Page 90 of Inevitable

I need a break,I thought, knowing I was on the verge of breaking down.

“I’ll be out of the office for the next week. I will not be answering phone calls or responding to emails. I will not have internet access.” I stood, grabbing my suit jacket.

“What?” he gasped. “Where are you going?”

“Away,” I said, not entirely sure myself. I grabbed my phone but left everything else behind, bypassing Cody as I headed for the door.

“But wh-what am I going to tell people?”

“Whatever you want,” I said, not giving a shit.

I practically skipped out of the office. At least until my phone buzzed with an incoming text, totally ruining the illusion of freedom.

Cody: What about Alexis? Want me to cancel?

Me: No.

I’d always felt invigorated by my projects with Alexis. If anything, that was the one thing I didn’t want to lose.

Cody: Maybe you could just take the weekend and then go from there?

Me: No.

I needed my phone for directions, of course. But as soon as that was accomplished, it was going into airplane mode.

When I reached my truck, I removed my tie, tossing it and my suit jacket in the back seat. I sped across town to meet Alexis, figuring maybe I’d use this newfound time to work on a new project. But the moment I pulled up, I realized that wasn’t the case. I wanted to be free of obligations. Free of schedules. Free of…expectations.

“Hey, Alexis,” I said, ascending the steps to the front door.

“Hey, Wolfe.”

I had a flashback to the last house Alexis had showed me, Sumner at my side. I was trying to forget her, but she seemed to pop up at every turn. Clients and employees referencing her ideas, then there were Cody’s questions, and now this. But even without those reminders, it would’ve been impossible to forget her. She was everywhere. I woke up thinking about her. I went about my day, remembering the way she’d smiled at me from across the conference room. Or I’d see her name on some report.

At home, it was no different. I couldn’t eat dinner without thinking of the taste of whiskey on her skin. I couldn’t lie in bed without wishing she were there. From the time I woke up to the time I fell asleep, she was with me, haunting me.

I followed Alexis through the house, nodding occasionally, but not really paying attention. By the time we finished the tour, I knew I couldn’t be involved. I was a fucking mess.

“Thanks for showing me the house,” I said. “I think it’s a good investment, and I’m happy to help with capital, but I’m not going to be able to do the work myself.” Not that the house wasn’t awesome. I just…couldn’t find it in me to care.

“Of course. I know how busy you are.”

I kicked at the floor, wondering why I’d even come.

“Jonathan, are you okay?”

“Yeah.” I shook my head as if to clear it. “Yeah. Why?”

“You seem really down lately. And as your friend, I’m worried about you.”

I glanced toward the ceiling, rubbing the back of my neck. I had no one to talk to. Sumner had been my confidante, but we were over. I couldn’t exactly talk to Ian about my feelings for his daughter. I had no other friends.

Alexis was throwing me a life raft. I could take the easy way out—gloss over everything and pretend it was fine, but I got the feeling she actually cared. That she wanted the truth and not just the “it’s all good.”

“I was seeing someone, and we broke up.”

“What happened?”

I sank down onto a nearby crate. “I was an ass to her. I pushed her away because I was scared.”