Page 96 of Kayleigh

“Well, it’s over now,” Caren told him. “Go enjoy your evening.”

“Thanks.” Wilder’s smile was back to its normal shine. “Mom and Dad are gonna be thrilled that this is resolved.”

Kayleigh knew that would be true, and she kind of wished she could be there to celebrate with them. However, while Wilder’s day was over, hers was not.

Once Wilder had left, she, Hudson, and Caren stayed at the table to debrief the day. It hadn’t been an easy one, but the end result was Wilder being exonerated, so Kayleigh chose to focus on that instead of the betrayal she’d felt from Liz.

“Would you two care to join me for dinner?” Caren asked. “I made a reservation at the French restaurant.”

Kayleigh would have liked nothing more than to just go home and try to recoup, but she felt like she owed Caren for how well the situation had been handled. The woman was a true professional when it came to her job. She’d handled everything with patience and aplomb.

“Sure,” Kayleigh said. “I’d like that.”

“Count me in too,” Hudson added.

They settled on a time, then Caren left them.

Kayleigh had a ton of work she needed to do, and she should probably take the time between then and dinner to tackle some of it.

However, she was tired. Physically. Emotionally. It had been quite a day. So instead of moving, she stayed in her seat at the table.

“You definitely know your brother,” Hudson said as he leaned back in his chair, stretching his legs out under the table.

“I know our family,” Kayleigh corrected. “Our parents raised us to consider things from every perspective. Sometimes, situations require grace and forgiveness more than judgment and punishment.”

“And you felt Jenn deserved grace and forgiveness instead of punishment.”

“Yes. Particularly because she was sorry for her actions.”

“And that’s why Liz doesn’t get grace and forgiveness?”

“She will get forgiveness,” Kayleigh said.

“Even though she didn’t apologize?”

“Forgiveness can be given without apologies. I need to forgive her so that I don’t carry the negative emotions from what happened with her forward in my life. I don’t hate her. It just hurts to know that she viewed me the way she did.”

“I do hope you’re able to put aside everything she said and realize she’s the only one responsible for her actions.”

“My mind knows that. My heart… Well, that’s a different thing.” Kayleigh hesitated, her gaze dropping to the table. “I’ve never had a ton of friends. And most of the ones I did have, have left Serenity over the years. Liz was here, and though we weren’t best friends, I enjoyed the time we spent together.”

“This whole situation has hit you on both a personal and a professional level.”

Kayleigh nodded. It was definitely a double whammy. “I’m going to need to replace Liz.”

“Do you have someone you could put into that job temporarily?”

“She had an assistant manager, who would have been qualified to step into the role,” Kayleigh said. “However, she left.”

“Given what we now know about Liz, do you think it’s at all possible that she wasforcedto leave?”

Kayleigh frowned as she considered the possibility. “I suppose it might be possible. I could give her a call to see if she’d be interested in returning as Acting Guest Relations Manager, with the opportunity of taking the position on permanently if it works out.”

“What’s your gut feeling about her?”

“She’s worked here for a couple of years, and I never heard any complaints about her. I could talk to Steph first to see if she has any thoughts on her.”

“I think that’s the best idea for now. If the woman had a valid reason for quitting, then we’ll move on to the next plan.”

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