Page 32 of Taking a Chance on Charlevoix
“Yes, to the new year.” Christy went along with it.
“So how did it go in Charlevoix?” Suzanne asked after they’d taken a sip.
Thinking back, Sam felt a comforting warmth wash over her. “Great. It all went great. Although I thought it would just be me and my younger sister Izzy, my aunt had arranged to have Marlowe join us. And Aunt Cate came as well. We had a wonderful time together.” Sam smiled, remembering.
“Cate is the aunt from New York?” Suzanne asked.
“Right. She’s a lot of fun.”
“Families are what it's all about,” Christy said but a shadow seemed to pass over her. She made no bones about the fact that she hadn’t spoken to her mother in years. Some old hurt had never been healed. Having lost her mother when she was seventeen, Sam couldn’t imagine that situation.
“You're so right about families.” Maybe this would be a good time to break her news. Would they question her decision? Shewas ready for it. There would be no going back after she laid that major life change on the table. Sam sat back and took a deep breath.
But Suzanne jumped back in. “You realize that Kurt is a rat, right? What he did is no reflection on you. None of your friends think that.”
Did they have the air conditioning on? Sam shivered. She didn’t want to go down this path. “Yes, I understand.”
“I mean, you built that company.” Christy looked upset.
They all knew how hard she'd worked to make their marketing agency a success. And now their clients had been neatly divided between them. Only time would tell how that shift would work out. They’d agreed that if a client wanted to switch, there would be no hard feelings.
“I did, and so did Kurt. Well, at first. Now I'm looking forward to working with my share of the clients alone.”
“So Kurt and his new girlfriend are staying in the area?” Christy asked.
“I'm not really sure what his plans are.” No way was she going to grill her ex for information. From what Sam understood, he was working from home. If she kept the office space, she would have to pick up all the operational expenses. Because of her new plans, she might not need it. Sam would have to check that contract and see if she could exit gracefully.
Breaking up was hard to do. And when it involved a company, it was doubly difficult. When she was up in Charlevoix, life had felt simple, crisp and clear as the fresh snow. Her sisters and aunt were so supportive. Sitting here in a restaurant that held way too many memories, Sam felt bogged down by her past. She needed a change and fast.
“What are you thinking?” Suzanne asked. “Something is going on in that sharp mind of yours.”
“I'm moving,” she blurted out.
Suzanne put her fork down “Where? Not to Michigan?” The note of disbelief in her voice almost made Sam laugh.
“You're kidding. What about work?” Christy looked stunned.
Digging deep, Sam tried to channel the confidence she’d felt back in Charlevoix. “I can work anywhere. If I need a face to face with a client, I can fly out of Traverse City.” The waitress brought their meals and Sam glanced down at her wild mushroom teriyaki bowl. She didn't even remember ordering it.
After the waitress had left, the questions kept coming, but they both understood that she wanted a different life. “It would be hard to run into your ex all the time,” Christy said, shaking her head. Sam thought her friend secretly loved the drama of that type of confrontation. Sam did not.
“Yes, it would be.”Especially when your husband's new partner is pregnant. But she didn't say that. Did she want to see Kurt’s new bride waddling down the aisle in Whole Foods? Absolutely not.
“Have you met someone?” Suzanne had forgotten all about her caesar salad.
A door opened and, darn it all, Sam was galloping through it. She hoped her smile looked mysterious and pleased. Shock washed over the faces of her friends, followed by two delighted smiles.
“Okay, tell us everything?” Christy leaned closer over her Baja chopped salad. She wanted every detail.
The atmosphere had changed. Now she wasn’t the victim and Christy was the area’s known gossip. Sam loved her as a friend, but that woman always had her ear to the ground in Oak Brook. If the word was getting out, no way did Sam want to be seen as pathetic. Christy McCrae was the perfect person to rewrite Sam’s pathetic story.
She looked up to find Suzanne studying her, a smile dancing across her lips. “Did you meet someone up there?”
“Not exactly. He’s someone from the past.” She let the words dangle in the air.
Her smile broadening, Suzanne gave a nod of approval. “No use sitting around, girlfriend. And that's why you're moving?”
Sam shrugged. It was hard to admit that what she really missed was her sisters. After her parents’ fatal accident, Sam and Aunt Cate had pretty much finished raising Marlowe and Izzy. The sisters had been really close, but as time passed, distance had intervened. Distance does not make the heart grow fonder. It starves any relationship unless people try to keep the connection alive. After celebrating Christmas together, the Quinn girls all knew that.
