Page 410 of His Virgin Romance Series

“Of course,” I nodded. “Don’t even mention it.”

She nodded. She seemed to be working through something in her head, and I wondered for a moment if she was remembering the last time we had spoken.

“How have you been, Brie?” I asked.

“I’ve been better, to be honest,” she replied. “I’m sure Jason has already told you that I was laid off.”

“I am sorry,” I said. “It’s always hard when companies choose to scale back.”

“It wasn’t a corporate decision; it was a legal one,”

“I heard,” I nodded sympathetically. “I don’t know if Jason mentioned to you the possibility of a position here.”

“He did mention it,” she replied. “And, I’m flattered and grateful but…”

“Too weird?” I offered.

She smiled. “I don’t know yet,” she clarified. “Maybe we can just…see how it goes.”

“Sounds like a plan,” I nodded. “Like I told Jason, there’s absolutely no pressure. If you decide you enjoy the atmosphere here, the job’s yours.”

“Thank you.”

“You don’t have to keep thanking me, Brie,” I smiled. “I’m more than happy to make the offer, especially because I know how good you are at your job.”

She raised her eyebrows. “How do you know that?”

“Your parents,” I admitted. “And Jason.”

She smiled. “They might not be the most unbiased sources.”

“I trust them,” I said. “Speaking of your parents, how are they?”

“They’re both doing really well,” she replied. “Neither one shows any signs of slowing down.”

“It’s the work ethic all three of us learned from,” I said. “My father was the same way.”

Brie’s eyes turned soft for a moment. “I was sorry to hear about your father, Seth,” she said. “I wish I could have been there for the funeral.”

“It was…a difficult day,” I nodded. “But it didn’t come as a shock, and that helped. A part of me was relieved, you know. At least he wasn’t suffering anymore. The chemo was very hard on him.”

“I imagine it was hard for you, as well.”

I cleared my throat and changed the subject abruptly, unwilling to appear vulnerable in front of Brie. “It was a while ago now. Anyway… Have you had a chance to explore the resort?”

She seemed to understand my reluctance to talk about my father. “Not yet,” she replied. “I’m going to start exploring tomorrow. Once I’ve caught up on some sleep.”

“You’ll need to have dinner once you’ve rested a bit,” I pointed out. “I can hold a table for you at one of our four restaurants?”

“Alani already offered,” Brie answered. “But I think I’m just going to order in room service tonight.”

“No problem,” I nodded. “The food here is amazing. We’ve got the best chefs from around the world.”

“You always did strive for excellence.”

“Anything less is unacceptable,” I nodded.

“I’m proud of you,” Brie said unexpectedly. “You achieved everything you set out to achieve—in record time no less.”

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