Page 63 of Something Blue

“He’s in a meeting, and he’s about to leave on a—”

“It’s an emergency,” she yelled back. “Tell me where he works, and I’ll make it a short visit.”

Tears streaked down Sadie’s face as she followed the instructions Tanner gave her.

“He works on the strip?” she asked again.

“Yes. He was just named CEO of Wysh.”

The keys shook in her hand as she looked for the nearest sign in the parking garage. Wysh Hotel and Casino. That’s where she was.

“Um, wait, do you mean Wysh Hotel and Casino?”

“The very one,” Tanner said.

“Holy moly.”

“How far are you away? He’s leaving his meeting right now. A taxi is due to pick him up in front in ten minutes.”

She climbed out of the car and started running. “Tell him to meet me out front. Right now!”

27

Andy

The day had been forever long and it just started. Since Sadie was with Chase, Andy knew he’d need a heavy distraction. There were scheduled appointments all day, meetings with potential clients, and the board meeting—where he’d just been voted CEO of the company—to keep him busy. It was time to leave for his business conference in Phoenix where he would spend the next few days presenting to aspiring business owners. The board meeting had ended a few minutes late, and if he didn’t get going, he’d miss his flight.

He grabbed his briefcase from his office, then headed to the elevator. Tanner joined him before the doors closed.

“I found you! There’s someone to see you. They said they’d meet you in the lobby in a few minutes.”

Andy sighed and checked his watch again. “Who is it? I’m running late.”

Tanner groaned. “It’ll be worth your time, so go see them. I know this client is important to you.” He pressed the lobby button and exited the elevator.

Andy paced around the elevator as it traveled down to the first floor. When the bell dinged, he hurried out, looking for anyone in a business suit. Was it the investors from Gourdma’s Group? Or Mr. Engelman from finance, who hadn’t gotten back to him in weeks about his upcoming project to expand?

His irritation grew rapidly as he searched each person in the lobby. Other than his employees, no one looked remotely familiar. It was time to catch his flight. At this rate, he wouldn’t have time to eat dinner. He sighed and exited the front doors to see a taxi waiting for him. Just as he reached for the door handle, a high voice yelled out his name.

He whipped around and saw someone running to him from a distance. Her curls bounced with each step, and she waved wildly for him to stop.

Sadie?

He motioned for the taxi to wait and hurried to greet her. Something had to be wrong.

She was breathless when she ran into his arms.

“Sadie, what’s wrong? Why are you here?” Tanner must’ve told her where he worked. The jig was up now.

Sadie sniffled and dug her face into his shoulder. “I needed to see you,” she said in a muffled voice.

His arms trembled as he pulled her away. Chase was in town, so where was he now? “Did he hurt you?” His voice was tight and strained. It didn’t matter what he had planned. If Chase had hurt her, there was no way . . .

“No, I’m fine.”

He sighed with relief. Moving a stray curl from her eyes, he studied her face. Her cheeks were flushed and sweat dripped down her forehead. “What’s wrong then? I’m in a bit of a hurry, but if something’s wrong, I can cancel.”

Another drop of sweat slid down her face, and he wiped it away with one thumb. Her eyes were bloodshot and a deeper shade of blue than usual. She stepped away, backing toward the direction she’d come. “I’m fine. Really, I just needed to see you. Congrats on becoming CEO. And, I love you.”

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