from that story. Not the unhappiness part. The responsibility part.
Guess he’d picked up a few tricks in those counseling sessions.
“But…you’re not just talking about Mom.” She tapped at the vee-neck of her moss-colored sweater. “You’re talking about me, aren’t you? How I tried to save my team and fix everything for everyone.”
“Yep. Your young man, Alex, too. The way you’re hooking him up with so many people in town.”
C’mon. That was being a good member of the community. Not trying to fix everything. “Oh, but—”
“Even this cockamamie scheme to make your gram happy with this fake engagement. Devona agrees with me, by the way. You really went out on a limb with that. Even if you did lead with your heart.”
“You told Devona? You and Cam were sworn to secrecy!”
“She won’t say anything. She’s tickled by how hard you’re trying to make your grandmother feel better.”
“Well, geez, does Gram know, too? Does everyone?” Would she have to start an apology tour for lying to everyone?
“No. She’s too happy about the two of you to question it. Your secret’s more or less safe. Your heart, on the other had…I don’t think that’s safe at all.”
Fine. So he saw things. Things Sydney barely let herself acknowledge. Because thinking about those feelings led to a whooooole lot of complications. She couldn’t lie to her father again, though.
“I do care about Alex. Very much. But there’s a secret—a big one—standing between us.”
He pulled out the bags of flavored coffee. “Do you know what we just proved?”
That it didn’t matter her mom had left, because she had the best dad of all time?
“What?”
“Secrets always come out. You can’t control that, no matter how hard you try. The only thing you can control is how.”
She stood on tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek. “You are wasted as a shopkeeper. You should be a bartender with all this A-game advice.”
“I love you, Syd. It’s been a real treat having you home. I worry that if it all goes to hell with Alex, you won’t come back again for a long time.”
“That won’t happen. I promise. Because I’ve so enjoyed spending this time with you, too. You’re going to be stuck seeing me much more often.”
As they finished readying the Mercantile to open for the day, Sydney’s brain was in a single loop.
Her dad had added Devona to the list of people who knew she was lying about being engaged. Apparently Matt and James had figured it out, too, and hey, maybe everyone in town except her gram by now.
He was right. The truth always came out, sooner or later.
Sydney had been hiding her truth, about the article, from Alex to spare him the pain of a mistake that couldn’t be fixed. But the pain would be a lot worse, the longer she waited. To protect any shot at happiness for both of them, she had to come clean with Alex. It was safer than waiting for someone else to drop that truth bomb.
But she had no idea how to tell him. Or what would happen after that. All Sydney knew was that the idea of being in Chestertown without him was lousy.
The idea of being without him at all was lousy.
*
It took Sydney two days to realize there was no good time, place, or way to break it to Alex. To stop stalling and follow through.
The final nudge came from the unlikeliest place—the Mercantile. They’d received the new shipment of magazines. Sydney had to stock them on the shelves. And she’d seen the glossy cover of Wanderlust—the magazine produced by the same company as the TV channel—with a beautiful Savannah inn as the featured article.
Three Oaks Inn deserved to be a success. The way it was being worked on nonstop, it would be. Which meant it would come to the attention of local scouts for both Wanderlust and Excursions 365. The clock had already started ticking on her truth bomb—she just hadn’t known it.
Sydney squared her shoulders and walked through the front door to the inn, careful not to let it bang against the wall. Ready or not, there he was. Alex strode down the hallway, eyes glued to his list.
His work boots clomped on the wood floor. His jean-clad hips had that unconscious swagger of a supremely confident man. The weave of a black Henley clung to his biceps and pecs. And that lock of hair had flopped down on his forehead.