Page 125 of A Soldier's Return

He would probably return to Cannon Beach at some point. She could at least console herself with that. His company had dozens of other hotels around the world, but The Sea Urchin was important to him, he had made no secret of it.

Now that she knew how much he cared about the hotel, she couldn’t imagine him just buying the place for acquisition’s sake alone. While Sage doubted he would have direct involvement in the future management of the hotel, she expected he would at least have some participation in decision-making.

Even if he left tonight, she knew it was unlikely she would never see him again.

In many ways, she almost thought she would prefer that alternative—that he leave Cannon Beach now that the papers were signed and never look back. How much harder would those occasional visits be, knowing she would have to steel herself to say goodbye to him again?

The rain had eased to a light, filmy drizzle. They were almost to Brambleberry House when she knew she had to say something.

“It’s done, then?” she asked.

His brilliant, boyish smile cut through the darkness inside the Jaguar and, absurdly, made her want to weep. “It’s done. The papers are signed. We’ll need to have our attorneys go over everything in the morning but as far as I’m concerned, it’s official.”

“Congratulations.”

She thought she had done a fairly credible job of cloaking her ambivalence behind enthusiasm, but some of it must have filtered through.

Eben sent her a swift look across the vehicle. “I know The Sea Urchin is a local landmark and has great meaning for the people of Cannon Beach. I’ve told you this before, but I think it bears repeating. I promise, I don’t plan any major changes. A few coats of paint, maybe, a few modernizations here and there, but that’s it.”

“I believe you.” She smiled, a little less feigned this time. “I’m thrilled for you, Eben. Really, I am. You got exactly what you wanted.”

He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again and she couldn’t read his expression in the dim light. “Yes. Exactly what I wanted,” he murmured.

“You said you had papers to sign tomorrow. I guess that means you’re not leaving tonight, then?”

She saw his gaze shift to the rearview mirror, where Chloe was admiring her substantial pile of fortune cookies and not paying them any attention.

“No. We’ll wait until the morning. The Wus and I will have to go through everything with the attorneys at The Sea Urchin first thing and then I’ll have my pilot meet Chloe and me at the airport in Seaside when we’re done.”

She thought of the field trip they had planned all week for their last day of camp, to visit the Cape Meares Lighthouse and Wildlife Refuge. Chloe would be so disappointed to miss it but she knew Eben no doubt had many things to do back in the Bay Area and wouldn’t delay for a little thing like a camp field trip.

As they reached Brambleberry House, some of Eben’s excitement seemed to have dimmed—or perhaps he was merely containing it better.

Sage, on the other hand, felt ridiculously close to tears. She wasn’t sure why, she only knew she couldn’t bear the thought of saying goodbye to them in the car.

Besides that, Conan would never forgive her if she let them leave without giving him one last chance to see his beloved Chloe.

She injected an enthusiasm she was far from feeling into her voice. “Do you both want to come in for a few minutes? I’ve got a frozen cheesecake Abigail made me a...a few weeks before she died. I’ve been looking for a good occasion to enjoy it with some friends.”

“Ilovecheesecake,” Chloe offered from the back seat.

“You love anything with sugar in it, monkey.”

She giggled at her father. “It’s true. I do.”

“It’s settled, then.” Sage smiled.

“Are you sure?” Eben asked.

“Absolutely. We need to celebrate. I’ll have to take it out of the freezer but it should only take a few moments to thaw.”

He seemed as reluctant as she for the evening to end. “Thank you, then,” he said.

He reached behind the seat for the umbrella and came around to her door to open it for her. As he reached to help her from the vehicle, her nerves tingled at the touch of his hand.

“You and Chloe take the umbrella,” he said. “You’re the ones with the fancy dresses.”

Sage found it particular bittersweet to hold Chloe’s little hand tightly in hers as the two of them raced through the drizzle to the porch.

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