Page 100 of Mine to Love

“Of course.”

“I may have slipped up a little. She’s got this idea that you gave her this job out of pity because of what happened to her mother and sister, and her giving up her life to care for me.”

“Pity? That’s ridiculous. I have more respect for that woman than any other person I know.”

“You tell her that?”

“Kind of hard when she won’t talk to me.”

“Reese has a way of letting pride get in her way. She’s never been big on second chances and forgiveness. Not sure why. I’d blame it on PTSD after losing her mother and sister, but she’s been a firecracker since birth. Strong-willed, my daughter.”

“Trust me. I know.”

“If she thinks she got her job as a handout, she’s likely to...”

“Resign and ghost me.” I rub my palm across my face. “Do you have any idea where she might be?”

“I take it you checked her place already. I doubt she’d be at Emerson’s seeing how Holden’s your brother.” He taps his knee. “I wish my girl had a special place to retreat. All these years it was work and home. It wasn’t until she moved out that she had something of her own. A refuge of sort.”

“I’ll keep checking her place. Will you let me know if you hear from her?” I stand, not wanting to waste any more time. Not that it’s a waste coming here. Johnny provided me with important information.

“I’m sorry for causing a rift in your relationship. My daughter is stubborn as a mule, but she’s smart. She knows you’re a good man and good for her.”

“Thank you. I’m going to do everything I can to fix this.”

As soon as I’m in my car, I call Emerson.

“Tell me where she is.” I put the phone on speaker and back out of the driveway, going where, I have no idea.

“Logan, I really don’t want to get in the middle of this.”

“Exactly why I need to know where she is, so we can talk about it. Otherwise, I’ll be pounding down your door putting you and Holden in the middle.”

I drive nearly a mile before she responds. “I haven’t talked to her since last night. She might not be...”

“Where?”

“It’s not often she has time to herself. When she does, she often walks the cliffside trail. I don’t know if she went out there but it’s worth a look.”

“Thanks.”

“Logan?” she says quickly before I hang up.

“Yeah.”

“I’m rooting for the two of you.”

“Me too.” I hang up and drive out to the marsh where the trail starts. I sigh in relief when I spot her car on the far end of the lot.

The trail follows the coastline and loops inland. I have a fifty-fifty chance in guessing which direction she went. Either she started on the inland path where her car is parked, or she crossed the lot and started on the ocean side so when she finishes, she’ll be closer to her car.

If I chose the wrong direction, I risk missing her completely. Still wearing my Italian loafers and suit pants, I’m not exactly prepared for a run. Figuring she isn’t in a state of mind to plan her entrance and exit strategy, I pull up next to her car and park. Stripping out of my suit coat, I scan the area and see no signs of her. I reach for my phone and slide it in the front pocket of my pants and jog toward the other end of the trail.

The sign says it’s a three-mile loop. A mile in, and there’s no sign of her. I have no idea how long she’s been out here, and if I were a patient man, I’d have waited by her car for her. Sweat drips down my spine, and my feet slip on the sandy areas of the trail.

I curse myself for being impulsive and not thinking this through. She could be gone already. If I’d waited by her car...

A figure sitting on an outcropping of rocks catches my eye. She’s too far away to identify who it is, but I can feel her sadness from the distance. I jog closer, then stop to take my shoes off, leaving them in the sand.

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