Page 96 of Holly versus Mr. Ivy
“Let me get this straight. You hung mistletoe in an area where only employees go even though you know I don’t allow dating?”
“You’re making it sound like a bigger deal than it really is. The purpose wasn’t to trap anyone or get them in trouble. As Chef Holly stated, it’s a fun tradition that I thought would make the staff get in a festive mood. I shouldn’t have done it and will take it down tomorrow.”
“See that you do. In the meantime, you’ve both wasted your breath denying what’s going on.” Anthony pulled his phone out of his suit pocket and tapped on it before turning it around and showing the screen to Rhett and me.
It was a video of us kissing under the mistletoe in the hallway. Sure, what seemed like a quick kiss in real life looked nothing like that in the video. The way Rhett was cradling my neck, how my hands were splayed across his chest, how close we were standing—it was undeniable that the kiss between us wasn’t the first one or as innocent as we made it out to be.
Tears pooled in my eyes as my last hope floated away. I was losing my job over a stupid mistake. If Rhett and I had just waited, we would’ve been in the clear. As an adult, I should have had that restraint. I should have been able to realize that losing my job, the one thing keeping a roof over my head, and the one position that would get me a James Beard Award and a Michelin star rating, wasn’t worth the risk.
But the worst part of it all? Because I’d let go of the control I’d fought so desperately to maintain and listened to Rhett and withdrawn my boundaries, my life had fallen apart. I’d kept my heart safe, my life on track, until Rhett had stormed in and changed everything, and now I had nothing.
“Chef Holly, you will meet me at The Boardwalk tomorrow at ten to clean out your office. You are officially no longer executive chef.”
Tears streamed down my cheeks. If only I’d kept my boundaries in place.
Anthony spoke to Rhett. “I hope you enjoyed your time at The Boardwalk, because that’s where you’re staying. The regional manager position is no longer yours.”
“Uncle Anthony, please don’t do this. We did as you asked. The Boardwalk will reach its goals. That wouldn’t have happened without the entire team working together. If you want continued success, you need Hollyandme.”
Anthony jabbed a finger in Rhett’s direction. “You knew the consequences from the first day I hired you. I reminded you again and again. You made your bed. It’s time you lie in it.”
Anthony was right. I’d made horrible decisions since Rhett had come into my life. Ones I didn’t plan on repeating. I fled the room and ran to my car.
Rhett came chasing after me. “Holly, wait! Let’s talk about this.”
The pain cut too deep. If he hadn’t told me to show my staff another side of me, to open up and talk more, Rhett and I would still be coworkers, and Skye would never have had a reason to betray me. I’d rather have Darby calling me Ice Queen than this pain squeezing my chest so tight that I couldn’t even breathe.
Unlocking my car, I opened the door. “There’s nothing to talk about, Rhett. I was right, and you were wrong. Boundaries keep me safe, and I shouldn’t have let you tell me otherwise. If I’d never opened up to you or anyone else at The Boardwalk, my life wouldn’t be in pieces.”
“Sweetheart, come on,” he pleaded. “We can figure this out. Just talk to me.”
Hearing him say that sent another stab of pain through my heart. I swiped at the tears rolling down my cheeks. “I need to fix this on my own.”
Rhett stepped next to me, holding onto my door. His chest labored for breath. “We need to discuss our next stepstogether.”
Rhett would only confuse me. Try to get me to blur those boundaries again. No. I had to take back control and get my life in order once more. “I can’t,” I choked out through a sob. “I just…can’t. Goodbye, Rhett.”
I climbed into my car and sped away, hating that my life had shattered around me because I’d let a man influence my decisions.
Never again.
Chapter 33
Rhett
Isatinmyoffice on Christmas Eve, my suitcoat draped over the back of my chair, hair messed up from running my hands through it, the top buttons of my shirt undone, and my sleeves rolled up. The pang of missing Holly, for the trillionth time since I’d last seen her, stabbed through me.
Having Holly reject me, Uncle Anthony fire her, losing my promotion, and then having to tell the staff Holly was no longer working at The Boardwalk dive-bombed my depression to a level of despair I’d never reached before. A fierce ache permanently resided in my chest. My head was squeezed by constant pressure. Functioning on a day-to-day basis took a ridiculous amount of effort—effort that exhausted me to the point of debilitation.
It was a darn good thing I’d trained Aaron to take over my job, because even though I forced myself to come to work every day, I stayed in my office staring at my computer screen, doing absolutely nothing but torture myself with bittersweet memories of kissing Holly.
I couldn’t even muster up a smile. My lips had lost the ability to move in that direction when Holly said goodbye. She’d lied to me. She’d said she was all in. That she would be there for me the next time my depression surged.
But she wasn’t here.
She’d turned out to be just like Lexi, and honestly, I couldn’t truly blame her for that. I was broken, and Holly deserved to be with someone whole.
When Holly had left, she’d accused me of erasing her boundaries and claimed that opening up to her employees had ruined her life. But I actually was right in that regard, at least. The staff missed her. Since she’d started talking to them and laughing with them, everyone noticed her absence, but in a good way. She’d made such huge strides in such a short time. If only she were here to see it.
