“No, no,” Hallie said after uncomfortable seconds, finally turning to her. “It’s not that bad.”
“But it’s… bad?”
“It’s… um… well, it’s… you know…” Hallie wasn’t usually at a loss for words, having spent the majority of her life defusing scheduling snafus, customer complaints, and guest relations issues.
“Hallie, just say it?—”
“It’s a Devereux, but not Grant.”
Sydney’s brows lifted. Grant’s father, Tripp, was the head of The Devereux Group, and Grant had worked at his side since graduation. His mom, Sharon, was a Stoneport socialite who had little to do with the business except, according to Grant, spending the money it made. And Grant had an older sister, Reese, who had been out on the West Coast since she’d gone to college, but Sydney was sure she’d started some software company.
“Reese does… What does she do again?” Sydney snapped her fingers, trying to remember as she ignored the unsettled feeling in the pit of her stomach. Of all the Devereuxs, she’d spent the least time with Reese by a wide mile. Sydney had stayed in Florida with her parents for holidays while Grant had come home to Stoneport. She and Reese’s paths had crossed maybe once in the last six years.
“She created a hotel management software for smaller properties. We use it here. Though, now that it’s been sold, I’m not sure if it’ll be phased out.”
Sydney was still trying to make sense of things as the words started clicking. Her spine snapped up straight. Hotel management. Small properties. Reese had sold her company.
“Your parents sold the inn to Reese Devereux? But—she’s not working with her family?”
Hallie quickly held her hands up, eyes wide. “She’s not associated with them, best I could tell. She seems to have very little to do with her family, actually.”
Sydney waved her finger in the air, feeling like she was finally getting up to speed. “So… my ex-boyfriend’s sister bought your family’s inn?”
“Small towns?” Sydney started to laugh at Hallie’s weak shrug, but the laughter died on her lips when Hallie added, “So, anyway, she’ll be arriving tomorrow. To officially start working with me on the transition.”
Cool, cool, cool.
It didn’tmatter. That’s what Sydney repeated to herself, even as her stomach churned.
She didn’t even know Reese. And Reese and Grant had never been close. Returning to Stoneport or, at the very least, shacking up with Hallie, wasn’t a permanent life plan anyway. Reese would be so busy taking over operations, their paths would probably never cross.
“I mean, that’s fine,” Sydney said, unable to come up with a better word for the situation. Only, it didn’t feel fine. It felt like another slap in the face; a continuation of the last year, as she’d been scrambling—and failing—to find solid footing underneath her.
Clearly, that fight wasn’t over yet.
“It’s weird,” Hallie said.
Relief at Hallie’s willingness to have an honest conversation about the absurdity of this situation flowed through Sydney. “It is weird! I’m glad you said it first!”
Hallie warmed to her theme. “My parents started this process a while ago, and there was significant interest from The Devereux Group.”
That perked Sydney up. She never pretended she was a great person. “Which means that Grant and his dad didn’t get the property?”
“No. My parents have never liked Tripp. I mean, what adult man goes by Tripp after twenty?”
Sydney finally laughed, a genuine sound that broke the tension. “Well, with a family name, there are only so many variations to tell them apart.”
As far as Sydney was concerned, Grant Devereux IV had lucked out. His grandfather, who Sydney hadn’t met before his death, went by Junior. Grant’s dad went by Tripp. She didn’t know if she could have stomached calling someone she was in a relationship with Junior or Tripp, even just to other people.
God, one generation earlier, and maybe this could have all been avoided.
“So this isn’t that bad,” Sydney said, psyching herself up for some slight awkwardness in the coming weeks, now that Reesewould be around more. And it sounded like Reese wouldn’t be having her family over for Sunday lunches. “Grant doesn’t even live in Stoneport, so at least that’s a consolation.”
“Eh…”
Her head snapped toward Hallie, and she mimicked her friend’s shrinking shoulders. “What do you mean, ‘Eh’?”
“That’s the other thing.”
