Chapter 33
DREW
Idragged myself through the morning routine on autopilot. Shower. Coffee. Suit. The motions were familiar enough that I didn’t have to think about them, which was good because my brain felt like it was drowning in molasses on a cold January day.
A lack of sleep would do that to a person.
Except this time it wasn’t because I’d spent the night tangled up with Kensey.
It was because I’d spent it staring at my ceiling, replaying the look on her face when she’d left the office.
The panic. The tears. The way she’d pulled away from me like I was toxic.
I’d fucked up. Royally.
And the icing on this shit sundae was that I needed to be focused on the sidewalk event today. It was impossible to focus with all the thoughts swirling through my head.
I grabbed my keys and headed out. The weather was perfect for what should have been one of the best days of my professional life. Instead, I felt like I was walking to my own execution. The event was happening whether I was ready or not.
I forced myself out of the car and headed toward the store.
The second I rounded the corner, I stopped.
The transformation was stunning. Overnight, the crew had finished everything.
Booths and tents lined the entire plaza, each one perfectly spaced.
String lights crisscrossed overhead. Food trucks were already positioning themselves at the south end, the smells actually making me hungry.
It was exactly like we had planned. The event would be all over Instagram by noon. And all I could think about was whether Kensey would even show up.
I checked my phone. Nothing. I’d texted her twice this morning and never heard a peep back. She left me on read, which was its own special kind of torture.
Micah appeared from inside the store, tablet in hand and looking far too energetic for this hour. “There you are. Everything is looking golden.”
“Great,” I said, forcing enthusiasm I didn’t feel.
“You look like hell.”
“Didn’t sleep much.”
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah. Just pre-event jitters.” The lie came easily.
I spent the next hour going over every detail.
The whole time, I kept glancing toward the entrance, waiting for Kensey to appear.
The event would be kicking off in a couple hours.
The smell of coffee and pastries wafted from the food trucks.
Early birds were already gathering on the sidewalk, phones out, taking pictures of the setup.
A few influencers I recognized were doing their thing, posing in front of the Blackwell backdrop by the entrance to the plaza.
Still no Kensey.
I pulled out my phone and texted her again.
Nothing.
My stomach twisted. What if she wasn’t coming?
What if last night had been too much and she’d decided to cut her losses and go home?
Back to New Jersey and her real life, away from the mess I’d created.
I shoved my phone in my pocket and headed inside the store.
I needed to check on something. Anything.
I just needed to move, to do something productive instead of freaking out.
The main floor was pristine. The staff was in position, dressed in the black and white uniforms we’d chosen for the event. Everything gleamed. This was it. This was what months of work had built toward. And I couldn’t even enjoy it.
I looked around for Edith. I was hoping to talk to her before the rest of the clan descended and things got crazy. I hadn’t seen her though, which was odd. She should have been here an hour ago. Edith was never late. She was the kind of person who showed up fifteen minutes early just to be safe.
I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my messages. Nothing from her. No call, no text, no email explaining her absence. This was a reaction to last night. It had to be.
Guilt crashed over me. Edith didn’t deserve to walk in on that. No one did. She’d been nothing but professional, nothing but dedicated to making this store succeed, and I’d repaid her by putting her in a situation where she had to see something she could never unsee.
I should have locked the door. I should have taken Kensey home. I should have done a thousand things differently. But I hadn’t. And now Edith was gone and Kensey wasn’t answering her phone and I had an event starting that required my full attention.
I watched Briggs walk through the front door, and my heart dropped straight into my stomach. The family lawyer.
“Briggs,” I said, forcing my voice to sound normal. Professional. Like I wasn’t internally panicking. “Didn’t expect to see you this early.”
He shook my hand. “We all flew in last night. The rest of the family is relaxing at the hotel until later, but I wanted to stop by and talk to you about something.”
My pulse thundered in my ears. “Sure. What’s up?”
He pulled out his phone, scrolling through something. “I received a strange email this morning. From Edith Rhodes, your assistant manager.”
I swallowed hard, my mouth suddenly dry. “Yeah?”
“She resigned.” Briggs looked up from his phone, studying my face. “Effective immediately. No notice, no explanation beyond a very brief statement that she could no longer continue in her position here.”
“Oh.” My brain scrambled for something to say, some explanation that wouldn’t make this worse. “That’s… unfortunate.”
“It’s more than unfortunate. She was excellent at her job from everything I’ve heard. Callum spoke highly of her when she was first hired.” He slipped his phone back into his pocket. “So I have to ask—is there something else going on here?”
“What do you mean?”
“Drew.” The name alone made me feel like I was in an interrogation.
“A few days ago, you sent me an email asking about the possibility of stepping back from your position here and now your assistant manager has suddenly resigned without explanation.” He paused, letting that hang in the air.
“Does Edith’s resignation have anything to do with your question?
Is something happening here that I don’t know about? ”
I felt the walls closing in. Briggs was too smart, too good at his job. He was already connecting dots I desperately needed to keep separate.
“It’s complicated,” I said finally.
“Un-complicate it.”
I ran a hand through my hair, trying to organize my thoughts. I could lie. I could make up some story about Edith getting a better offer somewhere else. But Briggs would see through it. And if this was already heading toward a legal situation, lying to the family lawyer was the worst possible move.
“Something happened last night,” I said quietly. “Something I’m not proud of.”
Briggs’s expression didn’t change, but I saw his shoulders tense slightly. “Did you sleep with Edith?”
“Oh, God no.” I wrinkled my nose in disgust. “But she walked in on me and Kensey Blake. In my office. It was way after hours. Everyone had gone home.” I stopped, not sure how much detail he needed. “But it was inappropriate. Edith was upset, understandably, and now she’s gone.”
Briggs was quiet for a long moment. “What did she walk in on?”
“Do you really need me to spell it out?”
“I’m your lawyer, Drew. Yes, I need you to spell it out. Because depending on what actually happened, this could be a simple HR issue or it could be a massive lawsuit waiting to happen.”
I forced myself to look him in the eye. “Kensey and I have been seeing each other. Edith caught us in a compromising position.”
Briggs pinched the bridge of his nose. “Come on, man, not at the office.”
“I know.” I shook my head. “I fucked up. Now I need to know what to do. Can I settle with Edith privately? Pay her out of my own accounts, keep this quiet?”
“You want to pay her off? Has she asked for money?”
“No, nothing like that,” I said. “I just want to make this right. She didn’t deserve to walk in on that. She’s been nothing but professional, and I put her in an impossible situation. If money makes this go away, I’ll pay whatever she wants.”
“I don’t think that’s the first option,” he said.
“I don’t want the family involved in this,” I said. “This is my mess. I’ll clean it up.”
I was surprised Edith hadn’t ratted me out immediately.
We rarely saw eye to eye on anything and we sure as hell weren’t friends.
I assumed she would jump at the opportunity to throw me under the bus, which made me feel like a bigger asshole for assuming anything.
But if Edith was gone, that was good. I didn’t want Kensey freaking out.
I knew she was humiliated getting caught like that.
The last thing she wanted was for the story to get around.
If Edith was gone, she wouldn’t be gossiping with the employees.
But I couldn’t escape the guilt. Edith was good at her job and she shouldn’t have to quit because I was doing inappropriate shit at the office. I fucking knew better. I wasn’t some horny teenager.
“How big is this problem going to be?” Briggs asked.
I shook my head. “I’ll find out. Can you tell Micah to keep an eye on things for a bit? I need to talk to Edith.”
“As your lawyer, I don’t advise it.”
“Last night is still fresh in her head. I can talk to her. I at least owe her an apology to her face. Then we can see what happens next.”
He obviously didn’t like the idea but nodded. “Apologize that she saw something but leave it at that. Don’t admit fault to anything else that can get you in trouble.”
“I’ll be back in an hour,” I said and jogged out to my car.