Page 74 of Sunset Tides
Silence on her end.
He spoke again. “It kept them away. It seemed like something you would do.”
Silence for a moment, then, “Huh. Not bad.”
Rob started to say, “Listen, I’m – ” at the same moment she said “Okay, I guess – ”
He stopped. “I’m sorry. You go ahead.”
“No. What were you saying?”
He cleared his throat. “I just need to reiterate how sorry I am about everything. I wanted to apologize before, and I know I can’t make up for what happened. I won’t deny my role in targeting the hotel. I came up with the idea, but then – ”
“Youcameup with the idea!” She let out a disgusted sigh.
“I know.” He cringed and shut his eyes. “That was before I knew you, and before I knew anything about this place. I didn’t know Claire owned the hotel. Once I found out, I did everything in my power to undo it.”
She was quiet for a beat. “I see.”
“There’s no excuse for what I did.” he added. “I wish it had never happened, but…” If only he’d had time to practice this. He should’ve written something down, gotten his thoughts straight. It was a surprise she was willing to speak to him, though, and he couldn’t lose his chance. He needed to press on. “I’m glad I met you.”
“Okay.” Lucy shuffled around. “Are you at your office?”
Ouch. Clearly she wasn’t ready to forgive him yet. Perhaps she never would be. “No. I’m at the Orcas airport. I’m getting a flight to Seattle, then back to New York.”
“Oh!” The amusement was back in her voice. “Did you get in trouble at the office?”
“You could say that. I was fired, as expected, and my boss managed to take the car almost immediately. So that was nice.”
Lucy let out a laugh. “How did you get to the airport?”
“My neighbor gave me a ride. It’s funny. I’m just realizing that people here are actually pretty nice.”
“That is funny,” she said. “I’ve noticed that myself.”
“I bet.”
“I have to get to work,” she said. “Good luck with your flight. Hope you don’t die.”
He stared down at the ground, smiling to himself. “Do you mean that?”
“Of course.” She let out a little laugh. “Take care.”
He took a breath, hoping to say more, hoping to fix what he’d done.
But there was nothing left to say. He’d gotten to tell her the truth, at least, and he’d have to leave it at that. “Goodbye, Lucy.”
Rob ended the call, staring at the floor in front of him. The plastic airport chair wasn’t particularly comfortable, and now that he was off the phone, he realized how stiff his muscles had been throughout the conversation.
He took a deep breath and released the tension, a hollow feeling settling into his chest.
So that was the last time he’d ever speak to Lucy, wasn’t it? It seemed odd. Only a few weeks ago, he was on track to get everything he’d ever wanted. He was sure of himself, sure of his choices.
Then this beautiful and ferocious redhead blazed into his life with a scowl and a heart full of fire. He felt as though he’d been sitting at a neatly set table and she showed up, out of nowhere, and flipped it over for a laugh.
That was Lucy. If he’d opened his eyes sooner, maybe he wouldn’t have lost his chance with her. Maybe he would’ve been lucky enough to have that chaos, that energy in his life every day – questioning him, teasing him, challenging him to be a better person.
His flight started boarding. Rob stood and stretched the tightness out of his shoulders. It was time to take Lucy’s last advice – to try not to die.
