Page 119 of Mark my Words

“I thought there was something, but she hasn’t talked to me in weeks.” I knew it was my fault, but it still stung that she’d been able to push me out and move on.

“Long-distance can be challenging. Maybe if you give her some time, she’ll come around.”

“It’s not that easy, and I’m fairly certain she hates me.”

“Why? It didn’t look like she hated you when we hung out.” I started to open my mouth, but she held up her hand, stopping me. “And don’t give me that—it’s complicated—bullshit. Turning your back on that kind of connection must have taken something pretty major.”

“We were both up for the same position, and I was told they planned to give it to me. Another position opened up in Chicago at the same time, and if I took it, they’d give her the promotion in Boston.”

“Ah, I get it now. You sacrificed what you wanted to ensure she got what she wanted.”

“It also moved me closer to my family in Michigan, so it wasn’t completely altruistic, but yes. I didn’t want to be responsible for her losing the job.” I didn’t want to be responsible for coming between her and her freedom. That may sound dramatic, but I knew if things hadn’t fallen apart with the position in New York, even thinking of sending her back to her family was like clipping her wings. After seeing the light go out of her eyes at her grandmother’s birthday party, I couldn’t do that to her.

“Did you ask her if that was what she wanted?”

“If you hadn’t noticed, she isn’t the easiest person to get close to. I know I should have talked to her before I took the job, but I didn’t see any other way. Two other candidates were waiting in the wings, and Kristine worked her ass off for that position. She deserved it as much as I did.” She also never gave me any indication until our last night together that she felt for me what I felt for her, but by then, it was too late. Things had already been set in motion that I couldn’t stop.

“Maybe she wanted you more than a promotion.”

“It’s too late now.” I shrugged, glancing down at where my phone was mounted on the dashboard. We had another few hours until we got to the hotel, and while talking to Kelly was keeping my mind off what would be happening tonight, dredging up my past mistakes wouldn’t change anything. “Can we change the subject?”

“Neither of you is dead yet, and last I checked, modern technology made it pretty damn easy for people to stay in touch. You should try to talk to her.” Of course, she’d ignore me. Parts of her personality reminded me of Kristine, tactlessly bulldozing her way into getting what she wanted.

“She’s blocked me on everything. I don’t think she wants to communicate with me.”

Kelly tapped her fingers on her knees, squinting as she looked over at me. It made me want to squirm, but I was still trapped in the car with her until we got to the hotel. “You don’t seem like the type to give up easily, Sam. You love her, right?”

A few months ago, it would have been hard for me to answer that question easily, but the phrases ‘hindsight is 20/20’ and ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’—while terribly cliché—were startlingly accurate.

“Alright, don’t answer, but I could see it then and still see it now. Beneath that armored exterior is just a woman who wants to be loved. So if you love her, you need to tell her, no matter how many ninja stars she throws in your direction. She is your feisty little samurai right?”

“I’ll think about it.”

“You do that,” she ordered as I turned off the highway, letting the conversation drop for now. If I had to stop for gas every time she tried to corner me, neither one of us would be getting to sleep at the hotel tonight.

Walking into the restaurant with Kelly the following evening, after she’d forcibly dragged me out of my hotel room, I scanned the bar area and saw a few familiar faces. At the other end of the long counter, Isobel sat on a barstool next to Adrian, who had one arm loosely draped around her back. She looked different. I couldn’t quite place why, but as Adrian’s other hand slipped into her lap, his palm settling against her abdomen, I knew I’d missed something major since I’d been gone. It seemed all those long working lunches and dinners had produced something significant.

“She’s here,” Kelly whispered, tugging on my shirt sleeve, drawing my attention back to the open doors of the event room where Chase and Evan were hosting their engagement dinner.

Kristine wore a short black dress reminiscent of the one she’d worn to Nana’s birthday party in New York. Her hair was down and loosely curled around her shoulders, several inches shorter than when I saw her last.

“Close your mouth. You’re drooling,” Kelly snickered as she squeezed my hand. “Go get her, stud.”

Then she veered off to a table in the corner that held an older couple. The man looked to be an older version of Evan, and they were vaguely familiar, so I assumed they were her parents. They’d come up a few days earlier, so Kelly couldn’t catch a ride with them.

I knew she had a car in the city, but Evan had asked if I minded giving her a ride since we both lived nearby one another. My modest one-bedroom apartment wasn’t quite in the same price bracket as her trendy condo, but we did live within a few blocks of each other.

Kristine turned away from where she’d been chatting with Chase, her eyes narrowing as she watched Kelly walk away.

“Hey, you made it.” Evan stood from a nearby table, reaching forward to shake my hand. I smiled as I made eye contact with him, glancing back toward Kristine, noting the glare she had aimed in my direction. So, she magically hadn’t decided to forgive me in the last few weeks.

“We weren’t sure if you could come up, but thanks for letting Kelly tag along. She may look like a responsible adult, but my parents were worried how many speeding tickets she’d rack up if left to her own devices.”

“Of course, man. Wouldn’t miss it. Although I’d have thought you and Chase would be sick of me by now. I know we were all ready for that tour to be over.”

“Eh, it had its moments. Have to admit, Chase and I had a bet going about you and Kristine, but we were clearly wrong about what was going on between you.”

We were all off the mark on what had happened, but I knew they’d been whispering about us when they didn’t think we were paying attention. I’d told Kristine she was paranoid, but maybe we were more obvious than we’d thought. Not that any of it mattered now. We’d both gotten what we wanted professionally, and I knew that truly mattered to her.

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