Page 161 of Sapphire Sunset

“Maybe a little. So do you agree?”

“I do,” Logan said.

Connor leaned forward and whispered the combined totalfigure into Logan’s ear, then recoiled. Logan’s nostrils flared. The veins inthe sides of his neck bulged. The sounds that came from his throat werestrangled and high pitched, as if eight hundred different responses were tryingto fight their way out of him at once, and he was stuffing down every singleone with all the muscles in his body.

“See?” Connor said. “Now you know how it feels.”

Logan managed to suck in a long, deep breath that soundedvaguely like Lamaze.

“Kiss me, big boy,” Connor said. “It’ll make the time go byfaster.”

Logan did. After a while, he began to yield. But it was along while. It was a lot of money.

As their umbrella shielded them from the noonday sun, the exhaustionof the last two days overtook them, and suddenly they were dozing in eachother’s arms, kissed by the warm winds. And in the moment right before henodded off, it felt to Connor like they were surrendering to whatever mightcome next. Letting their guard down beneath the big open sky and unstoppablepower of the sea and whatever fate was assembling itself in the conference roomsabove.

Then he was pulled from vague dreams filled with oceansounds by a louder and more insistent sound, the sound of sneakered feetpunching sand nearby. Logan had also stirred. Scott was running toward themacross the sand, breathless with excitement or alarm, Connor couldn’t tell.

“I’ve been instructed to ask you both to come upstairs,” hesaid.

“By who?” Connor asked. “I’m your boss.”

“By the bank,” Scott answered, gasping.

“What happened?” Connor asked. “Did they count the ballots?”

“Just come up, okay? I’ve got one job here and it’s to getyou guys off this beach. I’m going to do it right.”

Scott turned and ran for the wooden stairs.

Connor and Logan exchanged a look. “Hoo boy,” Loganwhispered. “Here goes.”

Connor took Logan’s hand forcefully, then they followed theinstructions of their breathless security agent. Connor held Logan’s hand asthey ascended, a reminder to the man he loved that he’d stand by him no matterwhat came next.

When they arrived at the top of the stairs, they both frozeat the sight before them, of the entire staff assembled on the steps of theDolphin Ballroom. He spotted Naser in the front row. As Connor had asked, he’dshown up after the vote and not before so he could be there to help them dealwith the consequences.

And apparently one of those consequences would be agathering of the entire hotel’s staff set to rival an appearance of the Mormon TabernacleChoir. Logan’s hand tightened around Connor’s.

Connor was so stricken by the scene he was startled whenLois Penry stepped forward from several feet away.

“Mr. Murdoch,” she said, crisply, professionally. “It’s myresponsibility to inform you as the trustee for the Sapphire Cove Trust thatthe ballots have been counted and the vote certified. The decision wasunanimous. The staff of Sapphire Cove has voted to reject the LighthouseFoundation’s request, and as a result of this vote, your employment here will notbe terminated.”

“Well, damn,” Logan said under his breath in a tremblingvoice. “Well, how about that.” And Connor could see his eyes were glistening.He was pretty sure that in a different circumstance, Logan would have run likehell to the nearest bathroom to hide the emotions welling in him. But hecouldn’t bring himself to leave the scene. And Connor wouldn’t have let him runaway if he had tried.

Was it suicide for the Sapphire Cove they all knew andloved? Maybe. But when given the choice, the staff had made their vote anddecided Logan Murdoch shouldn’t be swept aside.

When Logan turned to Connor, he was chewing his bottom lipharder. But it was a losing battle. The tears had already come.

“Kiss him!” Naser cried.

Could they really do it? Right out in the open, in the brightafternoon sun, before the eyes of the entire hotel? On the spot where they’dfirst met, before secrecy and shame, lies and abuse had conspired to separatethem for half a decade? Logan took Connor into his arms, and the cheers gotlouder.

“You saved me,” Logan whispered, “again.”

“All I did was give them the chance not to throw away a hero,”he said.

Logan pulled back and took Connor’s face in his hands.“You’re my hero now, Connor Harcourt.”

Then Logan planted one on him that rivaled the first kiss they’dever shared, and the staff’s cheers swam in a fresh sea of applause.

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