Brynn weighed explaining to Hallie that the founder of Pottery Barnhadactually found a barn filled with pots—three, in fact—which had launched the company. Only, she didn’t think that would be appreciated right now, given Hallie’s current state. Instead, she cocked her head to the side. “I didn’t realize that you and your family didn’t get along. I thought?—”
“That since we all grew up living in seven hundred square feet together that we’d be closer? Yeah, me too.”
That wasn’t exactly how she was going to put it, but it also wasn’t extremely far off. “I just meant that you ran a family business together. Close quarters and all that,” she said, gesturing around the room.
Brynn’s own holiday season had been chock-full of phone calls and video calls and text messages with her parents, with the added experience of trying to cook a full Christmas meal in the kitchen at The Stone’s Throw last week. Knowing the fire protocol had helped ease her anxiety—a lot.
Instead of answering, Hallie walked over to the backpack she’d left near the door and unzipped it. She pulled out a bottle of amber liquid that was wrapped in another plastic bag with some type of safety seal on it. Then, with a combination of purposefulness mixed with a slightly unsteady gait, Hallie walked over to the kitchen counter running along the wall and pulled down two glasses.
“Do you want a glass? It’s bourbon,” Hallie asked, already working to get ice cubes out of the tray that she’d plucked from the freezer.
Brynn didn’t hate bourbon, but she also didn’t loveanyalcohol. Mostly because she was such a lightweight when it cameto drinking. It was usually easier to stay sober instead of possibly doing embarrassing things.
There had been at least a few instances in college where that had happened, and she didn’t welcome the idea of a repeat experience. Especially with someone she respected as much as Hallie. Losing her debit card, which had caused a few thousand dollars’ worth of charges to be racked up at the bar where she’d lost it. Spilling wine all over her roommate’s favorite dress and then needing to buy her a new one, something she didn’t even remember doing. Then there was the time that she’d bought most of her dorm floor seats to a Celtics game, which was especially weird because she didn’t even like basketball. She’d only discovered that one when she’d found the confirmation email in her inbox the next morning.
But the thing was… it was New Year’s Eve, and she’d suddenly found herself with better company than she’d expected. “Sure, I’d love one,” she said, feeling braver than her sweatpants with snowmen on them would lead a person to believe.
In seconds, Hallie was walking over to the sofa, where she unceremoniously threw herself down a few feet away from Brynn. The most impressive part was that she didn’t spill a single drop of their drinks. She deftly handed Brynn one of the glasses. “I’m sorry if I’m ruining your New Year’s Eve plans.”
Brynn laughed and looked around the room, wondering if Hallie was joking. “You’re a value add as far as I’m concerned. It was just going to be me, the inn’s intercom, and whatever was on television for the next few hours.”
Hallie was contemplative for a few seconds before speaking. “If you’d have asked me last New Year’s Eve where I would be this year, the answer is exactly where I am at this moment.”
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Brynn questioned. The words themselves didn’t seem problematic, but the strain in Hallie’s voice made her think maybe that wasn’t the case.
Hallie sank into the sofa and kicked her feet up before she schooled Brynn with a surprisingly intense look. “I’m physically, literally, right where I thought I’d be, but everything else is different. My family lives across the country in Colorado. They don’t own The Stone’s Throw anymore. My best friend’s getting married?—”
Brynn had been in the process of taking her first sip of her drink. Instead, she whipped her head up to meet Hallie’s stare again. “Sydney and Reese are getting married?”
Hallie threw her hand across her mouth, but she only lasted for a second before she started laughing. “I guess the cat’s out of the bag. Sydney’s proposing tonight. That’s why I didn’t call her and ask her for a ride back from the airport early.” She pointed her finger at Brynn. “You’ve gotta keep that a secret.”
She didn’t know how to interpret the feeling that sluiced through her veins. At least there was the possibility of happiness after Grant. For Sydney, anyway. She needed to hold on to that amidst words that Brynn hadn’t expected to find so jarring. But also, and more importantly… “I could have picked you up.”
Hallie looked at her dubiously. “You’re already doing this job as a favor to Reese. I’m not going to force you to be my personal chauffeur on top of it.”
“I like you,” Brynn stressed. Hallie had made her feel more at home in the last few weeks than she often felt with people that she’d known for years. And with all of the upheaval in her own life, she didn’t take that for granted. “I may be doing Reese a favor, but you’re the one doing me a favor by being so patient with me.” Understatement of the year as far as Brynn was concerned.
She was met with an arched eyebrow before Hallie’s lips tipped into a smile that made Brynn’s chest feel full. “Brynn, I can honestly say that you are the most thoughtful employee I’ve ever had. Everyone has skills to learn, but I can’t teach people to care. You innately have that, which is insane because you’re, like, a gazillionaire, probably.”
“I’m not anything. Whatever my family has, it’s my parents’ money.” It was the approach she had always taken in life. Brynn was so lucky, she knew that, but she never automatically assumed that she could spend money with unfettered care. Sure, she knew that her family’s wealth gave her freedom. Access. A safety net that most people could never dream about. But she wasn’t going to be reckless with whattheyhad worked their entire lives to achieve.
She also knew that no amount of money in the world could matter, when it came down to it.
Hallie held her glass up and tipped it toward Brynn. “Good you learned that ethos early. I never thought that my parents would, like, give me the inn or anything, but I didn’t think that they’d sell it without so much as a conversation with me.”
Brynn frowned. “I didn’t know that.” Reese hadn’t mentioned it, much less that there was any bad blood related to the transition of the inn. And Hallie hadn’t let on about her feelings over the last few weeks. Every day they’d worked together, Hallie had seemed like she wanted to be at The Stone’s Throw. Like she was wholly in her element. Brynn was always so in awe of Hallie’s ability to navigate through the day-to-day and make it look effortless.
“And then they moved away,” Hallie continued, the sadness heavy in her voice, “and now I’m left here. Exactly where I thought I’d be, but everything is different.”
Brynn took a conservative sip of whiskey. It burned her throat first, but then a warmth settled in her stomach. Suddenly,she empathized so deeply with Hallie. The idea of being lost. Adrift. Without purpose. All because they’d trusted people, and that trust had been misplaced. “I’m sorry they did that. It’s clear to anyone who sees you at The Stone’s Throw that you love this place.”
“It’s fine,” Hallie claimed as she started playing with her ponytail. “I don’t know why I’m telling you any of this. I had a few drinks on the plane, and they hit me really, really hard.”
“One drink in the sky is the same as three on the ground,” Brynn supplied. “Your body can’t absorb as much oxygen due to the low air pressure. It’s a condition known as hypoxia. Airplanes are notoriously dry, so dehydration also compounds the effects.”
Hallie already being a little drunk was making their unexpected heart-to-heart make a lot more sense. And when Brynn looked closer, she did realize that Hallie’s cheeks were flushed, even more than her normal, rosy complexion. Her bright hazel eyes were slightly glassy, but they were trained on Brynn so intently, you’d have thought that she’d just given a speech ending world hunger.
Hallie laughed. Loudly. “You’re like a human encyclopedia.”
