Page 79 of Wild Promise

The drive to the resort was quiet. My Honda ran perfectly, and every smooth corner and easy stop was a reminder of him and what he’d done.

Of what he’d promised not to do. And then damn well did anyway.

I pulled into the parking lot, killed the engine, and sat there for a minute, staring at the resort that had consumed my entire life. The events this weekend were the culmination of everything I’d worked for. The final proof that I deserved the promotion I’d been chasing.

And none of it felt the way it was supposed to.

The promotion would have been official by now. Wyatt had been coming to put it in writing when he’d walked in on Becky’s little performance. Instead, he’d walked out with doubts. And now everything I’d worked for was in limbo because of him.

Zane liar-liar-liar Alexander.

So much for not thinking his name.

Still, I had a job to do. A paycheck to earn. I couldn’t let the events fail on top of everything else. The promotion might still be salvageable, but only if I proved I deserved it beyond any doubt.

So I grabbed my bag and headed inside.

The morning was chaos. Last-minute deliveries, vendor check-ins, the catering team Zane had found for me arriving early and ready, which sent a fresh stab of pain through my chest. I buried it under my clipboard and kept moving.

By midday, I’d handled three minor crises, confirmed the DJ’s playlist for tomorrow night, confirmed the seating arrangement for tonight’s dinner, and walked the ballroom twice to make sure every detail was exactly as it should be. I was running on caffeine, adrenaline, and sheer force of will, but I was still going. Still determined to make this the best damn event weekend in Copper Ridge history.

Then I walked into The Summit.

I wasn’t there for him. At least, that’s what I kept telling myself. He was the shift manager, and I needed to confirm staffing for the cocktail service.

This was standard coordination. Nothing more.

Colin was behind the bar, restocking bottles. Caleb was there too, wiping down tables with his earbuds in. But Zane was nowhere in sight.

“Hey, Colin,” I said, keeping my voice professional. “I need to run through the bar schedule for tomorrow. Is Zane around?”

“Melina…” He stopped, his expression shifting from casual to careful. “Zane’s not here.”

“I can see that. Is he on a later shift?”

“No. I mean he’s not here. He quit.”

“He what?” The words didn’t make sense. I heard them, but they just bounced around inside my skull without finding anywhere to land. My hand found the edge of the bar, and I held on because my legs couldn’t be trusted. “When?”

“A few days ago. Sent his resignation to Wyatt’s email and just disappeared. We haven’t seen or even heard from him since.” His brows drew tight. “I thought you knew.”

I shook my head, the room tilting around me. “No. I had no idea…”

“I think you should talk to Nate. He’s the only one who knew about it before it happened. He can explain it better than I can.” Colin ran a hand through his hair, looking almost as lost as I felt. “I still haven’t processed it myself.”

I found Nate in the security office, sitting in front of the bank of flickering monitors showing various views of the hotel and resort grounds.

“He quit.” The accusation flew from my mouth as I stormed in, daring him to deny it.

Nate straightened, his chair creaking under his weight. “Yeah. He did.”

“Why would he do that?”

“Because he loves you more than he loves himself.”

He loves you.

Love? That couldn’t be right. Hell, up until a few weeks ago the man had never been in a relationship. There was no way he had those feelings.