Chapter Six #2
Abby’s brows scrunched together. “Why wouldn’t she be?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to make it back for the party.”
“But you have to. You’re the best man.”
“A best man that has obligations in Chicago.”
Ding.
He pulled his phone from his pocket. It had been going off during the tour of Bayberry, but he’d chosen to ignore it.
He told himself that he was drawn in by the quaintness of the town, but it might have been the tour guide who had him ignoring his work.
That didn’t happen often. In fact, it’d never happened before.
He liked his work. It was something he could rely on. Unlike some of the people who’d passed through his life, his work was always there and always in need of his attention.
As he checked his text messages, Abby asked, “Anything important?”
He shook his head as he put the phone face down on the tabletop. “Nothing that needs my immediate attention.”
Ding.
Ding.
Ding.
What was going on? He lifted his phone and checked his messages. He could feel Abby’s gaze on him, as though she were waiting for an update.
But the more he read, the more concerned he became. There was a problem with the server that housed the Rumor Quill, their publication. His assistant had already alerted their technical support. But he felt as though this was something that might need his attention.
After lunch, Abby said, “Do you want to continue the tour?”
He gave a quick shake of his head. “I can’t. There’s a business emergency. I’m going to head back to the B&B to work on things.”
“Do you want to meet up later to plan the party?”
He hadn’t been expecting that question. “I don’t think you want me helping with the party. It’s not my area of expertise.”
“But you’re the best man.”
A frown pulled at the corners of his lips. He had a feeling he was going to hear that line a lot over the next several months until the wedding in May. “I can’t this evening. I’m having dinner with Reed and Sadie.”
“That’s okay. We can do it before. How about four o’clock at the coffeehouse?” She sent him a smile, as though she’d solved all of his problems.
She was practically impossible to deny. It would give him a few hours to work. “Okay.”
Ding.
He glanced at his phone. There was another problem with the newspaper’s software. He couldn’t tell without digging into things if this was one big problem or a bunch of non-related problems. His finger moved rapidly over the screen as he typed a response to his assistant.
He paid the bill and then said, “I really have to go, but I’ll see you later.”
He got up and headed back to the B&B. It was there he found out that things were worse than he’d imagined. Their system had been hacked. And whoever it was had locked them out and was ransoming the key code for them to get back inside.
This problem was worse than what he could deal with remotely.
He needed to be back in the office. It was time to cut this trip short, which was a shame because he didn’t have time to remind Reed how much he loved living in Chicago.
Brad had been hoping to convince the happy couple to move to the city after the wedding. But all of that would have to wait.
On his way to the airport, he phoned Reed. He didn’t let on the gravity of the situation. He wanted to give Reed the weekend to celebrate his engagement before he told him that their business was in serious trouble.
And then he realized he was supposed to meet Abby that evening to plan the engagement party. He didn’t have her number so he got it from Reed.
He didn’t have a chance to phone her until he reached the airport. As he stood in the security line, there was an announcement over the loud speaker, and there was a noisy group behind him. He decided it would be easier to message her. His finger moved over the screen.
Brad: Can’t meet up. On my way back to Chicago. I’m sure you’ll do fine with the party.
He slipped his phone back into his jacket pocket. He checked the flight status board and found he was late, but his plane was on time. If he didn’t hurry, he was going to miss his flight.
Ding.
He hoped it wasn’t more bad news. Just then the line surged forward. When he came to a stop again, he pulled his phone from his pocket. When he saw it was a message from Abby, he was surprised. He honestly wasn’t expecting to hear back from her.
He gave his phone a quick glance before placing it on the belt with his other possessions to be scanned.
Abby: You can’t dump the whole party on me!
He could hear the anger radiating from her printed words. She didn’t understand the gravity of what he was dealing with, or she wouldn’t have said that. But he didn’t have time to explain it to her.
Once he made it through the security checkpoint, he took off at a run to his gate. He couldn’t miss this flight. It was the last one that day. With that thought in mind, he moved faster, zigzagging through the other travelers.
He made it to the gate just in time. He was the last person to board the plane. They literally closed the door behind him.