Page 41 of Between the Lines

His fingers reached out to grip the edge of the desk, steadying him as his world tilted.

“Well, she’s from some little country I’ve never even heard of,” John said slowly, watching Theo closely. “But she did mention something about San Francisco.”

San Francisco was a million miles away.

His unease must have shown on Theo’s face, because John cocked his head, looking at him with concern. “What’s wrong? I thought this was what you wanted. You should be thrilled.”

“It’s amazing.” Theo heard the hollowness in his own words. “I think I just need to let it sink in.”

John smiled with relief before rising to his feet. Pitching both his coffee cup and Theo’s into the trash, he leaned across the desk to clap Theo on the shoulder. “To hell with this swill. I’m going to go send Ava out for a bottle of scotch. No, I’ll go myself, to that place next door. This calls for a celebration.”

Theo opened his mouth to tell his colleague that he didn’t drink, but the words caught in his throat. He nodded numbly as John rounded the desk and opened the door.

Jo was on the other side.

“Jo!” John was flying so high on the offer that he reached out and caught Jo in a one-arm hug. “Come on in! We’ll be celebrating in a minute. Join us.”

Jo arched an eyebrow at the uncharacteristic buoyancy in John before casting a vaguely amused smile Theo’s way. “What are we celebrating? Must be good. He was bouncing like Tigger.”

Theo blinked up at her mechanically. He should have been thrilled. This was everything he’d worked for, everything he’d dreamed of, years ahead of schedule. He’d prove to everyone, and finally to himself, that he was no longer just a trust-fund baby. He was a self-made man.

The only person he cared about proving that to was standing right in front of him.

“There’s been an offer to buy the company.” His words sounded like they were coming from a great distance, somewhere outside his own body. “A great offer, actually.”

Jo’s face lit up, and it was like she’d taken a pair of tweezers and started pinching at his heart. “That’s amazing! So amazing, Theo. I’m so happy for you.”

Theo’s arm felt like it weighed as much as an elephant as he lifted it to rub a hand over his face. “Yeah. Plus, it came with a new job offer. One that’s hard to turn down.”

Jo flew at him, wrapping him in an enthusiastic hug that was completely devoid of any of the shadows of their past. He caught her around the waist, urging her back to her feet instead of hauling her into his lap like he wanted to.

She blinked, clearly startled. Wariness flickered through her eyes. “What’s wrong?”

There was no good way to tell her, but he knew that she’d never tolerate him keeping something so monumental from her.

“I wouldn’t be able to stay in Boston.”

Jo froze. Literally just froze in place, eyes wide, an empty smile pasted on her face. She stared at him for a long moment, and he knew that she could see every ounce of the angst that he was feeling, pouring off him in waves.

“Well, of course you have to go.” She clapped her hands together, as if in glee, but her voice was hollow. “This is what you wanted, even if it’s a little ahead of schedule!”

“Jo.” He couldn’t handle it. Her voice was positively perky. The girl he’d known, the woman he knew were many things, but perky wasn’t one of them. “What about us?”

“Theo.” Her almost manic smile dimmed a few watts but remained pasted on her face. “We’ve been back together...or whatever this is...for less than a week. I’m glad we got to move past some of that old hurt, and I’m grateful for it. But there’s no question that you have to take this!”

“Jo,” he said again, this time more urgently. Her eyes widened, but the mask of fake happiness stayed plastered to her face. “Talk to me.”

“I actually have to get back to work.” She dusted her hands on the thighs of her jeans. “I just had to ask John a question about the article I’m working on, but I can ask him later. I promised him I’d have it in this afternoon, so I really do have to get back to work.”

Her movements were choppy, robotic, as if controlled by someone else. And as if he didn’t already feel like absolute shit, Theo realized that if he sold the company, there was no guarantee that Jo’s job would still exist once the new owner had taken over.

Closing his eyes for a second, he fisted his hands at his sides as he tried to get ahold of his options. When he opened them again, Jo was halfway through the door, her own hands balled into tight fists, too.

“Jojo.” He used her old nickname without thinking. She stiffened, her shoulders hunching up around her ears. “Tell me not to go.”

She didn’t turn around. Theo held his breath, and he knew that he wanted her to tell him to stay more than he wanted to sell his company.

“This is the best thing that’s ever happened to you.” She didn’t even bother to turn around, instead directing her words back over her shoulder. “And you know what, I’m really not feeling well. I promise I’ll get the article in on time, but I think I need to work from home for the afternoon.”

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