Page 43 of The Hometown Dilemma
“Sounds good, Jaime. I look forward to hearing what you decide.” Then the line went dead, any further chat curtailed.
Sinking down on the bed, I contemplated the conversation we’d had. Could I abandon Abbott Ridge again?
* * *
Wadeand I had a rare night off together and decided to spend the evening at his apartment. Given I wanted to have a serious conversation with him after I’d spoken to Vanessa that morning, I was secretly pleased we weren’t anywhere public. If he wanted to argue or get upset about the opportunity, all I had to do was go home and no one would be any the wiser.
“Pizza or noodles?” Wade held up the menus, neither of us needing them as they hadn’t changed that much in all the years the restaurants had been open.
“Mmm, pizza I think.” I wandered into the open plan living room, the sheet from Wade’s bed wrapped around me. “I need to make up for all the calories I just burned.” Moving behind him, I kissed his shoulder, tracing a nail down his spine and watching him tense.
“You read my mind.” Turning to face me, he cupped his hands around my cheeks and drew me towards him, kissing me as though we hadn’t spent the last hour in his bed. “Pepperoni okay?”
“Of course. I’ll get a shower while you order, and it should be here by the time I get out.”
“That’s if I don’t come and join you.” He winked, sucking in his bottom lip, giving me no doubt about what was going through his mind.
“You’re insatiable.” I slapped his tight ass encased in tiny boxer shorts and let out a wistful sigh as I headed back to the bathroom alone.
While I showered, I tossed around ideas of how to talk to him about Vanessa’s offer. I wanted to include him in the decision, so why didn’t I ask him to come with me? We could make a trip out of it. A few days away in a nice hotel, I could show him all the places I loved, with a business dinner thrown in for good measure. Given I’d promised Vanessa I’d talk to her again tomorrow, I couldn’t leave it for too long.
Half an hour later, the pizza arrived. I answered the door to the guy from Antonio’s, shoved some money at him, and shut the door. I had to start this conversation sooner rather than later and the pizza gave me a way in.
Going over to the sofa, I placed the huge pizza box on the low table in front of it and opened it, selecting the biggest slice. “God, I love Antonio’s, but it’s not as good as Joe’s Pizza.”
Wade’s brows knitted together. “Where’s that?”
“New York. We should go sometime.”
“I guess…” He leaned over and grabbed a slice of his own, taking a quick swig from his beer.
“How about a trip? Do you think you could leave the bar for a few days?” I knew it sounded pushy and hated myself for it.
“Yeah, maybe. But not while the football nights are going so well. I couldn’t leave those for Terri to run on her own.”
Chewing on my pizza slice, I made sympathetic noises. Terri had shown herself to be more than capable when it came to handling Dempsey’s, even on the busier nights. I would have no hesitation with leaving her in charge. Although it wasn’t my decision to make.
“Maybe we can go when there’s no football on. We could go for a couple of nights.”
Wade put his slice down and turned to me. “Are you trying to tell me something, Jaime? Because vague references to a New York pizza place and talk of a trip seems to have come out of the blue.”
Sometimes I wished he wasn’t so perceptive. But then again, I hadn’t exactly been subtle in my introduction of New York into the conversation.
Shoving the last of my pizza into my mouth, I took my time before answering. “I got a call from my former boss this morning.”
“Ah, right,” he nodded. “Nostalgia for the big city, I get it.”
I reached over and placed my hand in his. “Not quite.”
His eyes narrowed. “Then what?”
“Vanessa said there could be a job there for me.”
The heavy silence hung between us, neither of us speaking to break it. Wade tried to pull his hand away, but I gripped it tight.
“Nothing’s been agreed on. But I think it’s only right to go and check it out,” I said at last. “Because things haven’t exactly worked out the way I’d expected here.”
A muscle in his jaw tensed, his hand unresponsive in mine. “Right.”
