Page 57 of The Hometown Dilemma
Wade:Okay. I’ll come over to the house around eight.
ChapterTwenty-Four
Jaime
While I waitedfor Wade to come over, I paced around the living room so much I may as well have worn a path in the carpet. Cami wasn’t home, so I couldn’t talk to her about my work dilemma. Not that she would have been much help, I’m sure.
Only one person could help me out now, much like she had when we’d been at college.
Grabbing my phone from the table, I sank down in the center of the sofa and called Daphne.
“Hi, how are you? I haven’t heard from you since book club.” Her tone was cautious. We didn’t speak every day, so a call in the evening on a weeknight would have come as a surprise. “What’s up?”
Not having had anyone else to speak to, the whole story came out in the form of word vomit. I spoke without taking a breath, telling her about Vanessa’s original call, the trip to New York, the job opportunity, and how Wade had reacted. She listened patiently, not having any other option.
“What do I do, Daphne?” I wailed. I needed someone to tell me what to do, which was the right decision to make.
“First of all, breathe.” She let out a small laugh. “Wow, that’s a lot to take in.”
Hearing how I’d explained everything, I guessed Wade must have felt much the same way. He hadn’t had the chance to digest any of the possible permutations, as it had all happened so fast.
“Start at the beginning. Who are Vanessa and Colm?”
Wishing I’d had the foresight to get some wine before I called Daphne, I got up and went into the kitchen, tucking the phone under my chin as I found a glass and poured a generous amount from the open bottle in the refrigerator.
“Vanessa’s my ex-boss. And Colm is a truly well-respected designer who’s branching out on his own. It looks like he’s taking designers from his competition to build his team.” The refrigerator door clanged shut.
“What are you doing? Sounds like you’re in the cellar or something.”
In spite of myself, I giggled. “Wine cellar perhaps. Forgot to get a drink.”
“It’s probably needed.” I could hear Daphne whispering something to someone at her end, probably Jameson. “So back to your issue. To go back to New York or to stay in Abbott Ridge if I’m reading between the lines correctly.”
I passed the dining room on the way back to the living room. It lay untouched as it had since Mom and Jerry had been home. There hadn’t been a great deal of design work done recently, Dempsey’s and a certain Wade Dempsey taking up all my time. I’d lost my focus since I’d come home but found something else instead. Something unexpected with Wade. And I wasn’t sure I wanted to give that up. Could I possibly have both?
“That’s what it boils down to, yes.” A huge sigh escaped me. When I’d decided to leave New York, I didn’t have any of the niggling thoughts which plagued me now. It had been a much simpler decision.
1. Come home.
2. Start my own business.
3. Apply forInterior Nirvana.
Once the third part of my three-point checklist had fallen by the wayside, everything else had stalled too.
Although I hadn’t factored in the fourth point.
4. Fall in love with Wade Dempsey.
Even though it had been a little over twenty-four hours since I’d last seen him, I missed him. We hadn’t been apart for that long in the whole time we’d been together. He was there for everything; good and bad.
Of course, right now, he was experiencing the worst. I couldn’t imagine how he must be feeling having potentially lost his business and livelihood.
Which somehow made my decision pale into insignificance.
He needed me here to pick up the pieces and help him build the bar back to where it was heading after the success of the football nights.
But the bright lights of New York and a job as a real interior designer with a prestigious brand…
