Chapter Twenty-Five
“What is going on over there?” Claire demanded to know as soon as I picked up the phone.
“Well, good morning to you too, sunshine.” I stretched and yawned in bed.
The previous day had been a full one, and I was exhausted. Logan and I had hiked up to Alpine Falls, which had taken several hours but was so worth it. I’d never seen a more exquisite place in all my life. The dense forest, crystal-clear lakes, and wildflower-filled meadows, not to mention the cascading falls, were breathtaking. As was Logan. Seriously, I couldn’t get enough of him, which was bad news for me, because we had an expiration date, but I was trying not to think about it.
“Don’t good morning me. I thought you told me you only met Sidney Harper last week.”
I sat up, confused, the daylight streaming in from the large window in my bedroom with the best view of the lake.
“I did. What’s this all about?”
“Oh, I don’t know, only that Janice is about to have an aneurysm over here.” Janice was the station manager at Rockin’ River 97.5, and everyone who worked there kind of hated her.
“I thought you would sound happier about that possibility,” I teased her.
“Trust me, I’ve already written her eulogy in my head, but that’s beside the point. ”
“What’s the point?” I laughed, imagining Claire’s eulogy for Janice. It would probably start with, “We gather together today to remember Janice, who never failed to give us something to talk about. Whether it was her unforgettable fashion choices of pairing plaid with horizontal stripes on a daily basis, or how she made every staff meeting go for hours on end when she could have sent the information in a two-line email.”
“Only that someone from Sidney Harper’s office called Janice asking about you, which no one should know about, but you know how no one around here can keep their mouths shut about anything. Anyway, Janice is freaking out, wondering why you quit like it wasn’t her fault that you never got promoted or had a better time slot. Of course, she’s blaming everyone else that a talent like you left.”
“Really? What did the person from Sidney’s office say? This is the first time I’m hearing anything. When we met, he took my contact information and said he’d be in touch, but it’s been crickets.” I still couldn’t believe I’d actually met him. It seemed too good to be true, and since I had heard nothing in a week, I’d figured I was right.
“I’m not exactly sure what they said. Casey—Classic Casey, not Cowlick Casey—” Claire specified, “said all he knew was that it sounded like someone had big plans for you. Maybe Florida or something.”
Classic Casey was a DJ. Cowlick Casey worked in the accounting department and probably didn’t know he had earned the nickname. But honestly, I’d never seen so many cowlicks in one person’s hair, and it looked like he’d given up on trying to comb the mess, so every day he came into the office looking like he’d just rolled out of bed. Nice guy, though.
“Florida?”
“Are you moving?” Claire sounded panicked. “It’s okay if you do. It’s not like Omaha is the land of opportunity. But I need to mentally prepare for this.”
I leaned back against my pillows, stunned. “I don’t know. Honestly, no one has contacted me. Florida?” I said again.
“Well, Florida is a logical location. They have a huge classic rock presence because of all the people who retire there. ”
“That makes sense. But . . .”
“What?” Claire asked.
“It’s just Logan has some concerns. He thinks I need to be careful around Maxwell Harrington. Remember I told you about Mr. Harrington?”
“Yeah, rich dude, likes your mom’s band, has the fun daughter, who, by the way, better not be taking my place in your life.”
“That’s him, and it’s not possible for anyone to take your place,” I assured her. Even though I adored Lola, she wasn’t my Claire. I didn’t think Lola would bring bleach to a crime scene if I needed it.
“What are Logan’s concerns, and didn’t you get some weird vibe from him?” she reminded me.
“I did,” I admitted. “An introduction to Sidney Harper kind of made me forget about my misgivings. I guess I figured I wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth just because Mr. Harrington thought I wasn’t good enough to be friends with his daughter.”
“I get that, but what are Logan’s concerns?”
“Well, he wouldn’t exactly say, but I get the feeling he thinks Mr. Harrington isn’t exactly being benevolent.”
“What does that mean?” Claire asked.
“I don’t know. He just said rich and powerful men like Maxwell Harrington usually want something in return.”
“What could he want from you?”
“I don’t know. It’s possible he really does just want to make sure his daughter isn’t friends with a loser.”
“If he thinks you’re a loser, I’ll come there right now and kick his rich butt.”
I pulled my knees up to my chest and giggled. “I wish you could come here.” It would have been amazing if she could meet Logan, Eden, and Sophie, and even the Harringtons. I would have loved to know what vibes she got from Maxwell and to show her around Aspen Lake. It really was magical. Expensive, but magical.
“Me too, but Adam has decided for our summer vacation we need to visit America’s largest water park in Wisconsin. Isn’t that romantic?” Claire deadpanned.
Adam was Claire’s husband of two years. He was a great guy, but not exactly Mr. Romance. Not like Logan, who had brought chocolate-covered strawberries on our hike the day before and fed them to me and kissed the chocolate off my lips. I was still swooning over it.
“That could be fun. Just don’t forget to get someone to babysit Nancy.”
“Speaking of Nancy—Adam is pretty sure she’s a guy. He’s renamed him Nathaniel.”
“What? How can he even tell?”
“He says there are breeding tubercles on his pectoral fin.”
“What are tubercles and how does he know that?”
“I don’t even want to know,” Claire quipped. “Anyway, back to you moving away from me and the evil Mr. Harrington.”
“First, we don’t know Mr. Harrington is evil. Second, I don’t know if I’m moving. Honestly, I haven’t heard a thing from Sidney Harper or his people. And I’ve never even been to Florida.” The thought had me feeling like I couldn’t breathe. Sure, I knew that if Sidney Harper ever offered me a job, I would have to move, but it had felt so much like a dream, I hadn’t let the realities of it all hit me until now.
“Brooke,” Claire said seriously. “You have to think of your future. As much as I would miss you, we both know there aren’t huge opportunities for you here. Florida has some of the top twenty markets. And honestly, you’re too talented to come back here. The only reason your mom even moved you back to her hometown was to be near family. Your grandparents passed away years ago, and most of your aunts and uncles have moved away.”
“But you’re my family.” My voice cracked.
“And that’s never going to change. Besides, if you moved somewhere like Florida, I’d have a better place to take a vacation.”
“I don’t know, biggest water park in America? That’s pretty swell.” I giggled.
“You know what I mean.”
“I know,” I sighed. “It’s just a lot to take in. I was so focused on Mom for so long, I forgot to think about my future, and now, it’s hitting me in the face.”
“One thing I know, and that is Roxanne Crawford would want you to fly high, girl. ”
She wasn’t wrong. Mom would want me to soar and not be afraid to leave my comfort zone. In fact, she would have insisted on it.
“But what if Logan’s right about Mr. Harrington?”
“If I were you, I would find out what he wants. And then I wouldn’t give it to him, but I’d still snag the job.” She evilly laughed.
“Easier said than done.”
“Listen, if you impressed Sidney Harper, you can do anything.”
“He seemed impressed. Logan sure thought he was.”
“I have no doubt. I have to go in a few minutes, so tell me how it’s going with Logan. The pictures you sent yesterday at the waterfall were amazing. And I can’t get over how freaking hot he is. Don’t tell Adam I said that.”
“Your secret is safe with me. And um ... things are good with Logan. Like, amazing. So amazing,” I breathed out.
“So why do you sound like something is wrong?”
“Nothing is wrong. It’s just I don’t know if I’ll ever find another man like Logan again.”
“Maybe you won’t have to. Who’s to say a fling can’t turn into the real thing?”
“No one, but it can’t in this situation. Logan doesn’t want more, and I’m not sure I do either. I told you all about his wife. And I’m not sure I can see myself living here among the rich and famous. Can you imagine? I’m sure it’s just the magic of a summer romance that has me feeling so elated all the time.” Not that Logan didn’t deserve a lot of the credit—he did. The man was not only a ninja kisser but just a ninja human.
“Probably,” she agreed.
“I just know it will be hard to say goodbye, especially now, because I don’t know where I’m headed.”
Could it really be Florida? Why hadn’t Sidney’s people contacted me yet?
“You’re headed for good things. I know it. And I really hope it’s Florida.” She laughed. “I need a warm place to visit in the winter.”
“You know you would be welcome anytime.”
“Well, I need to go. Call me if you hear anything. I don’t want to get my news from Classic Casey again. The man needs breath mints. ”
“You will be the first to know unless I’m with Logan when I get the news—then you’ll be first and a half to know.”
“I don’t think that’s a thing.”
“It is now,” I sang.
“Fine, tell your hot fling first.”
“Neither Logan nor I really like that title,” I said, almost embarrassed. I’d been racking my brain for an alternative, but nothing was coming to me.
“Oh. I see,” she said with meaning.
“There’s nothing to see. It just seems a little juvenile.”
“Or maybe it’s that a fling isn’t what you really want?” she questioned.
“Uh, no. It’s totally what we want.”
“If you say so. Gotta go. Bye.”
“Bye.” I hung up and stared aimlessly at the vintage gold fan twirling slowly on the ceiling. “Mom, what do you make of all this? Did you know that sending me to Aspen Lake might open gigantic doors for me? I don’t know how you would have known, but it feels like you did. What do you think of Florida? Can you imagine me in a top-twenty market with a syndicated show someday? I mean, Sidney made no promises, but I really think he liked me. He must if he had someone call Janice. I’m trying not to get my hopes up. I know you would tell me to let my hopes fly and that hope makes the world go around. But what if Logan is right about Maxwell Harrington expecting something in return? What could he possibly want from me? Do you remember meeting him? What did you think? I can’t seem to figure him out.”
I rolled over and sighed, wishing so much that Mom could answer me. I knew she would have had all the right answers. But I also knew I was going to have to figure it out for myself this time. It was a little scary.