Page 50 of The Hometown Dilemma
“Are we even going to talk about this?”
Eventually, she raised her head, her clear green eyes not giving anything away. “What do you mean?”
“Well, let’s say you got the job, what are we going to do?”
“About what?”
I dug my nails into my palm. Did she not realize what this was doing to me, to us?
“Our relationship.”
Jaime put her phone down and picked up her glass. Savoring a mouthful of the cocktail, she tilted her head to one side. “Given you’ve accused me of being a fake, I wonder if you’re into me anyway. For the long term, I mean, which I know isn’t your style.”
My shoulders dropped, recalling my earlier comments about how she’d acted that night. “All I’m saying is you seem more real when you’re around me at the bar. Seeing you with Vanessa and Colm tonight made me think you’re a different person. Like maybe this was how you were with Austen.”
She sniffed. “I wasn’t anything around Austen. And he lied to me. I would never do that to you.”
“If Vanessa called you tonight and offered you the position, what would you say?”
At least she didn’t answer immediately, which gave me a small crumb of hope.
“It’s a fabulous opportunity, although it isn’t working for myself which was why I left the other job. I wanted to start my own business and be successful for me, not for someone else.” She chewed the inside of her cheek before continuing. “But it would give me additional exposure to a new client base. And the money would be handy.”
For what?I wanted to ask. The flights between New York and Raleigh? The fancy dates she’d be going on when she moved back into her old apartment?
“You’ve already made your decision then.” More of a statement than a question based on her reasoning so far.
“Do I need to get your permission?” she hissed. “It’s my decision to make, not yours.”
I knew that. But I wanted her to at least consider me in her decision-making which, it seemed, she wasn’t.
Arguing with her wasn’t how I wanted to finish this evening, although make-up sex was always pretty spectacular in my experience. But I didn’t know how to fix the situation, given she’d put up so many barriers in the short space of time we’d been back at the hotel.
Jaime’s phone lit up with a new call, her eyes darting to the screen, mouth forming a little ‘o’ shape as she clocked the caller. Without even looking for myself, I knew it had to be Vanessa. She slid off the high stool and answered the phone, walking away from me, perhaps both physically and metaphorically. I watched her ass in the tight dress. Despite everything, I still wanted her, still wanted to watch her unravel underneath me.
As she disappeared out of view, all I could do was sit and wait.
Patience had never been my strong suit and when she hadn’t returned some ten minutes later, I thought she might have actually left. But given she’d left her purse, which contained one of our room keys, it was unlikely. Drumming my fingers on the table, I tried to sit it out and wait. Every possible scenario ran through my mind, most of them having unfavorable outcomes but I couldn’t stop the pessimistic streak. Everything pointed to Jaime leaving and I wasn’t at all comfortable with it.
When she finally walked back into the bar, her eyes glistened as if she’d been crying. Did she have the answer?
Jaime didn’t sit down, instead hovering by the table. She reached for her purse and slid the phone inside. “That was Vanessa. She wants to meet me for a drink, alone. You don’t mind, do you?”
It had been the first time she’d actually asked, so who was I to deny her?
“Sure.” I leaned back, pretending not to care when in reality I knew this could signal the end.
“You’ve got a key for the room, haven’t you?”
I patted my pocket. “Yep. Unless I decide to go out and find another bar.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly at the suggestion. If she was going off without me, I could do the same, surely.
“Right.” Her tone was clipped. “I guess I’ll see you later then.”
“Don’t wait up. I’m sure there are plenty of bars to entertain me,” I threw out, wanting to hurt her with the insinuation I might stay out and party.
She moved forward, as if wanting to kiss me, but appeared to change her mind, and then she was gone.
