ready for a relaunch in November. That was what I would do if I was his marketing manager.
I wanted to get out of the hotel as fast as I could. I could go home tonight. I walked to the window and peered outside. Maybe not tonight. It was snowing again and the last thing I wanted to do was get caught in a snowstorm. I would get everything packed and then leave first thing in the morning.
I moved around the room, tossing stuff into the suitcase. I looked under the bed before checking the drawers one last time.
I zipped my suitcase and left it by the door. I needed to talk to Parker but that would be a little difficult with Jake’s tongue down her throat. I picked up the letter and wrote Chase’s name on it before leaving the room. I slowly moved down the hall, saying my own quiet goodbye to the place I’d been calling home the last couple of weeks.
I smiled at the memory of the first time I walked down the hallway. I’d been surprised to find he was going to be right next door. That had been convenient. I went downstairs, giving the lounge a wide berth. I suspected Chase was in there sharing a drink with Nick.
I made my way out to the office and stopped at his office first. He never locked his door, which was dangerous, but he claimed no one was going to steal anything. I put the letter on his desk, taking a minute to look around. I could smell his aftershave in the air. I hated that I was going to miss him.
I hesitantly opened my office door once again. I didn’t see them, but that didn’t mean they weren’t rolling on the floor behind a desk somewhere. I turned on a light.
“Parker?” I called.
No one answered. I hoped that meant they went to Jake’s room. I needed my beauty sleep tonight and the last thing I wanted to do was listen to two people make love. It would be a reminder of what I couldn’t have. I grabbed an empty box from the corner and tossed a few of my things in it. I grabbed my phone charger and my personal stuff before walking out of the office for the last time.
I was really going to miss the place. I knew I shouldn’t have been attached. I knew from the very beginning it was a temporary job. I was there to prove to Chase I was good at what I did while making some extra money to hold me over until I got a real job. Now, the chances of me getting a good job were pretty slim. I had a feeling people in the industry were going to be talking about the Santa concierge thing for a long time to come. It would be all about what not to do.
“You’re welcome,” I muttered aloud as I stepped into the elevator to go back to my room.
Once back in the safety of my suite with no sign of Parker, I retreated to my room. I took a hot shower before climbing into bed with nothing but my regret and sadness to hold on to. The guilt I felt for ruining his big day clung to me like a sticky syrup. It was going to take a long time to wash away that funk.
Leaving Chase was the best thing I could do for him and myself. We had enough bad blood between us. I didn’t want to make it worse than it already was. When it came down to it, I cared too damn much. That was why I had to go.
I didn’t dare try and stick around to fix the mess I created. I was sure I would only make it worse. I wasn’t a coward, and I wasn’t a runner, but today, I was. I didn’t have the courage to look him in the eyes and tell him I was sorry.
I couldn’t see him looking at me with the disgust I heard in his voice in the lounge.
Chapter 26
Harper
I slunk back to the office early in the morning, hoping to avoid running into anyone. My idea to flee the scene of my own crime—AKA the Santa Disaster, as I was calling it—had more than one wrench thrown in it.
First, I didn’t have a car. That dashed my plans of sneaking away in the middle of the night. Second, there was a snowstorm, which meant most drivers