Page 54 of Playing A Risk
My chest hardens, and I swallow the sudden lump of dread. “I’ll figure it out, Jonah. I won’t let this launch fail. Believe me, I want it to be successful. It means too much to the future of our business. And that will always come first.”
He pushes off the counter and continues fixing us our drinks. “Finally, the Hunter I know has shown up. It’s about fucking time.”
“I’m still the same guy. If you think about it, you haven’t seen any of this affect my job. And before you make somesmartass comment, my personal problems will never interfere with the business.”
“So you say.” He gives me a sidelong glance. “But you’ve never had to deal with working with the woman you love, knowing you can’t have her.”
“Our business and its success is always number one in my mind.”
He hands me a full mug of a much-needed caffeine boost, and I take it from him. We return to the table and take our seats.
“I hope you mean that, Hunter. If anything goes wrong, you’ll have to deal with Dad. You may have him on your side right now, but if he sees you slipping, he’ll be on your ass and won’t let up until he’s sure you’re in line.”
A picture of my dad raking me through the coals forms in my mind. I shudder. “I know that, Jonah. I won’t let it get that far.”
Jonah leans back in his chair, holding the handle of his cup and allowing the hot liquid to cool before he drinks it. “In that case, what are you thinking for tomorrow? Just how do you get Dori to go along with your crazy plans?”
I blow on my coffee and take a sip. “I just plan on being honest and hope it goes well.”
“You might want to see if she’s still at your place before we spend the next little while discussing our Christmas activities.”
I pull my phone out of my pocket. “Yeah, you’re right. Let me text her and see what she’s thinking.”
Me: Hey, Beauty. Just checking in with you. I’m with Jonah now. I’ll be back in a couple hours. Is there any chance you’re still there and we can talk when I return?
I press send, my heart hanging on for dear life as I wait to see what my future holds.
CHAPTER 14
DORI
“Hunter!I can’t believe you did this for us.” I clap my hands. “What better way to spend the Monday night before Christmas?”
Melanie and I spring off the couch and to our feet.
“Hey.” Jonah continues to guide Hunter through the front door. “I get some of the credit. I had to help him carry this tree.”
“Sorry, Jonah. Thank you for getting Melanie and me a Christmas tree.” I squeal. “I haven’t decorated a big tree like this in years.”
Melanie's eyes beam as bright as the North Star. “Me either. You Efron brothers are the best!”
They enter Hunter’s apartment carrying an extremely tall pine tree.
Hunter scans his main floor. “Where do you want to set it up?”
“Oh, it’ll be perfect in the corner by my window. If we move the sofa and coffee table back, I’ll be able to sit in the dark at night with only the Christmas lights on.” I run over to the area and start moving the furniture.
Melanie joins me while Hunter and Jonah get the tree inthe stand. Katy bought us boxes of lights and decorations to use.
I’m surprised at how excited I am because Jami still presses on the back of my mind. I’m also still dealing with Hunter’s revelations about their truce.
My therapist continues to push me to see the correlation between my miscarriages and the pain I have about Jami’s son, but I’m not making the connection.
Having a child is fine with me, but I’m devastated he’s lied to me for months about it. And on top of that, he hid what he knew about Hunter just so I wouldn’t find out about Lauren and his son.
The level of betrayal continues to grow. I thought I’d need a couple of days to process and be less upset, but with Hunter coming clean, I’m more hurt.
I never thought Jami would do this to me. I can’t wrap my head around it. And since I’m still swimming in a thick blanket of confusion, I agreed to stay here until I have more clarity.
