Page 4 of Manhattan Kiss

“Initially. But there’s a career path there for you.”

The managers of The Rookery have talked to me about my career path before. I’ve been promoted over the years, but not getting the top job has never bothered me. Getting to be hotel manager wasn’t my goal. I never expected to be there for so long. And then all of a sudden I’d been there longer than I hadn’t.

The Rookery had been a huge part of my life, a massive part of my story…by accident.

Panic rises in my stomach at the idea that a summer job had turned into a career, just because time passed and I’ve just let things happen to me. I’d never made a decision to work at The Rookery. Or at least, the decisions I’d taken had been not to look for another job.

“Poppy and I are actively looking at new projects. If we find something, we’ll spend a lot of our time managing that. Me in particular. I won’t have time to manage Hotel on Ninth Street. That should give you six to twelve months to get your feet under the table and really have a sense of the place, if you decide to stay longer than a summer.”

A year isn’t that far away. I might not be married with a kid in a year, but I might be the manager of a New York hotel if I took this opportunity Avril was offering.

“We wouldn’t go to this much effort of convincing someone to join our team, if it wasn’t for a crucial position,” she says. “Poppy and I think the three of us have great chemistry, and we know your track record. We’re a family business, and we want someone to join us who feels like family.”

I’m not sure anyone has given me a bigger compliment. But does it mean I’ll stop orbiting Darcy’s world and start orbiting Avril and Poppy’s? I don’t want to jump from the frying pan into the fire. That’s the last thing I’m aiming for.

But if I go to New York, it would be a proactive choice. Does that make a difference? Does that make New York my own adventure?

“I know you’re saying it would only be three months, but I’d obviously have to give up my job here to take yours. So…it’s a risk.”

“I understand that,” Avril says. “But you know what they say, no reward without risks.”

I sigh. It feels daunting. Maybe my own adventure should be a move to London. At least I could come back to Chilternshire when I had days off. I’d only be a couple of hours away from Woolton, the village I’ve called home for so much of my life. New York is so far away.

“New York is a risk,” Avril continues. “But you know the job. So spend the rest of the summer getting to know the city and seeing how you like life on this side of the pond.”

Is it really that simple? And if I don’t like it? Then what? I come back to the UK, and maybe I try and find a different adventure in London.

“And you’re sure you’re not going to be upset if I come home in three months?” I ask.

“Surprised but not upset.”

I pull in a deep breath. Am I really, really going to do this?

Darcy laughed at the idea of me going to New York.

I get it, but it still hurt my feelings a little. I want to be the kind of woman who might go to New York. I’d like it if the idea that I’d move continents wasn’t laughable.

But why would Darcy see me as the kind of woman who took risks, tried things, and lived abroad, when all the evidence points to the exact opposite?

The fact is, I don’t have the life I want and I’m not the woman I want to be.

If I want to change my cake, I have to change the recipe.

I have to take a risk. A fantastic opportunity landed in my lap. Why am I questioning this? I should be booking my flights to New York already.

“Okay,” I say. “I’ll do it.”

It’s past time for me to take control of my life.

THREE

Deacon

Most people hate Mondays. They hate being pulled away from their families, from the autonomy of a few days when they don’t have to answer to a boss or deal with a to-do list.

To me, Mondays are something to look forward to. A welcome distraction.

I hate Sundays—today.