Page 149 of Sapphire Sunset

“It’ll force a sale.”

“Good.”

“Everyone will be out of a job. You want that on my head?”

“No, I want it onRodney’shead. Where it belongs.”

Her giant sunglasses were heavily tinted, but he wasconfident her eyes blazed with anger behind them. She quickly returned herattention to the sunset, as if embarrassed by how abruptly she’d snapped.

“It’s not a given a new owner will let everyone go,” shesaid.

“Mom, this place is consumed with scandal. They’ll clean housein a week and change the name.”

“Then I’ll pull from the endowment and—”

“Your endowment is bringing drinking water to villagesfighting famine. I’m not going to have you spend it on a beach resort.”

“Well, I’m not going to have you lose your first love over abeach resorteither. For Christ’s sake, Connor, you’ve placed thefuture of you and Logan in the hands of that monster, after everything he’sdone.”

“I haven’t. That’s not what this is about.”

“What is it about then?” she asked.

“I don’t know if I can get Logan back. I’ve never seen someonelook at me the way he looked at me yesterday. I’ve never hurt someone thatmuch. I don’t know if you come back from that. I don’t have the experience.”

“You can,” she whispered. “Youcancome back fromthat. Idohave the experience.”

“The point is, it’s not why I did it. If I have to saygoodbye, I want this to be my goodbye and not what happened yesterday.”

His mother placed one hand atop his clasped ones.

“Oh, honey,” she whispered. “There’s no telling what Rodney willdo. I mean, it’s a national interview and it’s live. He could say anything. Andnow he sees how much you love Logan. He could try to use it against you.”

“I have to do something. There’s only one voice right now thatwill speak louder than Sylvia Milton’s and it’s his.”

“Maybe it’s your voice Logan needs.”

“This is my voice.”

His mother tightened her grip on his hands. “This is all myfault,” she whispered.

“How?”

“I should have explained everything to you on the phone andgiven you an out when you were still in New York. The private plane thing, Iimagine it was a lot of pressure.”

“Kinda, yeah.”

“But the truth is, I wanted you to come back. I thought itwould be justice, you taking the reins after the way you were treated. But notif you lose Logan over it.”

The wordlosestruck him like a blast of cold airin the face. He had to change the subject or the tears he’d been holding back sincelast night would return.

“Rodney says the only way he could earn respect from ourfamily was if he worked here.”

“Oh, my ass hurts,” his mother growled. “Did he really saythat?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Your father and grandfather could not have lost more sleeptrying to figure out how to make that man feel loved. I mean, half of the reasonyour grandfather always stuck around here even after he retired is because heknew he had to make the staff happy to make up for all of Rodney’s weaknesses.Honestly, I think that’s why the benefits are so good here. They moved heavenand earth for your uncle, to give him a place in this world as he left wreckageeverywhere he went. And this is how he repaid them. So forgive me, my son, ifI’m concerned about how he might repay you tomorrow night.”

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