Page 5 of Without Regret

CHAPTER THREE

Emma

I drove the five minutes from the gym to my temporary flat. I’d spent most of the last seven years traveling the globe and living in short-term housing. It beat hotel rooms because they had a washer and dryer and a full kitchen—not that I ever used the latter since I didn’t cook. But the vibe was all around more relaxing when I could come home to my own place rather than wade through a hotel lobby where I would have to deal with people.

While drinking my daily protein shake and then taking a quick shower, I shook off the strange morning at the gym with Avery and her brother. I chalked it up to my monthly allowance of socializing with strangers. Since staying in Texas, I’d certainly had to up my quota.

I laughed at the whiplash sensation of the situation. One moment I’d been dressing down bitchy Barbie, and five minutes later I was trying to make her feel better about her horrible breakup. Never say I didn’t do my part for society. Obviously, I felt bad for the girl. Betrayal had a tendency to stick with you. Even if she saw me as strong, I wasn’t above having my own pathetic backstory. Once, when I was young and naive, I’d fallen for a man who’d said the right things. Had he broken my heart? Nope. He’d shattered something much worse.

Come Monday morning, I woke as I typically did since coming to Dallas a few weeks ago, at six thirty a.m. I drove to the gym, did the seven o’clock body pump class, and drove back to shower and change for work. I donned my red Valentino dress with black Jimmy Choo shoes and decided to wear my hair up because the heat was starting to become a factor now going into May.

I was in the office by eight thirty with my boss, Simon, walking in about nine.

“Good morning, Emma. How was your weekend?” He was no longer the man who spent twelve hours a day in the office, which was refreshing.

We both worked for the Stone Group LLP. The headquarters was in New York City, but since Simon, a fellow Brit, had fallen in love with Peyton here in Dallas while we’d been on temporary assignment, he’d decided to stay in this area, at least temporarily.

I missed New York. There was something comforting about an urban landscape, where in the concrete jungle obscurity was easy to find among the masses.

For our temporary space, we’d rented twelve hundred square feet in a building in downtown Dallas. This included a good-sized office for Simon, a visitor’s office, and a small conference room, which held up to six people. My desk was placed by the entry, so I could monitor any clients coming in and answer the phones. It wasn’t bad. It just wasn’t what I was used to.

“My weekend? It’s weird, but after clicking my shoes three times and saying there was no place like home, I’m still here. And yours?”

He chuckled at our familiar joke. “Once again, that’s Kansas, not Texas. But it’s a good segue to having a proper discussion about the future.”

Oh, shit. I’d gone too far in making one too many cracks about Texas and being stuck here. My heart sank. Despite missing the big city and all the travel, the thought of no longer working for Simon left me cold. I might come off as tough, but my exterior was softer than most knew. And Simon was one of the very few I’d let in over the years.

“How about you come into my office and take a seat?”

Fuck. This seemed rather formal. I thought back to how many times I’d complained. He’d just started a relationship. The last thing he needed was me ragging on him for deciding to stay here and change his work priorities.

My stomach dropped. “Are you letting me go? I’d rather just know.”

His face showed shock. “No, of course not. I’m hoping to give you options.”

I forced myself to relax, hating that I instantly went to the worst-case scenario. Then again, it was in my nature. “Okay. Give me five minutes, and I’ll be in.” I needed a moment to gather my emotions.

His gaze was on me. “This isn’t bad news. Quite the contrary, I hope.”

It was unsettling when he could read me, but to be fair, I had the same uncanny ability regarding him. “Okay.”

“Come on in.”

I followed him into his office, taking the visitor’s chair and forcing myself not to wring my hands. If he’d told me it wasn’t bad news, then I needed to believe it.

“I’ll start by thanking you for being patient. I recognize staying in Dallas wasn’t part of your plan.”

“It’s not horrible.” My voice was soft, vulnerability rearing its head.

“But you miss the travel?”

I couldn’t manage a lie. “Yes. I do.”

“There’s someone coming in today on a trial basis. If it works out, he would take over most of the travel for me.”

“Would that mean I’d report to him?” Simon was the only boss who’d ever treated me with respect, despite the fact I didn’t have a college degree and had grown up with nothing.

“No. I envision you both reporting to me. But it’s important you two work well as a team since you’ll be spending most of your time together. If you’re thinking you’d like to move back to New York, still work with me, and only leave to travel with the new guy, well, I spoke with Phillip about that.”

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