Page 85 of To Have and to Scold

Chapter Thirty-Four

Dallas

My hands are shaking as I grab the phone, jump from the sofa, and flee to my bedroom. I glance back at Beck before I reach the door. “I won’t be long.”

His eyes are kind, yet there’s tension in the set of his shoulders. “No worries. Take your time.”

I answer the phone just as I reach the door. “Hey, Shoshana,” I say, proud that I don’t sound like a scared little baby.

“Dallas, I apologize about calling you on a Sunday, but there have been some new developments.” Her voice is tired. Strained.

“It’s fine. I was going to reach out to you and explain all that’s happened.” I swallow hard. “I’m sure you heard about the…um…llama incident?”

Shoshana laughs, which is not a common occurrence.

Weird.

I brace myself. Maybe she’ll tell me to hang up my hat. That I might as well go out with a bang and find a different career because nothing could ever make up for that.

“Martha told me all about it,” Shoshana says. “I cannot believe that happened. What are the odds? A llama on the beach sashaying during a wedding. Never heard of that before.” She seems oddly relaxed about it.

“It was epic, that’s for sure,” I say, my voice threatening to wobble.

“Well, that’s not why I’m calling.”

“It’s not?”

“Come back to Atlanta,” Shoshana says. “ASAP.”

Not what I was expecting her to say. I sink down onto my bed. “What do you mean? What about the Clancys and the Bozzellis?” I scratch my head. “And the planner that took my job, GiGi?”

“Dallas, I had to fire GiGi. I can’t say much except it’s a financial matter and the police were involved.”

My throat grows thick. That’s insane. I remind myself to breathe. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Say you’ll come back. I trust Kaia to keep things going for the next couple of weeks. She can fill in for GiGi for a bit. I know you don’t want to leave Willow Cove high and dry, so if you need some time to pass things onto someone else, we can wait a little while.”

“What about my reputation? I don’t want to jeopardize Amore—”

“The Clancys are suddenly moving to Dubai.” She huffs a laugh. “No idea why. But she was the one who was so upset about everything. With the Clancys gone, I’m confident Mrs. Bozzelli won’t care if you’re back.”

“I—” I concentrate hard so I can swallow the ball lodged in my throat. Going back to Atlanta was all I could think about when I came here. It was not a question of if but when.

Old me. Atlanta me would have been booking my flight back to my five-year plan on my phone before Shoshana even finished talking.

But do I want to return to the old me? Yes, old me had much better nails and, arguably, cuter shoes. Possibly.

Old me had the peace of mind knowing that nothing could derail me, even though Holden tried, from what was virtually inevitable: that I would run Amore until I die, or possibly until I retire at the sprightly age of sixty-five.

But old me didn’t have Willow Cove, Portia, or Elliot. Or Willow Wood, sea turtles, or Ace.

Old me didn’t have Beck.

“Dallas?” Shoshana prompts.

“I appreciate the offer, but I’m going to have to decline.” All the blood rushes from my face and suddenly, my mouth is wooden and dry. I can’t believe I just said that.

“Dallas?” Shoshana says again, this time in a more rage-filled tone. “What do you mean? Is this a joke?”

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