He passed her a glass, and up close, she noticed the worry lines creasing his brow.
“What’s wrong?” Had his mother’s good mood finally worn off?
“Nothing. It’s just—there’s something I need to tell you.” His frown lines deepened, and her pulse sputtered.
“What is it?” She managed to keep her voice steady while her heartbeat thrummed wildly.
“It’s something important. But we can’t talk here. It needs to be somewhere private.” He glanced toward the house. The regal mansion with its myriad windows and multiple balconies gleamed in the darkness. “Can we go inside for a minute?”
She swallowed the bitter taste of panic. What did he want to talk about? It sounded serious. Had he changed his mind about the sailing charter? Aboutthem?
Relax. Breathe. You’re jumping to the worst-case scenario. Flynn wouldn’t do that to you. Not again.
“Sure.” She tried to keep her voice from shaking as she set her unsipped champagne on the tray of a passing server.
But before they could move toward the house, Randolph Cahill’s commanding voice reverberated across the garden.
“Thank you all for coming tonight.” Tall and imposing in a slick black suit, Randolph stood on a raised podium, Cordelia preening by his side. He caught Flynn’s eye, and an unspoken directive passed between father and son.
“Will you excuse me for one second? I’ll be right back.” He handed her his glass of champagne and kissed her cheek before heading toward the podium.
She watched him walk away, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
You’re being ridiculous. Everything is fine.
She took a sip of Flynn’s champagne.
“Today marks the fortieth anniversary of our little family company, and we couldn’t be prouder of how far we’ve come.”
Sage tried not to roll her eyes at his self-deprecating tone. Thelittle family companyhad hundreds of employees.
As Randolph launched into a well-rehearsed speech about how he’d founded the business from nothing,yada, yada, yada, Sage glanced around at the mingling guests, wondering how many times they’d heard the same story. And how much of it had been exaggerated over the years.
“Of course, I couldn’t have done any of it without my wife and partner, Cordelia.” At this part of the speech, Cordelia offered the crowd a self-effacing smile, as if she had no idea she’d be recognized by her husband.
Sage took another sip of champagne.
“I’d also like to thank my son.”
The champagne fizz burned the back of her throat, and she pressed a fist to her chest, both to clear the tingling bubbles and calm her racing heart.
“Thanks to Flynn’s tireless dedication over the last decade, we surpassed our company goals year after year.” Randolph placed a proud hand on Flynn’s shoulder.
Sage stretched onto her tiptoes, straining for a better look at Flynn’s face, desperate to read his indiscernible expression. Was he nervous? Uncomfortable? Anxious for the ordeal to be over?
“Which is why,” Cordelia interjected, taking the microphone from her husband’s hands, “we’re thrilled to announce Flynn’s new role as vice president of Cahill Enterprises, effective immediately.”
As Cordelia beamed like a beacon from the podium, the crowd erupted in applause.
Sage staggered backward, sloshing champagne onto her shoes.
No. This couldn’t be happening. Flynn had given her his word.
The world seemed to spin and spiral out of control, and everything turned upside down.
Suddenly, she was eighteen again, waiting on a dock for someone who’d never arrive. Abandoned. Discarded. Like she’d never mattered at all.
The heat of humiliation singed her skin.
