“Oh, you know me. Busy as ever.” The typical answer made Brayden frown. Maybe Ava had a point about his vague answers. He could hide behind excuses to keep a low profile in Sunset Ridge, but in truth, it was how his family operated. Especially after his father passed at a young age. “You must be busy too if it took you so long to call me.”
“A little.” He gave her several seconds to explain the need for the call, but when she didn’t say anything, he bought her time. “How’s your fiancé?”
“Your phone isn’t tapped, is it?” she asked with an uneasy laugh.
“Relax. I’m on my deck, watching Elsie play in the snow. I haven’t told anyone that you and Hunter are engaged, just like I promised. You get the pleasure of breakingthatnews to Mom yourself.”
“Good. Because I have another secret I need you to keep.”
Brayden kicked a chunk of ice, freeing it from the deck planks. Sarra already secretly dated a man Mom didn’t approve of. He wasn’t sure what else it could be.Unless. . . “You know I won’t say anything.”
“Good. Because I’m accepting another job.”
“And here I thought you were going to tell me you eloped.”
Sarra let out a quick laugh. “No time for that. I’m accepting a VP position with her biggest competitor. I’m not telling Mom until after Christmas, and she won’t be happy. But I’ve hit my ceiling with her company. I need bigger challenges. A sturdier ladder.”
“She’ll be hard-pressed to lose you.”
“Will she?” Sarra countered. “She’s been grooming you to run the company since you were old enough to have a job. You’re the one with a corner office waiting.”
“Yeah.” Brayden shoved his free hand in his pocket and let out a heavy sigh.An office I don’t want anymore.
“Brayden, everything okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Liar.”
With a few cautious steps, he peeked through the sliding-glass door into Ava’s place, ensuring she was preoccupied with decorations. “Mom’s coming to Alaska.”
“That makes sense.”
“It does?” Brayden regretted making this call outside. But Elsie was investigating a questionable tree branch poking out of the ground and he hated to spoil her excitement. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“You don’t know.”
“What’s to know? Mom’s coming to meet Ava.”
“Ava?” He gave Sarra a moment. “TheAva? You two worked things out?”
“No. Not exactly. It’s . . . a long story.”
Sarra laughed this time. “Aren’t we something with our predictably vague responses?”
“Right.”
“Brayden, I have something to tell you, and I don’t think you’ll like hearing it. But, well, you know how I hate surprises.”
Brayden tensed, bracing for whatever upsetting news his sister was about to hit him with. “Everything okay with you? Hunter?”
“Everything is fine here,” Sarra said, her voice sincere. “Mom’s retiring.”
“I know that. Two years.”
“No. January first. Ofnextyear.”
Brayden’s heart stopped cold, and he couldn’t even blame the wintery chill. January first bought him weeks. Days, really. “That can’t be right.”
