44. Sean
SEAN
L owri pulled on jeans and a T-shirt and left for a walk. One of our plainclothes security guards was waiting outside my apartment to follow her. I’d texted him with an order to protect her with his life. It’s becoming painfully clear to me that I’d be crushed if anything bad happened to Lowri.
In the elevator to my office, my mind continues to process the situation.
I’m not sure exactly where we stand, but it could be worse.
At least she’s still here. What else I want, I’m not sure.
All I know is that seeing her hurting and crying tore apart something inside me.
The sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach is making me sick.
When the door opens, my assistant is busily arranging papers on my desk at the far end of the room.
“Good morning, Emily. What’s on the agenda for today?”
“Detective Fielder called to request a meeting with you this afternoon. Should I confirm for 2:00 p.m.?”
“Make it 3:00 p.m. and text Lowri to make sure she can be here then.”
“Will do.”
“What else is pressing?”
“Daniel wants to meet later today to discuss the photo you gave him last night. I told him you might fit him in around 4 or 5.”
“Either time works.”
“Otherwise, you have a couple of calls regarding the contracts I left on your desk.”
“Also set up a meeting with the food and beverage director to discuss the announcement that Kai will be our permanent chef of Pinot & Pie. The timing of the publicity is critical. We want to avoid detracting from Cassie’s month as guest chef but still showcase his arrival at the Athena.”
“Understood. I’ll schedule that meeting for this afternoon. Do you need anything else?”
“I don’t think so. Oh, there is one more thing. You don’t happen to have a twin sister that you’ve been hiding from me all this time, do you?”
“No. I don’t have a sister. You know I’m an only child. Why do you ask?” She tilts her head, looking confused.
“Oh, it’s nothing. A friend of mine saw you at the soft opening of Pinot & Pie.
He said you could be his former girlfriend’s twin.
Her name is Lee. He clearly regrets messing up and losing her.
If Lee happened to be your sister, I thought we could play matchmakers and arrange for the two of them to meet again. ”
“Did your friend say what he did wrong?”
“Something about hiding a secret for too long, and then it came out in a bad way.”
“Hmm. When someone royally screws up a relationship, it’s often impossible to repair the damage. I doubt he’ll get a second chance.”
“Maybe not. We can’t do anything about it. It wasn’t your sister.”
“No, it wasn’t my sister,” she says with a faraway look.
“You look lost in thought. I’m sorry if this conversation conjured a bad memory.”
She dips her head. “No need to apologize. It just reminded me of someone special from a few years ago. He was the love of my life, but it wasn’t meant to be.” She sighs as she leaves my office, closing the door.
I’ve never been able to imagine committing to someone for life and risking the hurt of losing them.
That didn’t turn out well for Dad. But Paxton and Emily are in even more pain from letting someone go.
Their situations are a stark reminder that regret from past decisions and mistakes can haunt you for years.
Is that how I’ll feel if I let Lowri go?