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“They stopped last month.” ?I’ve been going every week for the last six months, and it has helped, but I don’t want to depend on anything like a crutch. I’m grateful that I had them, but I need to start living my own life rather than dwelling on the past and if I’m going to be serious about opening my own little flower kiosk, I need to get away from Jett.
“I can—thecompanycan—pay for more. Whatever you need. We take care of our employees.”
If he’s hoping to dangle that in front of my face or scare me into thinking that I won’t have the same perks and benefits elsewhere, it’s not going to work. “I’m good, thanks. I just need to leave. It’s what I want.”
He stares at me for a moment, his jaw tight, then he stands and turns to the window, the silence between us heavy. When he finally speaks, his voice is somber. “I need you to do one last thing for me.”
Here it comes. I knew it. He’s only holding onto me because he needs something. I sigh in dismay, and force myself to stop staring at his back. At those wide shoulders, and the body that tapers to a perfect V at the hips.
“What now?”
“Anna quit.”
“Anna quit?” Though this isn’t surprising.
“She can’t just take off for weeks—”
“I’m pretty sure she let you know.”
“She’s gone and I need you to come with me to Bermuda. I have a lot of business to tend to over there and I can’t reschedule. I can’t find childcare for Brooke on such short notice. We leave next week on Tuesday, and I don’t know anyone else Brooke would want to stay with.”
My heart sinks. Of course, it’s about Brooke. “I’m not your babysitter, Jett. I’m your PA.”
“I know what you are to me.” He grits his teeth together, hissing in a tone which startles me.
“Can’t you ask Alicia?” I say, unable to stop the bitterness in my tone. “Surely she’ll jump at the prospect of yet another vacation to an exotic island?”
His eyes widen at my insolent tone. “We are no longer together.”
I sit up straighter, his words making me jolt. “Oh?”
His eyes meet mine, and I see something in them that I didn’t expect. It’s not hurt, but hardness. “The only person I can think of ... to fill that role … isyou.”
The air vacuums clean out of my lungs. It takes a moment to steady my breathing. To process his request. To understand what it means. He and Alicia are no longer together. And now he’s asking me to go on this business trip with him. Me and Jett, with Brooke. Away from work. On a beautiful island. Somewhere hot and exotic. For three weeks.
I cannot go. No way. “You can find a replacement,” I rush to assure him. “You just need to hire a nanny. You can afford it.”
“It’s not about the money.”
“It’s always about the money with you,” I throw back. Because I know I’ll be leaving, I’ve lost control over my mouth.
He looks genuinely hurt. “I can’t leave Brooke with someone I barely know, not while I’ll be in meetings and tending to business overseas. Especially somewhere that she’s not familiar with and doesn’t have family around her.”
“Why not ask Alicia to help out, if you’re so desperate?” I suggest, examining his face for signs of trauma, wanting to know more about that situation. Why did they split up? And when? This has come as a complete shock to me. He seemed quite taken with her. Who broke it off? Inquisitive thoughts circle around in my brain like vultures.
“I just told you. We’re no longer together.” He lifts a piece of paper from the desk and pretends to read it. I know he’s pretending, because it’s an address. A scribble. Nothing of any importance.
But I'm dismissed, it seems. That's his usual way of letting me know I can leave.
“You didn’t propose?” The words tumble out before I can stop them, my mind spinning. I’ve spent the last week lying in bed, imagining it all—Jett proposing to Alicia, the perfect romantic scene, and the sinking feeling that follows every time I think about it. Each scenario is more painful than the last.
Jett’s head snaps up, and his sharp gaze locks onto mine. His expression is a mix of confusion and something that almost says,what the hell are you talking about?
“Propose?” he repeats, his voice tinged with disbelief.
Heat rushes to my face, a blush creeping across my skin. “I thought … maybe … you went to dinner, and then … well, you didn’t come back to the office.” My words sound ridiculous even to my own ears, but I can’t stop them.
“I had business in Sacramento.” His tone is clipped, and he shakes his head like he’s trying to piece together my jumbled logic. “We spoke, you and I. I needed you to scan some contracts and email them to me, remember?”