The conference room was filled to standing, with low conversations making the room buzz. Sarah dropped into the lone empty seat at the conference table with a smile that rivaled the rare, sunny early spring day in Seattle. “Hey, thanks for saving me a chair.” she said to her co-worker next to her.

“Morning. No problem. I’m curious about this surprise meeting. What do you think it is?” Tyneisha replied.

Sarah couldn’t hold her grin from getting even wider. The last-minute email requesting this gathering had the group texts pinging for hours last night. “I’m thinking the new senior and junior partners announcement we’ve been waiting for.” Vibrant little bubbles of excitement rose in her stomach. She’d been at this marketing agency since her college internship. It was time for her to be promoted. And her boss had hinted that her name was top of the list. This was why she’d worked so hard. Why she went out on rare occasions and never dated seriously. Online apps for meeting up and satisfying her physical needs suited her just fine, thanks very much. She would have plenty of time for a real relationship after making partner. Thirty-one was plenty young. Her lack of dating had nothing to do with him.

Ty squeezed her arm. “I hope so for you! You’re a lock for it.”

“Thanks.”

The screen in front of the room lit up and the face of their Vice President, Jimena Herrera, filled the screen. Conversations came to a halt as everyone turned their attention to her. “Good morning, everyone. Thank you all for joining on this zoom call at such late notice. We have some news to share that affects all of you.”

The bubbles in Sarah’s stomach fizzed and popped. She glanced around and estimated forty people present. There were another thirty calling in. Her heart started to thud inside her chest. Why would partner announcements impact this many of them?

A second square popped up and the face of their Human Resources director looked out. Why the hell would HR be on this call? A bead of sweat gathered at the back of her neck. Sarah knew this was not the announcement she’d been expecting.

Jimena spoke again. “I’m here to announce that as of yesterday, Empire State Marketing has acquired Jewel Creatives Agency. This purchase is effective immediately.”

Gasps and exclamations filled the air around her, but Sarah kept her mouth shut. Her mind was stuck on the words. Her marketing company had been bought out? What did that mean for her job? For all of their jobs? Oh, fu—

“Please quiet down and hold your questions for now.” The whispers ceased as their VP continued. “I know this is a shock to all of you and that’s understandable. With this merger, there will be a reorganization of personnel due to some redundancy.” Jimena paused and cleared her throat. “I am sorry and saddened to say that for those of you on this call, your positions have been eliminated.”

The room fell so still they could have heard a caterpillar cough.

“I know this is a shock to all of you and you will be missed more than I can express…”

Jimena rambled on, but Sarah tuned her out. Fired. She’d been fired without warning. She tried to suck in a deep breath, but panic wouldn’t let her. After years of loyalty and stellar work for this company, over a hundred campaigns and forty-five exclusive accounts signed because of her…to be fired because of a merger? What the holy hell was she going to do?

Tyneisha gripped her hand and Sarah locked eyes with her friend. Others surrounding them had expressions varying from shocked to tears to outright pissed.

“You’ll all receive generous severance packages based on your time with…” HR droned on, but again Sarah lost focus. How could this happen? Not even a whisper of this takeover had reached the rumor mill. This couldn’t be true. Secrets like this were never kept silent. Someone always found out and the game of telephone would begin. Yet this time, no one had whispered a word?

Her phone vibrated and a text from her landlord popped up with a picture. She blinked hard. Then again. Tiny black dots danced in front of Sarah’s vision as she gasped for shallow breaths. Her entire apartment. Flooded. “Motherfucker.”

Without a look back, Sarah stood and walked out of the room, then the building. She’d contact HR later to get her severance package set up. It better be freaking fantastic given it looked like she needed to find a new place to live and new furniture if that photo was anything to go off of. Racing along the streets in her red sports car, she swung into her parking spot and jogged up to the front entry.

Her landlord met her at the elevator. “Sarah, I’m so sorry. We had a water pipe burst and the whole left side of the fifth floor flooded. Yours and Mrs. Hashimoto’s places were the hardest hit.”

“Damn. Is everyone okay?” Sarah blew out a breath. Her hands shook and she squeezed them into fists.

“Yeah, no one was hurt or slipped and fell. All pets are accounted for.” He gestured up the stairs. “The water is off now if you want to go assess things. You have renter’s insurance, right?”

She nodded as a headache crept across her forehead. What the hell was she going to do? How was it not even ten in the morning and her life was in shambles?

“Good, good. I’ll make sure to get you a copy of the reports and have my insurance reach out to yours. These things can take months to sort out. You have somewhere to stay for now? Your rent won’t be held to you. Shit, this is a mess.”

“I’m sorry, Phil.” She patted him on the shoulder. This whole thing sucked for everyone involved. It hurt even worse for her since she’d just been laid-off. Finding a new place and a new job would be a tall order. “I guess I better go see what I can salvage.”

She trudged up the five flights up since the elevators were shut off, too, then squished her way down the hall to her door. On opening it, she was hit with a wave of humid air. Sarah continued her slog into the main living and kitchen space, noting her ruined sofa and armchair, dining table and the two chairs, and most likely all of her electronics. She wound through to her bedroom where her ruined duvet dripped onto the soggy floor. The closet door caught her eye and a pulse of fear shuddered through her. Flinging open the doors, she shoved past her wet clothes to the back where several plastic bins were stacked. “Please, please, please don’t be ruined.”

She yanked out the second tub from the top and tossed the lid aside. Her favorite romance books. She’d spent years holding on to hard copies of a small, but select catalog of novels she loved to reread. So far, nothing seemed damaged, but there was a tiny amount of moisture. Her blood pressure dipped enough to ease the dizziness buzzing inside her head. She could salvage them. She turned her attention back to the wardrobe where another box awaited her inspection. “Be okay,” she whispered as she lifted the worn container. Biting her lip, she lifted the top and peered in. Relief soaked through her limbs and the backs of her eyes stung. With shaking fingers, she took out the notes tied with a red ribbon and sighed, finding them dry. The necklace with their initials, the teddy bear with the red heart he’d won for her at a festival, the hoodie she’d “borrowed” and never given back. All free from water destruction. And there at the bottom, the picture. The one he didn’t know about. The one that had broken them without him ever knowing. “I’m so sorry, Corey.”

Her phone vibrated and jerked Sarah away from the avalanche of memories threatening to bury her. Her emotions were far too volatile at the moment. A glance at the screen showed her sister calling. “Hey, Bridge.”

“Jack and I set a date! I expect my maid of honor to be here June third.” Her giggle came through the speaker. “Well, you need to be here before that, but you know what I mean. We’re planning a wedding!”

“That’s great. I can’t wait for it.” Sarah winced at how false her enthusiasm came across. Ugh, she was a terrible sibling for not being more excited, but how could she when her life had imploded?

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s fine. Or it will be. Don’t worry about it, B.” She would not unload on her family. Would. Not.

“You’re my sister and I can tell something is way off. I’m going to worry about it. Tell me.” Bridget’s no-nonsense voice brought the first smile to Sarah’s face since the meeting this morning. Bossy little sister. Sarah loved Bridget’s newfound strength and take-charge attitude. Still…

Clenching her eyes shut, Sarah ripped off the metaphoric Band-Aid. “Okay, okay. Today hasn’t been great and it’s only…nine-forty-five in the morning.” She sighed at the weariness dragging her down. “I lost my job.”

Bridget gasped.

“And my apartment flooded.”

“Oh my God, Sarah, I’m so sorry. What happened? What can I do?”

She looked around for a dry place to sit and ended up on top of her toilet. In an ironic twist, her bathroom had been spared from the broken pipe. “Where to start? My agency was bought out and something like seventy of us had our positions eliminated because we were redundant.” Anger boiled inside her again saying the words out loud. How could they all be redundant? This was ridiculous.

“That’s terrible! They didn’t give any kind of notice? You’ve been there over ten years and this is how they treat you?”

“We’ll be given ‘generous severance packages’ according to HR.” Sarah rolled her eyes. “I didn’t stick around to get all of the details because I got an alert that my apartment was underwater. A pipe burst.”

“Oh, no. How bad?” Bridget’s soft voice almost loosened the tears Sarah kept choking back.

“Bad. Almost everything was soaked. Tons of wall and floor damage that will need fixing. Most of my stuff will need to be replaced. Who knows how long insurance will take to cough up the money for it all?” This whole situation was a nightmare. She didn’t know how to take the first step in fixing things.

“Come home, Sarah.”

She shook her head with a self-deprecating laugh. “And do what? My life is here, Bridgie.”

“At least stay in Fallbank for the time being. It’ll take a while to find a new job and apartment. You said yourself the insurance payout wouldn’t be completed right away. Don’t waste your savings on rushing into a new lease based on what happens to be available right away. You don’t know what part of town your new job will be in and you don’t want a terrible commute. Stay with me. Help with the wedding planning and at Three Sisters. I’ll even pay you.”

A laugh stuttered from Sarah’s lips. “Gee thanks, sis.” She sighed. Her sister was right. She should take a minute before jumping at whatever apartment could be found on short notice and secure a new job before signing a lease. “All right, you win. Give me a couple of days to pack up what I can and I’ll head home.”

* * * *

Cornelius looked over the job schedule for Timber Logging Company as the office door swung open. He glanced up with a wave at his business partner and best friend. “Hey, Jack.”

The satisfied grin on Jack’s face bordered on obnoxious. “Good morning, indeed.”

Cornelius snorted. “I don’t recall saying anything about the morning. Good or otherwise.”

His friend laughed and shook his head. “It’s still the best one I’ve had since Bridget said yes to marrying me. We set a date.”

“A date. For the wedding?” His former roommate turned co-owner of TLC had proposed to Cornelius’ long-time neighbor this past December. He was glad for the two of them, yet they were a niggling reminder of his single status.

“You know it. My honeybee wants to get married in June. She wants an outdoor wedding surrounded by blooming flowers at the Wild Rose Inn’s garden. We walked by yesterday when we got ice cream in town. She decided then and there. We booked June third, then we celebrated back at home.” Jack’s smugness overflowed. “And again this morning.”

Cornelius rose and pulled his friend into a bear hug. “I’m thrilled for you two. That’s great news.” He shoved down the jealous surge inside as they stepped back. Jack and Bridget were perfect for each other. He couldn’t begrudge his friend or the girl who was almost his little sister their happiness. But was it too much to ask for something of his own? Maybe he’d used all of his up too young in life. Or perhaps he needed to put himself out there for real.

“I, uh, have a question for you.” Jack stroked his beard. “Would you be my best man?”

“Me?” Stunned, Cornelius cocked his head to one side. “You don’t have anyone better? One of those fancy, rich friends of yours back in Seattle?”

Jack shook his head with a laugh. “Nope. Maybe a few of them will get an invite, but nothing more. Fallbank is home now and the people here are the first real genuine folks I’ve met. You’re the truest friend I’ve had.”

“How can I argue with that? Of course I’ll be your best man. It’d be an honor.” Cornelius grinned, excited at the prospect of Bridget and Jack’s wedding. Then it hit him. Oh, hell. This was going to do a number on him. He knew without asking who the maid of honor would be. Bridget’s older sister and his ex-girlfriend. What had he just gotten himself into?

“How much do you see us doing for the wedding? June third isn’t too far off. Just around three months,” Cornelius ventured to gauge what amount of time he’d spend with his ex. The freaking love of his life who’d left for college then broken it off two years later. By phone. Damn if that hadn’t ripped him apart. It was over twelve years ago and he’d yet to move on. But he couldn’t go back. Once broken up, stay broken up.

On the plus side, she lived in Seattle and he couldn’t picture her coming back every weekend for wedding planning. That would be excessive…right?

Jack furrowed his brow. “I…have no idea. I know Bridget wants small and intimate, which I’m on board with. But I guess the rest is up to her. I don’t know how elaborate she’ll want things. You’re right that three months isn’t a ton of time.” He shrugged. “We also have the house we’re building to keep tabs on. The timing of the wedding and finishing the house should align well.”

“Right. That’ll keep you crazy busy. You sure I’m going to have my partner around to help run things here?”

His friend’s laugh made Cornelius smile. “Man, you know I’m too invested in TLC to ignore it. You just might get your wish and have to be more involved in wedding stuff.” Jack plopped down at his desk.

“I don’t know that I said that exactly…” Cornelius grumbled as he sat back down. How was he going to get through this wedding knowing Sarah would be everywhere he turned? Despite the years, his heart gave a pang at the thought of her. She’d been it for him from the moment he’d laid eyes on her. Ten years old and smitten with the girl next door. When she’d kissed him at twelve, that had sealed the deal. He’d have followed her to the ends of the earth. Until they turned twenty and she hadn’t wanted him anymore. And that was that.

He pushed his glasses up and scrubbed a hand over his jaw. He tried to focus on work, but thoughts of Sarah kept floating through his brain. It wasn’t that he hadn’t dated since her, because he had. He just hadn’t met another woman who had made him feel that way again. Maybe he needed to get off his ass and make a true effort. At the very least, Cornelius needed a date for the wedding. Screw it. He pulled out his phone and opened the lone dating app he’d installed two years ago.