Reckless Hearts (Oak Harbor #2)(62)

“You’re back!” I leap to my feet. “I didn’t know you were coming so soon. How were the islands?” I ask.

“Oh, just blissful.” Marcie beams. “Hi Lottie, you look well. Is that boy of yours behaving himself?”

“Just about.” Lottie smiles and packs up her things. “I was just heading out. Nice to see you!”

Good luck, she mouths at me as she heads for the door.

Marcie bustles through to her office, and I take a deep breath. I didn’t think I’d see her so soon, so I haven’t prepared any pitch about taking over the business, but I don’t need to jump to that right away. If I just update her with how great things have been running, I’ll see if she says anything about getting back to Florida anytime soon and leave it there for now.

I head over to her office and give her a quick update on everything that’s been happening. “And Liv Sullivan had her offer accepted too,” I say proudly. “We got it under asking price, too.”

“Mmm? That’s great.” Marcie glances at her phone. She seems distracted when she should be seriously happy right now. She took off on a two-week cruise, and while she was gone, I delivered a truckload of happy clients and earned the agency a ton of commissions. That should get me more than a vague smile, right? But either way, this next news is sure to knock her socks off.

“And I brought in a new client,” I say proudly. “The Callahan Group. Exclusive on all their new developments.”

Marcie finally looks up. “That’s wonderful, honey. Great job. I knew you’d take care of things while I was away.”

I take a seat. “So you had a good time?” I ask.

“The best.” She smiles. “Sometimes you just need a break, you know? Time to think about things, get clarity on the future . . .”

“Right.” I nod, enthusiastic.

“And that’s what I wanted to talk about.” Marcie finally puts her phone aside, and gives me a big smile. “We’ve had a great run here, but Bob and I are ready for a change. We’ve been talking for a while, and while we were gone, we made the big decision. We’re going to move down and take the boat out full-time.”

Yes!

I manage to keep from punching the air with delight. “That sounds great,” I say instead. “You’ll have an amazing time. You’ve earned it,” I add, and she laughs.

“I should say.”

“And you don’t need to worry, the business will be in safe hands,” I add, feeling something other than heartbroken for the first time all week. This is it, everything I’ve been working so hard to achieve. Marcie’s not the only one who’s earned her change: I put in the hours, hustled hard, and now here it is, my own business at last.

“Yes, it will be,” Marcie agrees. “I’ve already talked to Ron, and he’s excited to expand to include our little office.”

I stare. “Ron?” I echo, confused.

“Ron Parsons, you know, from Parsons Realty up in Wilmington. And don’t worry, I already told him what a great agent you are, and he’s promised to keep your job open, to start with anyway.”

I’m stunned. She can’t be serious! Ron freaking Parsons. He with the lime green polo shirts and hard-sell tactics, all smug and hair-gelled. She’s selling the business to him?

“But Marcie, I wanted to talk to you about it,” I start, trying to keep calm and professional. “I was thinking I could take over.”

Marcie blinks. “You?”

“I have savings,” I tell her. “And I could get a business loan, work out some kind of payment plan.”

She gives me a patronizing smile. “I applaud your ambition, but honey, you’re much too young.”

I bristle. “I closed fifty-three deals in the past year.”

“So many?” Marcie looks surprised. She would be. She’s done barely one tenth of that business herself. I can only hope she takes a beat to reconsider, but then she shakes her head. “You’re a great saleswoman, but Ron has a whole team behind him, he knows how the business works.”

“Please,” I beg, getting desperate. “Give me a chance, just hear me out. If you’re worried I can’t handle it, I’ll put together a business plan for you; we can sit down together at the bank!”

“Oh sweetie, I wish I could.” Marcie doesn’t seem that regretful. “But Ron and I already shook hands on it, weeks ago. The contracts are all drawn up. It’s for the best,” she adds, comforting. “You’re young, you don’t want the stress of managing a place like this. You just keep on selling, and soon you’ll have other things to worry about, like a family.”

Is she serious? I have to bite my tongue to keep from saying something I’ll regret.

“Why don’t you take the afternoon off?” Marcie suggests brightly. “Go treat yourself, have some fun. Whatever you want!”

I wander back out into the office, dazed. I can’t believe it, that I’ve been busting my ass for so long, and it’s all for nothing. It doesn’t mean a thing. I grab my bag and open the door—and find Lottie sitting on the steps. She gets up, and I can tell from the sympathy on her face that she’s heard every word through the open windows.

“I need a drink,” I sigh.