“I need you to take a look at it and talk to the present owners. And if that doesn’t work out, I think you still need to check out the area. The Boston Harbor is the place to be if you want your business to expand to include lobster.”

Kaegan was well aware that although the Gulf had several species of lobster, it was a known fact lobsters in the Atlantic, around Boston, were more plentiful and tastier. It was a market he was ready to explore. “That sounds good to me.”

“Then I need you on the next plane. Just get to the airport around three. I’ve made all the arrangements and you’ll probably be gone for at least three days.”

He raised an eyebrow. “That long?”

“Yes.”

That meant he needed to let Willa know that he would be out of the office. Of course, he would also let Ray and Sawyer know. His thoughts shifted to Bryce. She probably wouldn’t want to know. At this point she probably didn’t care. Besides, after yesterday maybe distance was what they needed more than anything.

She had that exam tomorrow and he could call and wish her luck. But he’d done that already. He would wait and congratulate her on passing the exam when he got back, since he was certain she would ace it.

“Okay. I’ll leave for Boston today.” After jotting down the pertinent information, he ended the call.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

BRYCE HELD HER BREATH as she punched in the control number on her laptop for the exam she’d taken yesterday. She had walked out of the testing center feeling confident about how she’d done. However, by the time she’d gotten home, she’d been a nervous wreck. She’d told everyone not to call her until after ten this morning because she couldn’t check her grade until then.

After entering the number, she briefly closed her eyes, too nervous to look just yet. When she opened them, she smiled and then threw her fist up in the air in victory. She had passed with a ninety-eight.

At that moment she was both happy and relieved. It was over. She would now be able to sell, negotiate and market real estate in other states. That meant she wouldn’t just be confined to Catalina Cove. She leaned back in her chair, staring at her test score again. The test had been hard and there had been tricky questions. But Kaegan had taught her how to focus on the key words.

Kaegan...

Bryce owed a lot of credit for her passing the test to Kaegan’s study techniques, not to mention the time he’d spent drilling her for three nights straight. She owed him and would thank him when she saw him in the café in the morning. Because she’d needed to study, she hadn’t helped out at the café for the past few days. This morning she’d known not to even think about going anywhere until she’d seen her grade results.

She couldn’t wait to tell everyone. However, she knew the first person she wanted to share her good news with was Kaegan. She was about to pick up her phone to call him when her phone rang. It was her mother.