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I shot Audrey a quick text.I had to run back to the room. Meet you at the stables, okay?
I ran for my suite.
And although I had no idea what I would do once I got there, I felt like I might be running for my life.
COLE
“Babe.”Jenny was nudging me. “Babe, wake up. You need to get ready to go fly-fishing.”
I opened one eye and stared at her. “Aren’t you supposed to be riding a horse and petting a buffalo or something?”
“Yeah, I’m meeting Audrey in a minute.” She sank onto the bed next to me. “But I got to thinking, so I came back to the suite. I was feeling guilty.”
My other eye snapped open. “Guilty about what?”
“About you taking me on vacation and missing work.” She tossed her curls and smiled at me. “You’ve been too good to me, Cole. I don’t want you to resent me because you’ve taken another trip.”
“It’s fine. And I appreciate the concern, but…” I sat up, confused. “Where is this coming from? I thought you were all excited about the horses and the buffalo. You don’t need to worry about me.”
“I woke up thinking about it,” Jenny said. “We had so much fun yesterday that I almost forgot you were supposed to work on your deal.”
“Me too.” I grinned at her.
“But then I remembered yesterday,” she continued. “When we got to the airport, you seemed upset, so I was just concerned. Is everything okay?”
“Of course, everything’s okay. Why wouldn’t it be?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I was just worried.” She sat there, an atypical frown on her face. A little crease appeared between her eyes. “I don’t want you to get behind, is all. I feel guilty that I’m taking you away from your business.”
“Babe, it’s okay. You’re not.” I lifted my phone from the nightstand and held it up. “See? It’s not like I can ever get away from it. I’m always working.”
She nodded. “Okay then. If you’re sure.”
“Why do you sound upset?” I felt my own crease forming between my eyes. Suddenly, I thought of Jenny’s note and how she’d convinced herself she wasn’t good for me. “Are you getting in your head again?”
Her frown deepened. “What do you mean?”
“Like when you left me that note.” I sighed. “You seemed like you had some big conversation going on in your head about what ‘should’ be happening.”
“Maybe I am a little bit.” She shrugged. “I just don’t want to be too much of a distraction.”
“You don’t need to worry about me, babe. I have a team. I have Shirley. I have my phone.” I waved it back and forth for emphasis.
“Okay, Coley.” But she was still frowning.
“I am not falling behind,” I assured her. “If it makes you feel better, I’ll work on a few things before I meet James to go fishing. Okay? You can go on your trail ride. I promise you, I won’t miss out on anything important. And I sure as hell won’t blame you if I do.”
She traced an invisible pattern with her finger onto the comforter and nodded. “Okay. I hope you get everything done with your deal. It’s better to wrap things up, doncha think?”
“Sure,” I mumbled. Was something up with Jenny, or did I just need a coffee? She seemed upset, worrying about things that were none of her concern, which concernedme. I didn’t want her getting freaked out again and then running away.
I reached for her hand. “Everything’s okay, I promise. You don’t have to worry about anything. All right?”
“All right.” She leaned over and gave me a sweet kiss, the scent of her coconut-y body spray wafting over me. “But you gotta tell me if you need space. Promise?”
“I promise.” I kissed her again, and we both moaned.
Jenny pulled away. “Don’t be starting with that Cole hotness again,” she teased. “I have to go meet Audrey. I’ll see you this afternoon, okay? I’m going to miss you.”