Page 49 of We're Just Friends
I couldn't play the game anymore, I wasn't built for it.
I decided to just be upfront and honest. “Look, Jake, I know that you have to go back to San Diego soon. I overheard part of your conference call.”
All of the color from his face drained, and I immediately regretted telling him. Maybe he would have come up with an excuse to not go and then told me, or perhaps he’d wait until the day he had to leave and then say something.
“Oh,” he said and sat back.
The air between us became tense and uncomfortable, but I didn’t want him to think of me as being needy or demanding. So, I put my shoulders back and pushed the emotion down. “No, it’s okay. I knew this day was coming. I mean… you have been in River Valley for a few months now, and I know you’d been working some from Richard’s place. So, tell me about this new project.”
He struggled to speak for a few minutes, and I just sat there, swirling the straw around in my soda while ignoring the tense knots forming in my stomach. I wanted to come off as coolheaded as possible, and not go crazy on him like I did when Cam left.
Of course, that was an entirely different situation.
“You see,” he said, “there’s an opportunity for my company to expand that would be huge for us. I’m talking millions of dollars, but I’m needed there to oversee everything. So, that’s what the conference call was about.”
Millions of dollars, I thought to myself. Anyone would be foolish to walk away from that kind of money.
“Wow, that’s a great opportunity.” I didn’t know what else to say, so we just sat there for several minutes.
His phone went off a few times while we continued sitting there, but he never made an attempt to even look at it. I wanted to know what he was thinking, but the fact that he was so quiet told me that he had to go back.
“Well, yeah, I mean, I’ve invested so much, and this is exactly what we’ve been waiting for.”
I’ve invested so much in you. What we have is what I’ve been waiting for.
I wanted to say it out loud. To show him, there was more to life than just businesses and money. I wanted to shake him, screaming it.
But I couldn't. I had to let Jake go.
20
Jake
Icould tell that Julianna was trying to put on a brave face, but deep down she was really upset by this news. “It’s not just an expansion, though. This would be a global expansion.”
“Wow, that’s huge. I didn’t know you were looking to spread your wings that far.”
I hated seeing her so visibly upset. I could see how she rubbed her arm, trying to console herself. But I also appreciated the fact that she was trying to support my business and me. A part of me was worried that she’d throw an adult temper tantrum, blaming me for leading her along all the while knowing that I’d have to leave. However, that wasn’t the case at all.
“I just want you to know,” I said as the waitress put our food down, “that your support right now means so much to me. Believe me, I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed these past few months together. I was so worried that you’d be upset.”
Julianna just poked at her french fries, casually taking a bite while smiling and nodding. I had hurt her, and that killed me inside. I kept thinking about my dad as we ate in silence, about how he always told me to focus on money first and love second.
“I can’t be upset with you,” she said.
I believed her, but I was upset with myself.
“Please tell me that you still want to see me,” I said.
Julianna looked up, and I noticed how she was fighting back the tears. She nodded and smiled, and I reached across the table to caress her hand. “Good, because you and Caley mean everything to me now. And I mean everything.”
As we ate our food in silence, I thought about all of the work that needed to be done back in San Diego. Contracts, building permits, long conference calls, and more airplane travel. A year ago, that would have been the most exciting thing ever. Yet, as I sat there across from Julianna, it became painstakingly clear that it might be the most painful instead.
“I can’t even begin to tell you how much you mean to us,” she said.
I saw her look away and dab at her eyes, but when she looked up, they were dry. Julianna was one of the strongest women I had ever known. I wanted to reach across the table and kiss her tears away, but I couldn’t. I was too invested in my company.
“Well good, because Caley and I had so much fun making pancakes this morning.” My attempt at a joke made her smile a little bit, but not much.
