Page 102 of That Time I Kissed My Beachfront Boss

“You know what else is funny, Liv?” Natalie interjects. “I spent my whole life trying to run away from this town, and you ended up running to it.”

Hadley shifts her focus over to Natalie. “You grew up in Abieville?”

“Ummm. Sort of?” Natalie screws up her face. “I moved here as a kid, but I vowed to leave as soon as I could.” She chuckles, tilting her face toward Brady. “Obviously my plans changed.”

Hadley turns to me again. “And how about you?”

“This is my mother’s hometown, but my sisters and I didn’t grow up here like Brady and the rest of my cousins. My parents raised us—and my brother—in Oregon. Then my mom moved back to live with my grandmother and to be near her sisters after we lost my dad.”

A shadow passes over Hadley’s face. “I’m so sorry.”

“Thanks.” My eyes begin to sting, so I force a shrug, holding back my emotions. “It’s been a while.”

“Still.” Hadley blinks. “Hard.”

“Yeah. Still.” I blow out a long breath, calling up the feelings directly afterward, then stuffing them back down again. “Watching my mom grieve sort of changed me.”

“You were grieving too,” Natalie says.

“You’re right. I was.” I clear my throat. “And that’s why I decided I’d never hook my happiness to anybody else’s. Not my sisters. My brother. My family. Any man. Since then, I’ve been even more determined to go after my own career. To protect my independence.”

“Hmm.” Hadley swings her gaze up toward the men. “I don’t know, Olivia. I feel like it’s possible to have both. I think I have both.”

I swallow against the lump in my throat. “Both what?”

“Happiness with another person and my own independence. But what do I know?” She schools her face into a sheepish smile. “I’ve only loved one man in my life, and being with him was all that mattered. I would’ve given up anything to be with Link, but luckily, I didn’t have to.” She scrunches up her nose. “So maybe I’m not the best example.”

“I feel the same way.” Natalie’s shoulders hitch. “I mean, I was totally ready to give up my dream job in LA for Brady, remember, Liv?”

“Spoiler alert.” I smirk at her. “You didn’t have to give up anything because there are lots of career options for nurses pretty much everywhere. Too bad there aren’t any luxury resorts within an hour of here.”

“Hey.” Natalie arches a brow. “You said ‘too bad.’ Does that mean you wish you could stay?”

I press my lips together. “It means I have a path I worked really hard to establish, so I should stick to it.”

“Fair enough,” Hadley says. “Job satisfaction is important. I kept teaching music at Harvest High even after I reconnected with Link because I love it so much. Do you love what you do, Olivia?”

I tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “I love the fact that it came easy to me. And I’m good at it.”

Natalie guffaws. “Those are not the same things.”

“Maybe not. But I will say I always wanted to make a difference in people’s lives, and I got to do that at Luxe.”

“Before you quit, you mean?” Natalie pipes up.

I cough out a laugh. “Thanks for the reminder. But yes. I liked helping someone find the perfect vacation destination or the right place for their business trip.” I pause, and feel my jaw tick. “And I made sure their stay was the best it could be …” My words die off, and I tug at my cardigan again.

“You give people a home away from home,” Hadley offers kindly. “That is important work.”

“Yeah, Liv. You look like you’re really living your dream,” Natalie says, but her tone is laced with sarcasm.

“Okay.” I drop my brow. “When I hear myself say the words out loud, I realize I don’t sound all that passionate about resort life.”

“Soooo …” Natalie drags out the word, “You could always pivot.”

“Pivot?”

“Come on, Liv. You know Brady was working toward being a vet for years. But all he wanted was to be an author.” She sweeps a hand along the boat to indicate everyone onboard. “And now look at him. Look at us. Maybe your dream is something else, but you’ll never know if you don’t keep your mind open to the possibility. I’ll bet you’re good at a lot of things.”

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