Page 9 of My Ex for Christmas
I look down to find Sheila, the resort’s manager, standing beside the ladder. “Of course,” I say, returning my attention to the wreath. “I’ll just be a minute.”
“I’d rather not wait,” she says.
I bite back a sigh of frustration and plaster on a smile. “Alright, go ahead.”
She might not want to wait, but I’ll be damned if I don’t fix this right now. She can talk while I work. My fingers just about close around the decoration when Sheila speaks again.
“I just wanted to let you know that I’m resigning.”
The wreath is successfully off the wall, in my hands.Victory. But I could have sworn Sheila just said she’sresigning. That can't be right.
My head snaps toward her. “I’m sorry, what?”
“I’m resigning,” she repeats.
“What do you mean, you’reresigning?”
The resort manager blinks up at me. “It means I…quit,” she says.
I know what the word means, I want to snap.
Admittedly, I’ve been distracted the last couple days. Running into Brooks—twice—has scrambled my brain a bit. I don’t think I’ve been distracted enough to miss signs ofthis, though.
“Why?” I ask. I’m still standing on the stupid ladder, but I can’t make myself climb down. “Did something happen? We can schedule a meeting with Mr. Oliveira and talk about it. We can?—”
“No.” She shakes her head. “It’s nothing like that, I swear. A position opened up at another resort that makes more sense for me. It’s closer to my family.”
“But…” I slump against the ladder, the wreath loose in my hand. “The grand opening…”
While our events manager is in charge of the grand opening itself, we were depending on Sheila to keep the rest of the resort running smoothly in the meantime.Iwas depending on Sheila.The last thing I want is Thiago stepping in when he’s supposed to be taking a break. But if Sheila is gone…
She sighs. “I’m sorry, Hadley, but I need to do this. I’ve left a formal resignation for Thiago, but I wanted to make sure I talked to you, too.”
All of my hopes and dreams and plans begin to swirl down the drain. I like making plans and sticking to them. I create backup plans for my backup plans.
Thiswas not in the plan.
“I’ll finish out the week,” Sheila continues, maybe in an effort to comfort me. But I’m already spiralling. “It’s been a pleasure working with you.”
“You, too,” I say numbly.
She spares me another look and then turns on her heel. I watch her go, silently hoping she’ll change her mind. She never does.
So far, everything with the resort has been operating efficiently. Besides a few minor hiccups, we’ve managed to evade all the disasters that could befall a new business. Until now.
Losing Sheila is going to throw everything off balance.
With a sigh, I return to my redecorating. I stretch to place the wreath above the doorway, properly this time. Doing this in heels probably isn’t smart, but I don’t have time to change footwear. I have a lot to do today—even more now that Sheila has resigned.
Hiring a new manager this late in the game, when the season is already underway, will be a feat. I’ll do it, though. Thiago trusts me to take care of things, and I don’t take that lightly.
My thoughts tangle together as my brain runs in a million different directions. So when someone else calls my name, I startle.
My grip on the ladder loosens. I can feel myself falling, but I also recognize the exact moment my heel gets caught on one of the rungs. I squeeze my eyes shut and brace for impact, but it never comes. Instead, strong arms cradle me to a solid chest.
I peek one eye open and turn toward my saviour.
Brooks.
