Summer Beach by Amber Jakeman

Author:Amber Jakeman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: beach read, sweet romance, small town romance, clean romance, wholesome, feel-good fiction, uplit
Publisher: Amber Jakeman
Published: 2023-06-10T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

“You want to apply to take even more leave?” said Allan. Sam nodded. Brian’s office was strangely ordinary without Brian. She’d asked Allan about Brian’s health — whether he was responding to treatment — but he wouldn’t be drawn on any details.

“Again?” Allan frowned. He looked so wrong in Brian’s chair. Sam’s heart sank.

It was no secret Network Central had granted Sam leave to visit her dying father several times, and for his funeral, and then again to prepare the old beach house for sale, but maybe the books didn’t show the reasons.

“My fa...,” Sam said, but Allan cut across her.

“There’s always an excuse with you, isn’t there? What is it this time?”

“They’re not excuses,” said Sam. “They’re life.”

Allan took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes and hmphed. He stared back at his computer, as if impatient for Sam to leave the room. Nothing about his body language showed understanding, nor any level of interest in her as a person, let alone the generosity her old boss had granted her from the day they’d met.

Was there any point even trying to explain?

He tilted his head back and stared at her.

“Go on, then,” he said. “Tell me.”

“My oldest friend is getting married. I’m her bridesmaid. I can’t back out now.”

“Hmmph.”

“And ...”

“And?”

“The ... The beach house has sold. I need to sign the papers.” What was wrong with her? She wasn’t a stutterer. This was a simple fact. She’d never had to justify her leave before. Brian had known she wasn’t the kind of employee to skive off. Sam was the one who worked through Thanksgiving and Christmas without complaint, year after year — but maybe there was no record of this on Allan’s precious books. That was the problem. There was no trust between Sam and Allan. They were starting from scratch, and nothing about this transaction boded well.

“Surely that can be done online. What kind of backwater is this place?”

“You’re right about it being a backwater. There’s no internet coverage, and even the landlines go down sometimes, in bushfires and floods and wind storms.”

“Mmmph.”

“Well, can I go?” What was this? Did she have to beg? “You know I’ll check emails and respond whenever possible. My clients trust me to get the work done wherever I am in the world,” she said. “Even if you don’t,” she wanted to add, but bit her tongue.

“They’re not your clients. They’re Network Central’s.”

Sam raised her eyebrows. She and Brian had begun Network Central side by side. Every client he’d ever found, she assisted. She’d continued to meet their needs, exceeding their expectations with almost every challenge, even knowing when to refer them to other suppliers when problems were beyond her expertise. They were every bit her clients and not just Network Central’s, and Brian had respected that and valued it. They’d formed a true team.

She’d brought in two new clients from the Vegas breakfast, even though she’d barely slept, worrying about Jake and his media interviews, but Allan remained unimpressed.

“Good,” was all he’d said.

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