Page 19 of Love is a Game

She let out a throaty laugh. That was putting it mildly.

“But,” he continued, “that was a long time ago. Maybe you ought to give him a second chance.”

She hummed noncommittally.

“Honestly, I think he’s lonely,” he added.

“Lonely?” She scoffed. “I doubt that. Everyone likes Andrew.”

It was one of the most infuriating things about him.

“Just because people like you, that doesn’t mean they’re your friends.” When he saw her doubtful expression, he laughed. “If he isn’t lonely, then why did he join your mom’s book club?”

“What?” This was news to her. “You’re joking.”

“Nope. They meet at the library, and apparently he joins in, reads the books and everything. I’m not sure why a young guy like that wants to hang out with all those old hens.”

“Hey, watch it,” she warned, pushing his shoulder gently. “One of those old hens is Mom.”

“I meant everyone else. Your mom is still a young fox.” He winked. “You can tell her I said that.”

“Ew. You can tell her yourself. When I’m not around,” she added quickly.

Andrew was in the book club. Was that why her mom had been so dressed up for the last meeting? Because there was a man in the group? She shook her head, horrified at the very idea. She ran through the titles she could remember her mom mentioning over the last several months. They were mostly romances or psychological thrillers targeted to middle-aged women. The books didn’t even matter very much; she knew it was mostly a gossip fest. She tried to picture Andrew debating with her mom’s friends about which love interest a heroine should choose, but it was too absurd.

Julie had told her about his mom’s passing the year before. As far as Sadie knew, she’d been his only family. Maybe he was lonely. But then why had he stayed in Briar Cove instead of going back to his life in California?

It didn’t matter. Once she got those records from him, she intended to avoid him at all costs. She just had to keep her head down and stay close to home for the rest of her assignment. If Andrew was lonely, she certainly wasn’t going to be the one offering to keep him company.

Chapter Seven

Andrew drummed the fingers of one hand against the circulation desk while the other hand held his phone in a tight grip against his ear. The conversation was not going the way he had hoped.

It was a strange relationship he had with Robby Gregson. There were almost two decades between them, and for as long as Andrew could remember, Robby had lived out of state, first in California for school and then in Florida where he’d been ever since. Andrew had only ever seen Robby on those rare holidays when he came back to visit his parents. He knew things were always a bit strained between Robby and the Gregsons, but the now-deceased couple was the only bond the two men shared.

Andrew sometimes wondered if Robby harbored some resentment toward him because of his relationship with Arthur and Carol. Whatever they had done to make Robby want to get as far away from home as he could, Andrew had never experienced it. He’d been surprised that Robby was willing to trust him with everything from the Cypress Hotel. As much as Robby talked about wanting to get rid of the place, he hadn’t seemed to be in a rush, so Andrew figured he would have plenty of time to work out the landmark status.

That was until Sadie got involved. Whoever had called Robby hadn’t been willing to give the name of their company, but Andrew knew it had to be Maddox.

“He said there’s no guarantees,” Robby told him over the phone, his voice eager, “but they’re very interested in looking into it.”

“I’m just not sure that selling to a big corporation is what your parents envisioned,” Andrew began, but Robby cut him off.

“And he said if they do make an offer, it will be in the next few months. Doesn’t that sound great? I could finally put this whole thing behind me.”

Andrew rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “You know, we’re really close to getting this landmark application in,” he told Robby. “I think we should wait and see how that goes before you entertain any offers. It could really increase the value of the place.”

“Andrew, I keep telling you, I’m almost ready to give the place away. I just want it off my hands. Do you have any idea how much I’m paying in taxes for that thing every year for it to sit empty?”

“I understand that. I just—”

“Listen, I told the guy they can look at whatever records they need. He said they’ve got a representative in the area who’s gonna come out and take a look. Her name is Sadie Connor. I want you to give her access to whatever she needs. Got it?”

At this, Andrew dropped his forehead to the desk. It was just like Sadie to appear out of nowhere and ruin his plans.

“Andrew? Still there?“

He rolled his head to the side and rested the phone against his ear. “Yup, I got it. I’ll keep an eye out for her.”