I think about it in between delicious bites of cheeseburger. In fact, I finish the cheeseburger off and I’m still thinking. Because it’s actually a pickle.
My tiny apartment doesn’t have enough room to ramp up production. My plan all along was to use the counter space at the resort during my off hours. And everything was working fine. Until stupid Chase came along with his stupid sea-green eyes and stupid corporate issues.
And now Fi and Angie are both staring at me again. “I honestly don’t know the answer to the question. My apartment is too small, and now I’m out of my job at the resort. And Banana Burger won’t work nearly as well, even if I get permission.”
“Banana Burger?” Angie asks. “What are you talking about?”
“I got a job there today. After I got fired.”
“Why?” Fi jumps in. “Why would you do that? You have enough money to get a small shop now. You can make and sell the chocolates in the same space. That’s how most of the candy companies do it.”
“I don’t know,” I say.
Fi and Angie look at each other and then at me. “What don’t you know? You’re not having second thoughts about chocolate, are you?”
“I’m having second thoughts about the money,” I blurt out. I shouldn’t have. I should have just processed that part of my inner monologue privately. But now it’s out in the open. I’ve earned every other thing in my life the hard way, and it just feels wrong. “I think I’m going to send it back.”
Fi spits her drink out onto the table. “Sorry,” she says sheepishly. She wipes it with her napkin, all the while studying my face like there will be a quiz later.
“In my defense, though,” Fi continues, “for a moment it sounded like after all of the shit that Chase guy put you through, you’re thinking of giving him back the money.”
“Yeah, that,” Angie adds. “Please tell me your kidding.”
Judging by the expression on Fi and Angie’s faces, they are one hundred percent sure that I am either certifiably insane or having some kind of psychotic break. And who’s to argue with them? “No, you heard right. I just don’t want to be reminded of him or his stupid money.”
“No, no.” Angie jumps in. “The money isn’t stupid. Plus, you earned that money, Kaylee. You put up with a lot of shit from that idiot. You’re the one who made it happen. And you lost your job because of him. You deserve it all.”
“You deserve double,” Fi says. “Please, please, please don’t do this. You really need the money, Kaylee.”
I know that they’re right. I do. And I know that they’re looking out for me. And that if I do this, it could be years before I get another shot at putting Scrumptious on the map. The bottom line is this. It doesn’t feel like my victory with his money.
I pull out my phone.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Fi says. “Think about this for a minute, Kaylee.”
“Yeah,” Angie says. “There should be some kind of cooling off period before you do something this drastic. Like twenty-four hours or something.”
“At least sleep on it first?” Fi offers.
I sigh. Sending the money back is what I want to do, but I’m having an awful day so I decide to listen to my friends. “Okay,” I say. “I’ll sleep on it.”
“Whew, that was a close one,” Fi says.
My phone buzzes and I stare down at it. It’s a message from Chase.
Come soon. At the beach. The call with the final decision of the board is going to happen in half an hour.
“Ugh, speak of the devil,” I say.
“What is it?” Angie asks.
“I have to go. It’s the announcement of the final decision of the board of directors. At least after this call I’ll be permanently done with Chase Covington.”
All three of us raise our glasses to that. Then we drink.
I stand up to leave. Only, as I stand, I notice a bunch of people from nearby tables also stand at the same time.
Still, it’s not until I’m completely surrounded, and the flashes of the cameras start popping that I figure out what’s going on. Oh no. It’s a paparazzi feeding frenzy. And I’m the bait.
Fi and Angie jump up from the table and start screaming at them all and pushing forward, trying to help me make my escape.
Forward ends up being a bad idea, and the three of us change tactics to break free toward the ocean. The ocean. My happy place and refuge.
“We’ll be okay,” Fi and Angie say as they push, pull, and shove me through the crowd until I break free across the beach sand and toward the waves. “Go, Kaylee. Don’t look back.”
The moment I’m free, I break out into a sprint. Despite what Fi and Angie said, I do glance back to see if they’re okay. They are. And also, to see if I’m still being pursued by the crowd. The answer is barely. Obviously, these paparazzi assholes aren’t in very good shape. Cardio for the win.
I easily leave them behind in the dust and then continue at a jog the rest of the way across the beach until I can see the resort in the distance.
I know I’m home free now because if they follow me here, Covington security will take care of it.
Chapter Fifty-Two
Kaylee
I have to admit that by the time I see Chase’s smiling, smug face staring back at me across the beach sand I’m ready to rumble.
He’s not hard to spot, having rented out a covered cabana with several lounge and folding chairs scattered underneath in the shade. I’m getting close enough now that I can even see the mini fridge and snack table set up in the back.
And of course, the concierge is hovering nearby. After all, Chase, his highness of Covington, can’t be expected to do anything himself.
He didn’t even buy me the engagement ring, that was also concierge. The
