I looked out through the booth’s windows at the Christmas trees and then at the lodge in the distance. Those things should have been my priority. Not some rich dude that promised the moon but was only interested in one thing.
“What if he doesn’t come back?” I asked quietly. “What if he was just playing games, and there never was any real investment opportunity?”
“Then we figure out another way to save this place,” Emmy said with a smile. “The same way your family has been figuring things out for generations. You’re stronger than you think, Sylvie. And you’re definitely stronger than whatever hold one arrogant city boy thinks he has on you.”
I wanted to believe her. I wanted to shake off the lingering effects of Kent Bancroft and focus on what really mattered.
I sighed and slowly shook my head. “Why didn’t I listen to you?”
She grinned. “Girl, if that man had come on to me, I wouldn’t have listened to me. He’s hot. And after a drink or two, you know how I am. There is no self-control. I’m kind of glad you slept with him.”
“Why?”
“Because now I know I won’t. Best friend rule. Trust me, if you hadn’t staked a claim and he would have even given me one of the looks he tossed your way all the time, I would have stripped naked and begged him to take me.”
I burst into laughter. “Emmy!”
“What? It’s true. We don’t get men like that around here.”
“I guess that makes me feel a little better,” I said, wiping tears of laughter from my eyes. “At least I’m not the only one who would have made questionable decisions around him.”
“Trust me, you’re not. Did you see how Lucy was looking at him at the party? And she’s happily married!” Emmy shook her head. “That man is dangerous to the female population of this entire town. I would be willing to bet there will be a baby boom in September. That man could wake the dead ovaries of a seventy-year-old woman.”
“Speaking of the party,” I said. “I have to give him credit for how he handled Mr. Withers. That was really something.”
Emmy nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah, that was actually pretty impressive. Most people just avoid Phineas when he gets like that, or they try to argue with him, which only makes things worse.”
“Kent knew what to do. He said he had experience with his brother’s drinking problem.” I found myself defending him even after how he’d treated me this morning. “He got Phineas calmed down and safely home without making him feel embarrassed or angry.”
“That does say something good about his character,” Emmy admitted reluctantly. “Even if he’s a jackass about morning-after etiquette.”
I sighed, feeling that familiar twist in my chest. “That’s what makes it so confusing. Last night he was this thoughtful, caring person who went out of his way to help someone he barely knew. This morning he was cold and distant, like I was some random hookup he couldn’t wait to escape from.”
“Maybe he got spooked,” Emmy suggested. “Rich guys like that aren’t used to real connections. They’re used to keeping things surface level and moving on before anyone gets attached.”
“Well, mission accomplished,” I said bitterly. “Message received loud and clear.”
Emmy’s radio crackled to life, and her father’s voice came through asking her to help with a customer who had questions about tree care. She groaned and started packing up her sandwich.
“Duty calls,” she said, standing and brushing crumbs off her jacket. “But hey, try not to spend the rest of the day moping over some guy who doesn’t deserve it. You’ve got a business to run. And there’s plenty of dick in the sea.”
I snorted out a laugh. “I don’t think that’s how the saying goes.”
She shrugged. “Maybe it’s time to change it.”
She was right, of course. About focusing on work, not the other thing. I had a million things to do, customers to help, and a family legacy to worry about. Kent Bancroft was just one man, and I had survived plenty of disappointments before.
Unfortunately, it was going to be a long time before I could shake the memory of him.
CHAPTER 32
KENT
Iwent home and immediately felt off. My apartment was clean. Warm. But cold. It was so sterile. So, eh. It lacked life. And the city lights that I usually loved to stare at were too bright.
It was all too much.
I showered, ordered food, and pulled out my laptop. The damn thing was a little dusty. It had been a long time since I did any real work. I hoped I still remembered how to do business. That was a testament to my lifestyle. I really had been enjoying the perks of the Bancroft name and the money that came with it.
