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“Good morning, welcome to Shea,” a woman, who looks to be in her mid-forties, says with a sweet smile. “How may I help you?”
“I’m here to see…” I’m about to say Gretchen when a masculine figure steps out of the doorway, speaking to another gentleman. Even with his back to me, I’d recognize that hair, those shoulders, that ass anywhere. Which doesn’t make any sense because why the hell would Hayden be working here again?
“Ma’am,” the woman says, “how can I help you?”
“Does Hayden Shea work here?”
Her brow furrows in confusion. “He does, but he’s in a meeting right now. Do you have an appointment with him?” She starts typing on her keyboard. “I don’t see—”
“I don’t have an appointment,” I say, feeling like I’m missing something here. Hayden left this place because he hated working for his dad, so why would he return? He’s mentioned on several occasions he has plenty of money, so why wouldn’t he hold out for another job he’d enjoy? Why come back here where he was miserable? It doesn’t make any sense.
Or maybe this is why he left us? He wanted to go back to work for his dad but was scared Brody would get upset? No, that can’t be right. He chose to leave Shea and go to work with Brody.
“Ma’am, if you don’t have an appointment…”
Hayden begins to turn around, and since I don’t want him to see me here, I take off toward the elevator. Once I’m out of the building, I call Brody, who answers on the first ring.
“Did you know Hayden is working at Shea again?”
“How do you know that?”
“Did you know?”
“No, I didn’t know that, but how do you know he is?”
“I saw him,” I admit.
“At Shea?”
“He won’t answer my texts, so I was going to speak to Gretchen to find out where he is. Instead, I saw him coming out of a meeting, and the receptionist confirmed he’s working there.”
Brody curses under his breath. “I have to go into a meeting myself, but when I get out, I’ll ask around and see why he’s back there.”
“Brody, something is up. It can’t be a coincidence that he left us and then went back to work for his dad.”
“I know, sweetness. I promise I’ll look into it after my meeting.”
“Hey,” I say before we hang up. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
We hang up, and I snag a cab back to the bakery so I can check on things before the kids get home from school. As I’m walking across the sidewalk, I notice a few gentlemen standing in front of my window talking while pointing at the building.
“Can I help you?”
“Are you the owner?” one of the gentlemen says.
“Yes, and contrary to what that sleazy building owner, Benitez, says, I will not be bought out, so you might as well look for another building to buy.”
“Actually,” the second gentleman says, “it’s already been sold.”
Goose bumps prick my skin as a shiver runs straight up my spine. “By whom?”
“Shea Real Estate Investments.”
No… No. No. No. “But I didn’t sign off,” I say dumbly. “He can’t tear down my coffeehouse.”
The gentleman flips through a bunch of papers attached to a clipboard, then looks up at me. “He’s not tearing it down. But we have been advised to get measurements for the remodel.”
He’s not tearing it down…
“He’s not trying to kick me out?”
The man looks at me with confusion. “From the notes I have here, Heart’s Coffeehouse and Bakery is remaining.”
“And what will this building become?”
“A luxury condominium complex.”
This doesn’t make any sense. Hayden’s dad was determined to buy me out, set on turning it into a wellness spa. I pull out my phone to call Hayden when it clicks…
He left.
He’s back working for his dad.
They’re not kicking me out of the building.
“Oh, Hayden, what did you do?”
“You’re back.” The woman from earlier plasters on a smile, clearly not thrilled with seeing me again. Oh, fucking, well.
“I am. And I would like to meet with Mr. Shea.”
“Hayden’s currently—”
“Not Hayden. I would like to meet with Joseph Shea, the CEO.”
“Unfortunately—”
Knowing she won’t let me back, I step around her desk and stalk down the hallway in search of his office. The woman calls out for me, but I ignore her, on a mission to find him. When I see the plaque on the door indicating his office, I knock once and then open the door, not giving him a chance to refuse me.
“Ms. Heart.” Joseph stands, looking a mixture of confused and annoyed. “I’m in the middle of—”
“What did you do?”
“Excuse me?”
“What did you do to get Hayden to leave us? To get him to come back to work for you? I know you did something! And I’m not leaving until you tell me what you did.”
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
HAYDEN
I need you to meet me at Brody’s place ASAP.
