Page 39 of Discretion

“The foundation is doing this whole bachelorx auction. So maybe check in with Kendall to see if she needs anything.”

I arched my brow. “Bachelorx auction?”

She laughed. “They wanted to try something new. Jasper’s participating.”

Of course he is.

I shouldn’t have been surprised, and yet her words felt like a punch to the gut. I had no right to feel jealous. No claim over Jasper, and yet… I felt like a fool.

I’d lost count of the times he’d looked at me, flirted with me, over the past two weeks. And the entire time, he’d been planning to auction himself off to other women. It was yet one more reminder of why I needed to maintain my distance.

“Good. That’s one thing taken care of.” Somehow, though, she didn’t look all that relieved. “And now for an even bigger ask.”

I was used to juggling a lot, and she was my friend. She’dgiven me an opportunity when most people had slammed the door in my face. Lack of relevant experience. Too big a gap in my résumé. “Tell me what you need while you’re out, and I’ll handle everything.”

“I know you will.” She rolled her lips between her teeth in a rare moment of hesitation. “Which is why I want to name you as acting SVP in my absence.”

“You…” I blinked a few times. “What?”

“While I’m out, I want to put you in charge,” Sloan said.

“Me?” I swallowed hard. She was puttingmein charge? “But I’m not…”

She shook her head. “Don’t say you’re not qualified. You are more than qualified. I know it’s a lot to ask, but I trust you to do what’s best for the company. And the board is in agreement.”

“Wow.” I blinked a few times, stunned. “I don’t know what to say.”

Yes, it would be more responsibility, but it was also an amazing opportunity. When I’d taken a break to stay at home with Kai, I could’ve never dreamed I’d be given a chance like this.

“Say yes.” She grinned. “You’ll get a temporary pay increase as well.”

“That’s very generous.” I was already thinking of what I could do with the extra money. I could put some of it away in savings. I could hire in-home help for my dad. I could…

She leaned forward—well, as much as she could with her stomach in the way. “It’s what you deserve. And between us, it would be a huge relief to know that you’d be there to keep an eye on Jasper.”

I paused with my fork midway to my mouth.Jasper.

Hearing his name was like being doused with a bucket of ice water. Because this opportunity would require me to work even more closely with him. If I were the SVP—eventemporarily—spending time with him would be unavoidable. It would be arequirementof my job.

Fuck!

Perhaps sensing my hesitation, Sloan said, “No. No. No. Not—” She held up a hand. “I didn’t mean to make it sound like he needed a babysitter. I just know that he likes and respects you, and I worry he doesn’t have the support he needs, especially with Graham in France and me out on maternity leave.”

I tilted my head back in understanding, because what could I say?

I couldn’t say no. Sloan needed me. But I wasn’t sure—in good conscience—that I could say yes either.

“You’ve been there for me, and I can only hope that you’ll be a friend to him too,” she added.

I didn’t know if I could commit to being Jasper’s friend. Not after…well, not after everything we’d shared. I’d put space between us for a reason, and now Sloan was asking me to close that gap.

If she only knew…

“Would it require much travel?” I asked, thinking of Kai. He was still adjusting to living in a new city. I couldn’t leave him in the care of a stranger, no matter what their qualifications were as a nanny.

I didn’t want to mention that to Sloan, especially since I’d just agreed to go to New York for a weekend. I’d never want her to question my commitment to the job or my ability to perform my responsibilities. Being away from Kai wasn’t ideal, but he was a little older now. And besides, Craig would be there with him.

I really hoped I wasn’t putting too much faith in my ex. History told me that I couldn’t count on him, but he’d been different since the move. More involved. More proactive, even if it was from afar.