Page 95 of The Business of Love Box Set 1: Books 1 - 4

HAILEY

T he sun was shining but it wasn’t hot enough outside to sit on a patio for a late lunch with Jackson after our afternoon of shopping.

Or should I say spending?

Holy hell. Jackson didn’t even blink when Hugo told him the price of everything, whereas I considered opening my purse so I could puke into it.

Fourteen grand. Just like that. On little old me.

There was no way I could make it up to him. Jackson always made me feel like I was home even though I was far from it. He didn’t make me feel guilty for letting him spend money on me, either. He made me feel loved.

But still, if I sat and thought about it too long, it felt like way too much.

“Stop it,” Jackson said as he sipped the foam off his beer.

“Stop what?”

“Thinking about the money. I wanted to spend it, especially on you. This was the plan the whole time, Hails. Had you said yes the first time I asked you to come to New York, I’d have bought a bigger place and had you weigh in on which one you liked so you could pick your own damn room. You’re worth every penny. I mean it.”

For the hundredth time that day, my cheeks burned. “I appreciate all of this more than I can say.”

He lifted his beer. “Cheers to being in the same city again.”

“And fresh starts.”

“And old friends.”

“And boujee new furniture.” I giggled.

We tipped our heads back and sipped our drinks.

I’d ordered a fruity virgin cocktail with sparkling water and watermelon syrup and fresh berries floating around the glass.

It paired well with the flatbread appetizer we ended up sharing, which was drizzled in a delightfully sweet and tangy balsamic glaze.

With a full belly and an even fuller heart, I leaned back in my chair to admire the man across from me. My best friend. Wherever he was, I needed to be. He was where I belonged. I knew that now.

I felt better in that moment than I had since the second he left. What more did I need to know?

“So what does this mean for you and work?” Jackson asked, licking balsamic off his thumb in a dangerously sexy way that made my insides squirm. “Did you quit?”

I shook my head. “I requested a transfer. It’s pending as we speak. If all goes well, I’ll be starting in the New York office on Monday.”

“Transfer? Why not just bail and jump into something you know you’ll love? You hate this shitty job anyway.”

“I don’t have any other immediate options, Jackson. Besides, one big life change at a time is enough. I already feel bad enough for leaving without having a proper goodbye with Azira. She’s not going to be happy with me when she shows up for her shift on Sunday morning and I’m not there.”

“But she’ll be happy for you,” Jackson said pointedly.

That was probably true. Azira had never understood my desire to climb the corporate ladder in the first place.

“Seriously, Hails. You’re better than that place by leaps and bounds. Why not take this as a chance to figure out what you want to do? Take some time off. Clear your head.”

“I can’t just quit, Jackson. I have responsibilities. I’m not a worldwide celebrity like someone at this table who can get away with not working for months on end.”

Jackson rolled his eyes dramatically. “Celebrity? Please.”

“It’s true. You help people find the most elusive thing in the world.

It’s admirable. And you deserve the money and the status.

I’m just saying I don’t have the same opportunities.

I have to keep my head down and get the work done and invest in my future.

I’ll get my big break one day. I just have to work hard and earn it. ”

Jackson set his beer down, pushed the wooden board covered in the remnants of our flatbread aside, and rested his elbows on the table. “What if I was your big break?”

I frowned. “I don’t follow you.”

“Come work with me. I’ve been looking high and low for an assistant with the right energy and passion. We could work together. Think of how good of a team we’d make.”

I shook my head. “No, Jack. I need my own thing.”

“You could make it yours. Do the job how you want. I won’t micromanage you. Fuck that shit.”

I sighed. His intentions were good but he was missing the point. I was my own woman. I already felt a little burdened by taking his fourteen-thousand-dollar handout this afternoon. Now he wanted to offer me a job?

No.

How was I supposed to feel like an independent woman when I was accepting everything he offered me? I’d been raised to work for what I had. I wasn’t going to let that slip away simply because I was getting good offers.

“I can’t,” I said. “I appreciate it. But I want to make my own path. I have to.”

Jackson drained the rest of his third beer. “I understand. Just know the offer stands as long as I do.”

I smiled and nodded pointedly at his empty beer glass. “Thank you. But that might not be very long at the rate you’re going.”

Jackson threw one arm in the air. “Another round!”

I laughed and so did he, and it was only a matter of minutes before another beer was set down in front of him and I had another fresh virgin cocktail. We sipped at our drinks and ordered more food.

It was just like old times back in Nashville.

Jackson and I used to spend countless evenings on patios or in bars sipping drinks and sharing appetizers until our bellies were full and his head was buzzing.

This felt like it was going to be one of those nights.

I had yet to see his place and I was looking forward to seeing the new digs and checking out what my room looked like.

Knowing Jackson, the place would be modern, edgy, and sleek. There’d be plenty of natural light hopefully and probably incredible views of the city.

I never imagined I’d be lucky enough to live in a city like this with my very rich best friend. And yet, there I was.

Jackson caught me smiling at him as he worked on his fourth beer. He arched a dark eyebrow. “What?”

“Nothing,” I said hurriedly. I shifted the subject. “How’s Katie? Have you talked to her recently?”

“Yep. She’s good. She’s the one who got her hands on those signed copies of those W. Parker books for you.”

“Oh!” I cried. “Yes! Thank you so much for those, Jack. I already finished one. It’s beautiful. And the autographs? I couldn’t believe it. I really appreciate it.”

“It was all my sister. She made it happen.”

“Because you asked her to.”

He chuckled. “Maybe.”

“Does she still love living at the resort? How’s her promotion going?”

Jackson rubbed his jaw. “She’s head over heels in love with her work. She and I are too much alike. I doubt she’ll ever leave that place and I’ll be stuck seeing her for holidays or just a few visits out of the year when our days off line up.”

“It’s not hard for her?”

“What?”

I shrugged. “Working with honeymooners and making their dreams come true when all she’s ever wanted is that for herself?”

Jackson didn’t say anything for a minute. “We don’t talk about it much. Or about how badly she wants to be a mom.”

I nodded. Why would she want to talk about something that brought her down?

Jackson and I talked about things that didn’t matter for the rest of the evening, and by the time we made our way out onto the sidewalk, Jackson was eight beers in and he definitely had a stagger to his step.

So I slid under his arm and he draped it over my shoulders while tipping his head back to grin up at the night sky.

I couldn’t see a single star. The lights from the city were too bright.

“I’m glad you’re here, Hails,” he said.

I pressed a hand to his stomach as he leaned a little too far forward. “Me too. How would you have gotten home without me?”

He chuckled. “I suspect you don’t want the answer to that question.”

Right. This was Jackson I was talking about.

If I hadn’t been here to walk his drunken ass home, he’d have called a car for himself and whatever bombshell big-boobed babe he’d stumbled into at the bar.

She’d be giggling and smiling and laughing at his jokes while she flipped her hair over her shoulder.

I cleared my mind of those thoughts as we walked home. Jackson gave me directions until he pointed out a high-rise condo with a dramatic entrance and massive plateau balconies edged up the side like farming terraces. It was an architectural masterpiece.

“You live up there?” I asked as my jaw nearly hit the sidewalk.

“No, Hailey Brown.” Jackson clicked his tongue and let his arm fall from my shoulder. “ We live up there.”