. From then it was full speed ahead until October. At which point corporate events took center stage.
Those I could handle in my sleep.
Harley showed me to my new office and explained the ancient binder system they still used.
The software would take a bit longer to work out, but it wasn’t anything I hadn’t done before. Before the end of the day, Lou came by and made it official.
“I wanted to ask you about renting one of the suites or cottages for the next few months.”
“Sure, lamb. Lots are available right now. Take your pick.”
“Lou, I have a cat…”
