Page 44 of The Hometown Dilemma
I grabbed both his wrists and pulled him around to face me, staring deep into his eyes. “This has nothing to do with us. The fact we’re together is the best thing that’s happened since I came back.”
“So why do you want to wreck it by moving away again?”
“All I want to do is go and have this conversation with Vanessa and the guy who’s starting a new consultancy. It might not even be something I’m happy to do.” Every single word of what I’d said was true. I might not like Colm, he might not like me. The job might be more entry level than Vanessa led me to believe, and I didn’t want to have to start over. “And I’d love it if you came with me.”
“That’s why you were asking about a trip.” Wade pursed his lips. “When were you thinking of going?”
I could sense him weakening. “Next week?”
He blinked several times. “That soon?”
“It’s a conversation,” I paused. “And I can show you all the places in New York that I love.”
Another silence descended as he contemplated the suggestion. “Well, if you put it like that…” He gave me a crooked smile. “Who am I to stand in the way?”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” I leaped on him, straddling his legs and lowering myself into his lap. “You won’t regret it, I promise.”
Wade’s hands found their way to my hips. “You’d better make sure I don’t.”
ChapterNineteen
Wade
“How long areyou going to be in New York?” Mom passed me over one of her white chocolate and raspberry muffins. “And who’s going to cover at the bar?”
I bit into the spongy mix and savored the way the chocolate melted on my tongue, despite how super sweet they were. She’d asked me to come over for a chat, and when I discovered Dad wasn’t there, I suspected it was something serious. The muffins were probably her way of buttering me up for whatever she wanted. And I fell for it, every single damn time.
“A couple of nights. We’ll fly up late afternoon, have a day of sightseeing, then Jaime has this meeting about a possible job opportunity.”
Mom cocked a brow. “A job in New York? That’s a bit sudden isn’t it, she’s only just come back.”
“It’s with her old boss, I think. Someone she knows is opening a new business.” I shrugged, unwilling to admit I hadn’t listened properly to all the details because we’d started fooling around and all thoughts of what she’d said had disappeared from my head. “But yeah,” I said, steering the conversation back to where Mom had originally started. “I’ll be gone for two nights. Don’t worry, Dad won’t have to work, I’ve got it sorted.” I crossed my fingers beneath the counter. As of yet, I hadn’t approached anyone to work those two nights. But I’m sure the team would be able to make it work.
Without meeting my gaze, Mom carried on beating the cookie batter mix. “That’s good. Because we went to see the doctor for your dad’s latest checkup, and it isn’t great news.”
My hand froze halfway to my mouth for the next bite of the muffin. “What’s wrong?”
“His blood pressure and cholesterol aren’t getting much lower and they’re concerned that any additional stress and worry might tip him over the edge.”
Since the introduction of sports at the bar, we were doing a lot better than any of us anticipated. So that was one plus point in the arsenal of things which could affect my dad’s health. But it still concerned me. How could I possibly be thinking of going away when things at home didn’t look great? I didn’t want to let my parents down, but I didn’t want to let Jaime down either.
“How did he take it?”
“You know what your father’s like. He’s gone out with his friends, probably to the bar. I’m worried about him drinking and eating badly.” Her tone admitted defeat.
“Then I’ll tell Jaime I can’t go with her.”
Mom reached over and grabbed my hand. “Don’t be silly, Wade. We’ll be fine for a few days. You go and enjoy yourself with your girlfriend.”
My mouth twitched at the word ‘girlfriend’. When I’d finally admitted to Austen what was going on between Jaime and me, he’d slapped me on the back and said we made a great couple. I knew he’d liked her too, although I couldn’t say I approved of his methods in trying to get her to like him.
While I appreciated Mom’s sentiments, why’d I feel like this could be the trip where I lost the woman I’d fallen totally head over heels for?
We arrived in New York late afternoon and headed straight for the hotel. I’d been to New York before, of course I had, but it was a totally different experience coming with a girlfriend rather than a bunch of guys. The last time I’d been there was for a bachelor party. I very much doubted Jaime and I would be visiting the same kinds of bars and clubs on this occasion. I’d left it to Jaime to organize the hotel, having sorted out the flights. She’d found a boutique one not far from Fifth Avenue with great views of the Empire State Building.
“What do you want to do tonight?” I flopped down on the king-sized bed, fixing her with a look.
She had her back to me, unpacking her small suitcase. I hadn’t even bothered. My bag had been tossed into a corner the minute we’d arrived.
