Reese averted her stare. “Judging from Stan’s well-meaning but overbearing nature, it seems like Stoneport is probably a really great place for Brynn right now. I don’t want to make her feel conflicted about that.”
Hallie let out a sigh of relief. At least they were on the same page about something. “Brynn seems to genuinely be having a good time here.” Which, as far as she knew, was the truth.
“I just…” She could tell that Reese was trying to put something delicately. Something that Hallie probably wasn’t going to like. “I know that what Grant did has nothing to do with me. Or you. But I don’t want the Fitzpatricks to be let down again by another member of my family. Brynn going home a mess wouldn’t be good for any of us, Brynn included.”
Hallie knew that she was doing the scrunchy-face thing again. “Reese, I can’t architect Brynn’s life, and even if I could, I wouldn’t. We’re all just figuring things out as we go. Yourself included.”
Really, what was Reese’s endgame here? None of them could control what Grant had done. And even though Hallie was doing everything in her power to prepare Brynn for the romantic world, the decisions that Brynn ultimately decided to make weren’t up to her.
Still, she was doing her best to see Reese’s point. It was a tough spot Reese was being put in, but this felt more like a warning than anything else. A warning Hallie didn’t exactly appreciate.
She was gearing up to tell Reese exactly that when it was like, in one fell swoop, all the fight left her boss’s body. Reese said in an exhausted tone, “It was unfair of me to talk to you about this, Hallie. I’m sorry. I just want to make sure that everything is perfect for Sydney and me in the coming months, and Stan is putting a really big wrench in that. But you’re absolutely right. And I think it’s pretty clear based on this conversation that meddling isn’t my strong suit anyway.”
Hallie wanted Sydney’s engagement and wedding to go perfectly, just as much as Reese did. She gave Reese a sympathetic smile. “Whatever you and Sydney end up doing, whenever you end up doing it, is going to be perfect because the two of you are perfect for one another. Don’t lose sight of that.”
Reese blushed as a smile overtook her face, clearly thinking about her relationship with Sydney. “I want her to have everything.”
“Which is incredible, but all she wants is you.” Hallie had been there after Grant. When Sydney had thrown herself too hard into tennis. When she’d tried to push through the pain and the heartache and the disappointment at being so misled by someone she’d loved.
Reese was one of the good ones, even if Hallie still planned to hold her accountable to living up to that standard every day. Especially where Sydney was concerned.
Unfortunately, Hallie had lied. Accidentally, of course.
But as she sat on Brynn’s bed less than an hour after talking to Reese, she couldn’t forget their conversation.
Because itwassort of weird that Brynn talked about her parents so little when it was clear that they were a huge partof her life. Conversely, Hallie’s lack of conversation about her parents made complete sense, given that they didn’t have a relationship these days.
So, for the last ten minutes, Hallie had been trying to pry more information out of Brynn. Really, this was partially Brynn’s fault for encouraging a level of curiosity that she didn’t usually possess these days, unless it was about the inn.
“You know, we never talked about how Christmas with your parents went. Was it weird being at the inn instead of at home?” It was a weak play, given that Christmas was over two weeks ago at this point, but she was running out of ideas.
Brynn, who’d been applying her makeup in the bathroom, poked her head out the door. “It was good. Mostly, I loved the commercial fire equipment in the kitchen. I like to cook, but it’s always good to cover your bases in terms of safety.”
What a very Brynn response. Hallie smiled reflexively, even as she tried to think about how to bring up Brynn’s parents again. She was coming up empty. “Reese stopped by earlier. Just to check in and make sure everything was going okay with us both working here.”
Brynn, who must’ve finished her makeup, given her perfectly done-up face, walked out of the en suite and toward her closet. “Is everything okay?”
Hallie nodded. “That was my question, too, but she just wanted to see if the arrangement with you helping out here was still working.” She paused. “Is it?”
Brynn turned around and looked at her seriously, brows furrowed before she broke out into a smile. “Hallie, I can honestly tell you that I’m having more fun than I’ve ever had before. I love having you as a roommate. I love being more independent. I love getting better at something and learning how to better interact with people. There’s not a single bad thing about my life right now.”
After taking a few seconds to bask in how much it meant that Brynn really seemed to think Hallie was the bee’s knees, as far as friends went—which she did try to excel at, admittedly—Hallie saw her opening. “I bet your parents really miss you. You guys are pretty close, right?”
She knew that was an understatement. Even if Brynn didn’t talk about her parents a ton, she often heard Brynn on the phone with them, usually in the early mornings, and at least once a week, Brynn trekked back to Boston to spend time with them.
Whenever she came back, she’d tell Hallie about what she and her parents had done together, what they’d had for dinner. A movie at home and bolognese. Last week, they’d gotten sushi and then gone to the opera. But she never told Hallie how shefeltabout it. Brynn usually recited information, leaving Hallie to glean nuggets of Brynn’s emotional state from the smallest of details.
“I do miss them,” Brynn finally answered before adding, “Sometimes. But I think this time is really good for me. Getting away to Louisiana was sort of a pause on real life more than anything. This is me, actually building a new life.”
Hallie lifted a brow. “And you think your future holds working as a desk manager at a local inn and having a roommate?”
Brynn shrugged and turned back toward the closet. She put her hands on her hips, Hallie tracking the movement. “Why not?” she said, more to her clothing than to Hallie.
Hallie could list off a million different reasons—maybe a couple million, depending on the size of Brynn’s highly probable trust—but she settled on, “You have a PhD, for starters.”
“Academia is a tough market to break into. There are tons of people with PhDs who don’t work in their intended field,” Brynn said as she began rummaging around in her closet, which slowly filled with more clothing after each trip back to Boston.
“Well, Stoneport’s definitely not Boston,” Hallie argued, sitting up from where she’d been resting against the headboard. She scooted into the middle of the bed and crossed her legs, facing Brynn. “I’m sure there’s a lot missing from life in the city.”
