Page 82 of Why Not Both?

“Whenever you’re free. I’ll be here until five.”

I hang up and look at Vic.

“Are you going to tell everyone today?”

I shake my head. “It still feels so surreal.” Then I nod. “I will. After I see Sam today. I’ll tell everyone tomorrow.”

“Or.” She pauses, a thoughtful expression on her face. “Or you could keep it a secret and just invite them over when you move in.”

A smile begins to spread on my face. “Closing is only two weeks away.”

Vic frowns. “Two weeks. Isn’t that…”

I nod. “I chose the day before.”

“Are you sure—”

“It’ll be fine.” I take a breath. No one knows me better than Vic. She’s been with me from the beginning. She was there when my mother died. So she knows how I get around the anniversary of her death. But this year is going to be fine. Because the day before is going to be the first day of my new future.

Chapter 29

Lis

Working two weeks straight is exhausting. There’s another sold-out party tonight for the second night of the Celebration of Lights. Including today, I have five more shifts and then I plan to sleep all day. I arrive at Blue Vista and go straight to my office to get my notes for the evening and Adalie knocks on my door.

“There’s been a little change. One of your cooks called in sick. I have a replacement I can call if you think it’s necessary.”

“Who called in?”

“Terry.”

I shake my head. “Don’t worry about it. I can sort it out.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes.”

She sighs in relief. “Oh, good. Then I’m going home.” She stretches. “I’ve been here for hours already and I don’t have to be back until tomorrow night.”

“I thought you weren’t working tomorrow.”

“I’m not. But there’s an owners meeting. Last day of every quarter. They’re usually only about an hour to an hour and a half. And Vic always supplies alcohol and dinner.”

I blink, confused. “I thought Vic was the owner.”

Adalie raises an eyebrow. “Didn’t you read your contract? Under the Blue Vista Ownership section. It’s all there. Since Vic fronted the money, she owns seventy per cent. But because we came up with Blue Vista together, Derek, Spencer, and I each own ten per cent.”

I feel like I’ve just had ice water dropped over me and it makes its way into my veins.

“Right,” I say, to cover the feeling of the whole world shifting under my feet.

“All right. Well. See you later.” She waves as she leaves my office, so I must do a good enough job of hiding my spinning thoughts.

I pull my contract up on my computer and scan through it. Sure enough, there’s a heading that I’d read before, but then neglected to read anything underneath it. I hadn’t thought how it might effect me or my job when I’d read it initially. I read it now.

Blue Vista Events is owned and operated by Victoria Sterling (majority shareholder), Spencer Cole, Derek Moritz, and Adalie Murphy.

It went on to detail exactly what that meant, but I couldn’t read much beyond Spencer’s name.

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