Hudson.
But hanging around outside his front gate would appear stalkerish and not the classy move of a confident woman, so she’d headed home and had barely walked in the door when Pop knocked on her kitchen window and let himself in. They’d had keys to each other’s houses since she’d moved out and she’d miss him dropping in when he left.
‘Hey, Pop. I just got back from Melbourne.’
‘I know. I’ve been looking out for you.’ He filled the kettle and switched it on before getting out two teacups, like he’d done countless times before: whenever she was sick, when she got sent home from school at twelve after getting her first period, when he’d told her about the agency’s ailing finances. In fact, the only time Pop made her tea was when he thought she needed comforting.
‘Is something wrong?’ She scanned him for the slightest appearance of illness, her heart flipping with worry. ‘Are you feeling okay?’
‘I’m fine, but we need to talk about the agency.’
‘Pop, it’s been a long drive and I’m not in the mood for another lecture about me taking on too much.’
She didn’t like the furtiveness in his dart-away glance, like he couldn’t meet her eyes. ‘Honey, take a seat.’
His sombre tone scared her as much as his solemn expression. ‘This is important.’
‘Okay.’ She sat and waited until he made the tea, knowing he needed this ritual to impart whatever news he thought bad enough to warrant it.
When he placed the cups on saucers in front of them, he took a seat next to her. ‘There’s no easy way to say this, so I’m going to give it to you straight. The agency could be in trouble.’
Confused, she shook her head. ‘It doesn’t need to be. Once I invest some equity I’ll revamp a few things—’
‘Honey, it’s not going to be viable. That big mob in Inverloch is expanding all along the coast, with Hudson’s help.’
‘So?’ Hearing his name made her heart beat faster and she wondered how long it would take to get over him. ‘What’s that got to do with us?’
Pop’s sombre expression made her sweat a little. ‘Hudson called to give me a heads up that they’ll be opening a new agency here.’
Karly couldn’t breathe. Her lungs seized with the simple effort of dragging air in and expelling it as she processed the news that turned her world upside down. She’d known Hudson had been upset but to do this … Was he that petty, that spiteful? He was behaving like a spoiled brat who’d had his toy snatched away, and if he couldn’t have that toy he’d rather break it.
‘We both know this town can’t sustain two agencies, and what hope would ours have against the big boys? So in all good conscience I can’t sell the agency to you, knowing it would inevitably go under. I’ll sell it to that mob in Inverloch and walk away with a decent payout to fund my retirement. It’s the only way.’
Ice trickled through Karly’s veins. She might have won the battle but she’d lost the war. Buying the agency had been within her grasp, only to have it seized by the bigwigs after all. Pop was right. She could never compete. And while Hudson hadn’t bought out her legacy himself, he’d screwed her over regardless.
‘I know this isn’t what you wanted to hear, Karly, but it could be good in the long run. You’ll have time to explore your options, work anywhere—’
‘Pop, how can you be so calm about this? You’ve run the agency for almost thirty years. Doesn’t it mean more to you?’
‘You mean more to me, sweetheart.’ He clasped one of her hands between his, rubbing it to instil some warmth, considering how icy it was. ‘I never wanted you to be burdened with owning it, and I bit my tongue when I saw how excited you were after Leo’s offer to loan you the capital. But in all honesty, I think this is the best outcome.’
Pop made sense, but she still muttered, ‘Traitor,’ a second before he bundled her into his arms for a hug. She’d been stoic until now but hearing him murmur ‘Everything’s going to be okay’ while he smoothed her back, just like he’d done to comfort her forever, brought tears to her eyes.
She blinked them away and by the time he released her, her sorrow at losing something that meant so much to her had morphed into anger. Not with Pop, because none of this was his fault, but with Hudson, who’d known how much the agency meant to her but had gone ahead and done this regardless.
She could’ve told him about Leo’s loan and her plans earlier, so she understood his anger over that, but to buddy up with the competition and drive her out of business …
It didn’t matter that he had altruistic motives. Those youth housing centres might be his dream and she understood him doing whatever it took to achieve it, but what about hers?
‘You going to be okay?’
She nodded, needing to reassure Pop as he continued to eye her with concern. ‘You know me, Pop. I’m resilient, thanks to you.’ She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. ‘Thanks for being the best parent/grandparent/boss a girl could wish for.’
Tears shimmered in his eyes and he stood abruptly. ‘I’ll leave you to it.’
After tipping his untouched tea down the sink, he raised his hand in farewell. ‘We’ll talk more at the office tomorrow.’
Karly nodded, but she had a feeling she wouldn’t be in the office on Monday.