And that’s when it hit her.
“I’m sure this will be a deal-breaker, but…I don’t want to work with Connor. At all. So whatever position he has, I refuse to have any part of it.”
Kelsey’s nervous laugh was her first response. “I’m sure they won’t put you in the restaurant, but that doesn’t mean you won’t see him. No one can guarantee that. He’s one of the owners, so…”
“I won’t report to him for anything,” Lexi stated firmly. “He made it clear years ago that I wasn’t good enough, so I don’t want to be put in a position where he’s my boss or anything. I won’t do it.”
Silence.
And that silence had her praying that Kelsey was going to let this go.
“Mommy! Can we go to the park?” Jonah asked as he came running up to her. He rested his little head on her lap, and Lexi gently stroked his cheek.
“I need to go, Kelse. I think we’re going to spend some time at the park so this little guy can burn off some energy.”
“Well, give him a big kiss from me. I miss him!”
“He misses you too. Maybe after the wedding, you and Jayce can come for a visit.”
“Or…maybe we’ll be seeing you sooner rather than later.”
“Kelsey…”
“Okay, okay. Go and have fun at the park, and I’m going to make calls. I’ll keep you posted if I hear anything.”
“Um…great! Thanks!” As soon as she put her phone down, she lifted Jonah onto her lap. “Hey, buddy. So you want to go to the park, huh?”
“Yup!”
Giving him a big hug and kissing the top of his head, Lexi got them both on their feet. “Okay, let’s go find your sneakers, and then I need to get changed.” So, Jonah ran to his room while she went to hers to change out of her pajamas.
“I got my sneakers!” he called out.
“Did you brush your teeth after breakfast?” she asked as she began heading his way.
“No…”
“Come on. I need to brush mine too.”
By the time they were ready and heading for the door, over twenty minutes had passed. Lexi grabbed a couple of bottles of water, her keys, and phone, and was about to open the door when her phone chimed with an incoming text.
Walker Bradshaw: Hey, Lexi! I just got off the phone with Kelsey, and we have the perfect job for you here at the resort! Call me as soon as you get the chance!
Walker Bradshaw: And welcome back to the Lakeview Harbor Resort!
For a moment, all she could do was blink.
Jonah tugged on her shirt. “Can we go now? Please?”
“In a minute, sweetheart. I need to do just one thing.” The logical thing to do was call Walker right now and figure out how he could have possibly agreed to all her terms. But then she considered maybe calling Kelsey and making sure she really gave him all the terms.
Unfortunately, if he really agreed, she was kind of stuck accepting the job.
Her heart raced, and her stomach lurched a bit at the thought of seeing Connor. In her mind, she always imagined that if she ever saw him again, she’d be so confident and living her best life that he’d regret ever letting her go.
But this version of herself? Uh…yeah. He would probably take one look at her and say a prayer of thanks that he had dodged a bullet.
On the flip side, she asked for more money than she actually needed, and having the help with Jonah would be a major blessing. She was so tired of doing everything alone. And she always loved Harbortown and the resort. So maybe this wasn’t the worst thing in the world? And if Connor planned to open a restaurant in town like Kelsey mentioned, then she’d hardly see him at all.
