Is It Any Wonder (Nantucket Love Story #2) - Courtney Walsh Page 0,9
out a mess of loose papers, all the ideas that had poured out of her the night before, as if a creative dam had broken inside her.
It had been ages since she’d had that kind of creative burst. Everything about it felt right. But afterward, everything about working for the hotel felt wrong.
“I think I need to give you my two weeks’ notice.”
Eric leaned back in his chair and looked her over for a brief moment. “Don’t you think that’s a little rash?”
“No,” she said matter-of-factly.
“Louisa, you can’t quit your job to start a business. What about your mortgage? You just bought that house.”
“I know,” she said. “I’ll figure it out. I don’t want a safety net. I want to make this work. And we’ll still work together. I’ll still refer people here.”
His laugh bore an edge of condescension.
“What?”
He shook his head. “No, nothing.”
“Eric.”
“It’s just another one of your ideas,” he said. “I don’t think starting a business is something you just jump into.”
“Well, it’s not like I don’t know what I’m doing,” she said. “I’ve been doing this job here for the last five years.”
“Right,” he said. “You’re really good at it. But numbers and marketing and finding clients and paying taxes—how are you going to keep up with all that?”
Her heart sank. She hadn’t thought of that.
“Maybe just work on it in your free time, and when you have a solid business plan, you can move forward. You know, once you know you’re not going to fall flat on your face.”
She felt like a kite that had just lost its lift. “Right,” she whispered. Her eyes had filled with tears at the reminder of who she was—a woman people didn’t take seriously. Oh, that’s Louisa. She’s quirky.
And she was. She knew it. But that didn’t mean she was incompetent.
Eric obviously disagreed.
“It’s a good idea, Lou,” he said. “Let’s talk about it more later. Maybe I can help with your business plan.”
But all she heard was You can’t do this—or anything else—without me.
She’d left his office in a daze, the wind stolen from her sails. She hadn’t fallen apart, which was major progress, but the idea had lost its luster.
It still hurt to think about it now, the way he’d dismissed her so flippantly. Somehow she’d found the courage to move forward with her idea. It took a couple more weeks of realizing The Good Life wouldn’t leave her alone. Then a conversation or two with Ally and a very pointed kick in the pants from Maggie, but she eventually started to believe in herself.
When she gave her notice at the hotel, she told Eric they were over. “I can’t be with someone who doesn’t believe in me.”
He’d protested, of course, because he never wanted to look like the bad guy, but she knew it was the right thing.
She needed to find someone who supported her dreams, who thought her adventures were fun and intriguing, who didn’t find the flaws in every single idea she had. That person might not exist, so for the time being, romance was not a priority. It hurt too much to realize someone wasn’t who you thought they were. Besides, she was doing just fine on her own.
Mostly. She was doing mostly just fine on her own.
Her business was all-consuming, and she was determined to make it a success—not just to prove Eric wrong, but to prove to herself she had it in her. She worked hard, harder than she ever had when she was punching the hotel clock, but she wouldn’t trade it for anything.
She’d been right—creating experiences for her clients, the kind they would never forget, the kind that would rank as the best of their lives, was fulfilling in a way her work hadn’t been before.
Who cared if there was no man to celebrate her? She was a legitimate businesswoman. She was almost even a success. But she still had something to prove, and she knew it.
So the anniversary party was important. Fifty years was a long time for a couple to be married, especially nowadays. The Timmons family was counting on her—surely Maggie would understand that.
But one glance at the old woman’s face told her that she was officially on lockdown.
“You want to talk about it?” Maggie asked.
“No.” Louisa looked down so she wouldn’t have to see Maggie’s disapproval.
“Are you going to call your parents?”
“No.”
“They might find out. Your dad still reads Nantucket news, and you know it’ll show up online.”