AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I understand.” There’s so much I wish I could tell her, but I have to respect her need for solitude. “You know where to find me.”
***
Back at the resort, things are utter chaos. There’s a certain amount of adrenaline from being so close to opening. There’s still so much to do. That Sebastian would even consider coming to help Sophie was surprising. Usually at this point in the process, he’s in an all-out frenzy. Like, teeth bared and neck vessels pulsing.
After some time in my office, I go to find him and Alec, but I’m intercepted every time. It’s past seven at night, and still, we have sous chefs coming in to place orders, painters to direct, housekeeper interviews to supervise.
It’s not until late in the evening that things have calmed down enough that my brothers and I find ourselves in the lounge on the second floor. It has a balcony that overlooks the lobby, but despite the open feel, there’s something about the way the room is situated that feels comfortable and secluded.
“You look terrible,” Alec drawls. He’s got a drink in his hand and he’s massaging his bad knee with the other. Carrying out those bookshelves for Sophie was probably not the best idea because the guy refuses to ice or wrap his knee anymore.
I motion to his bum leg. “So do you, old man.” Alec’s the second youngest brother, but with him hobbling around, you can bet we all tease him about it.
The truth is, though, I’m sure Alec is right. I know I feel terrible. All the busyness of the day is done and now I just miss Sophie. A mood is threatening to descend on me, which is odd. I so rarely feel this way, I don’t know what to do with it. I should ask Sebastian for pointers since he’s the expert on bad moods.
“Where are we at with the employee count?” Sebastian asks me.
I answer him with the latest numbers I’ve seen, but then I shake my head. “But I’m done talking about work for the night. I say we make a new rule that business talk ends by ten.”
“I’d have nothing left to talk about then,” Sebastian deadpans.
“Exactly,” Alec and I say at the same time. Alec grins, Sebastian glowers, and I stay neutral, still fighting the urge to go under with my melancholy.
“How’s Sophie?” Alec asks.
“After ten, no more talking about women, either,” I say.
“What else is there?” Alec says. He’s uncommonly chatty this evening. Maybe being in Longdale has been good for him. I kind of think it has been for me. A little.
Regardless, I pin him with a look and he rears back. “Okay, okay. I saw her leave in a rush and I was hoping she was alright,” Alec says. “That’s all.”
“Did you call her?” Sebastian asks. It’s surprising that he’s concerning himself with this.
I nod. “She needs some time alone.”
“You can’t screw this up, Oliver.” Alec is giving me a hard look, his voice a warning.
I surprise myself by not lashing out.
“I know,” I say and I hold out my hand to take a few swallows from his drink. He sighs but hands the glass over. “I want to make some big changes, guys.” I take a sip. “She’s worth turning over a new leaf for.”
Alec frowns. “Turn a new leaf over for yourself, bro. But if it benefits her, then that’s even better. You gotta do what it takes to keep her.”
“I know,” I say again. “Whatever it takes.” I think that’s my new motto, but I’m not going to tell them that. I move to say more, but we’re interrupted by a loud pounding at the front entrance.
With thoughts of Sophie at the forefront of my mind, I bound down the curving staircase and into the lobby, trying to see in the dark if it’s her.Please let it be her.
It’s not.
“Milo?”
My youngest brother, still in college at Columbia, is standing at the door. He waves off what looks to be an Uber and grabs a suitcase. His hair is longer than the last time I saw him, a thick, glossy mane of medium brown that almost reaches his shoulders. He’s got on a plaid shirt, cut off sweats, striped tube socks, and flip flops.
My stomach drops. We had no idea he’d be coming. “What happened?” I ask, thinking of my parents, of Stella, of our cousins.
“What?” Milo asks, hauling the suitcase up and stepping into the lobby.
“What’s wrong? Why are you here?”
