Page 58 of Best Laid Plans
“Yeah… I mean… It couldn’t hurt, right?” Cam admitted, which sent warmth flowing through Elle. “To have all the facts about the non-compete.”
“Exactly,” Elle answered excitedly at the same time her phone rang. She twisted her body back toward the end table to check the caller ID. It was an unknown number, but given her current situation, she was picking up calls like that was her actual job. Grabbing her phone, she answered quickly so they weren’t sent to voicemail. “Hello, Elle Pierce speaking.”
“Hi, Elle. This is Tara from Reynolds Consulting. I heard that you and Dan had a great conversation a few days ago, and I was hoping that we could get you into the office some time this week to discuss a project that we think you may be a good fit for.”
Elation. It was the only way to describe the euphoric feeling cascading through Elle’s body, like she was awash in positivity and hope and the possibility of what came next.
But she didn’t have time to dwell on it. “That would be great,” she said, keeping her voice as even as possible. She could squeal with delight on the inside.
“Perfect. How about Friday? Our team has more flexibility then, so we can get you in to meet with all the relevant stakeholders.”
Elle bit back a scream. This was a fucking dream come true. Not that it was a formality interview, but meeting with everyone on the same day meant that they were already pretty serious about her. “Friday works well for me, too. Anything I should prepare ahead of time?”
“I’ll send you an email with the required details, but it should be pretty straightforward. You’ll meet with Dan and a few other members of the team, and there’s already a project in mind for this role to manage indefinitely.” Tara absolutely did not understand that she was making Elle’s entire year.
“That all sounds great.” The giddiness was seeping into her tone, but she couldn’t stop it. So sue her for being excited. Ellehad never been good at playing it cool when she wanted something.
After another few minutes, Tara had her email address, along with the promise to send over the details of the interview shortly. And just like that, she ended the call.
Stress seeped out of Elle’s body, leaving her with a weightless, blissful feeling. But the release of endorphins was short-lived, as she felt Cam shift next to her.
“Sounds like your call went well?”
Elle let out a fluttery exhale, ignoring the strange weight that had taken up residence in her stomach. “That was someone from Reynolds Consulting. They want me to come in for an interview on Friday.”
Cam’s larger hand wrapped around her own, which was still cradling her phone. “That’s amazing, Elle.” And he sounded like he meant it.
So, why didn’t she like how that made her feel?
Elle was still warring with her emotions when she’d walked into The Rock Harbor Inn a few hours later. The inn still largely looked the same, except a little more weathered with time against the unrelenting strength of the briney, westerly winds that pushed directly from the Atlantic Ocean and across the property.
She’d hit the bell at the small front desk situated to the side of the main foyer, where a coffee station was set up along with a seating area organized around a fireplace that wouldn’t be used again until the winter. Becca had popped out from the small door behind the check-in desk, where Elle knew that an office that was a glorified closet more than anything housed just enough room for a chair, desk, and a few filing cabinets. She’dlounged in there many a teenage night while Becca went out to the desk to tend to guest needs.
Becca had smiled at her when she’d noticed Elle, though the same look on Elle’s face was short-lived. Her impromptu visit had come with strings, she learned quickly–namely that she needed to help Becca turn over guest rooms since one of the housekeepers had called out.
Less than ten minutes after arriving, Elle was working to wrestle the fitted sheet on one of the double beds on the second floor. Finally, she let out an indignant huff.
“Money really has changed you,” Becca said with a laugh, already done with her bed. “You used to be able to do this in your sleep.”
Elle wiped a hand across her brow, already slick with beads of sweat. “Sweet of you to assume it’s money that we both know I don’t have instead of the fact that my life has been so sedentary I’m pretty sure I saw a spot of moss on my leg the other day.” And the fact that she couldn’t seem to reconcile her thoughts, and not even a rote, mind-numbing task that had once been muscle memory could help center her.
“Why do you insist on lying to me?” Becca said matter-of-factly as she expertly draped the top sheet over the bed that Elle had been working on in a fluid motion. The comforter went on quickly after that, and then Becca was already walking toward the cart they’d left in the hallway. “You have a hickey on your neck,” she called out.
“I do not.” Elle’s hand instinctively covered the soft spot that Cam had been sucking on earlier today, panic flooding through her.
Becca let out a bark of laughter when she appeared back in the room. “No, you don’t. But at least I got that question answered.”
Elle shot her a daggered look in response. “That wasn’t very nice.”
“I thought sneaking around was supposed to be exhilarating?” Becca said as she walked into the guest bathroom with the amenities bottles she needed to replenish.
Elle had briefly updated Becca on what was going on with her and Cam, especially with the return of Wyatt. Sneaking aroundcouldbe fun. And she loved seeing the sides of Cam that were new to her, both in the bedroom and out. Except, it was hard to dig in any more than the superficial considering that she didn’t exactly know how to frame her thoughts.
She liked how he made her feel. Safe. Protected. Supported. But Cam was running from his own life, and that meant he was quite possibly the worst possible person to bet on right now.
Elle rubbed at her temples. “This trip home isn’t going how I thought it would.”
Becca had made her way back to the cart to grab towels. “Change the pillowcases while you lament.”
