Page 29 of Not A Whisper

“And?” I press, knowing this meeting was important to him and the others. “What was said? Did she seem interested in the proposal?”

We stop beside his truck. He opens the passenger door for me, but I stand there, waiting. Jason’s mouth flattens. The whole reason we drove an hour away to come here is because this veterinarian was going to be here. I want answers. After a second, he sighs.

“Honestly, I’m not sure. I gave her the elevator pitch and she listened, but then she said she would consider hearing more toward the end of my residency.”

A residency that wouldn’t evenstartuntil this summer. I frown.

“Ok… Well, that sounds fair. She wants to make sure you finish school before entertaining a business relationship with you. The point of this visit was just to make contact and to build a relationship with her, right?”

Jason nods slowly while his face twists with frustration.

“Yeah, I just… I hate feeling like so much of our plan is up in the air. We’ve been working at making connections for years now.Yes, we have the necessary investors and the capital to start up our own ranch—ultimately though, we’ll need more than that for this to be successful. I can’t be the only on-call vet, and even if Icoulddo it on my own, having a renowned vet partner with us would really secure clients who want to use our facilities.”

Jason turns and leans against his truck, crossing his arms with a frown.

“I didn’t expect Dr. Hambre to want to sit down and hear out a whole business spiel right away. Still, it would be nice to hammer down a few key players right off the bat—you know?” He reaches up and runs his fingers through his disheveled curls. With a sharp huff, his hand drops away. “Garry is only getting richer, monopolizing everything he can, and we… we don’t even have a tangible business to run yet.”

He’s messing with the Nani family… Grant’s words whisper in the back of my head. My stomach twists as I realize why suddenly Jason’s feeling so helpless and frustrated. All he wants is to save his parents from any more torment from Garry. While his goal is noble, it’s also years out of reach.

Even though I can’t necessarily relate to wanting to destroy someone—I do understand wanting to save people. Hadn’t I gone above and beyond for Pianna?

My heart twists for him.

“Uncertainty is a bitch. But setting a solid foundation this far in advance will only show her, and everyone else, that you’re committed.” I step up and kiss his cheek. “When your ranch is up and running, you’ll have a group of people who will have an unshakable amount of faith in you.”

Jason sucks in a deep breath and lets it out slowly. As his lungs deflate, the tension in his body disappears too. He reaches out, grabbing me by the waist and pulling me close.

“You’re right. I’m making progress. As small as it may be, it’s still something.” He swoops down and kisses me deeply.

When he pulls away, I’m slightly breathless.

“See? I told you I needed you today.” He flashes me a grin that brings both dimples to the surface. “Other than your ability to help whenever I need it, you’re my walking, talking evidence that hard work pays off.”

I suck my teeth and roll my eyes. Of course he would twist this around. Turning, I duck my head and climb into the passenger seat. Jason shuts the door and comes around to the driver’s side. We’re both quiet as he pulls out of the parking lot and onto the main road.

As we drive, it takes a great deal of strength not to reach up and touch my lips. They still tingle from Jason’s kiss. The sensation is both pleasant and embarrassing.

I clear my throat, trying to redirect my thoughts. “So, how was your conversation with Grant last night? He ditched me for you, you know.”

Jason doesn’t answer right away. His silence is strange, given he’s always one to fill it. As I turn in my seat, I catch sight of a smile he’s trying to hide. Wait a minute. Jason is trying tohidea smile?

“No, no! Whatever it is you’re thinking, tell me. Don’t you dare try to cover up anything,” I demand.

Jason’s shoulders shake before his laughter spills out. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, dollie.”

“Yes you do!” I shove his shoulder playfully, still grinning when he shoots me a smoldering look.

“My conversation with Grant was…enlightening,” he admits after a moment. “He showed us pictures of your plan for our families. We’re going to move them as soon as possible. He and Trip are figuring out the logistics now actually.” He flashes me a wide grin, his eyes lightening up even as something deep and warm flickers in them. “Grant also showed us your plans for the rest of the ranch.”

I shift as anxiety blossoms in my chest. What does he think of them? “Oh yeah?”

“You’re missing something huge though.”

“Oh, well I told Grant to run it by a project manager. They’ll be able to?—”

“Naw, it has nothing to do with the design itself. That’s fucking perfect. Like you said, we’ll hire someone to just tweak certain things, but we’re all on the same page. We’re using it to bring our vision to life.” Jason cuts me off. “None of us realized we hadn’t told you thenamewe chose for our business.”

I take a moment to bask in his compliment at my skills, the affirmation feeling good.

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