Page 53 of Sleigh Bells and Snowstorms
“Of course I like her. Isn’t that obvious?”
“No, I mean youreallylike her. You don’t want to leave because you’re going to miss her. You probably already do.”
“I like her, and I’ll miss her,” I mused aloud. “Which is why I’m strangely reluctant to leave town?”
“Tell me this. You said you had to leave abruptly. Did you say goodbye?”
“I didn’t want to wake her, so I left a note.”
“Then call her, dummy. You’re probably worried that you left her with hurt feelings. We’ll gloss over how surprising that is. I didn’t know you had feelings, let alone cared about them in others.”
“Am I such a monster?”
She laughed again. “No. But have you ever cared about a woman enough to call me for advice?”
“No. This is a first.”
“See? Just call her. And be honest. Tell her you’re sorry you had to leave. You’re going to miss her and will come see her again as soon as you can.”
“You’re brilliant,” I said. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” she said, her tone cheerful. “And Jensen?”
“Yes?”
“Thanks for calling.”
“Give my niece kisses.”
“I will.”
I ended the call and pondered what she’d said as I kept driving. I liked Natalie and I was going to miss her. That was why I felt like I had a hole in my chest. And Nora was right. Once I had the business in Paris under wraps, I could go back. There was no reason not to.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t likely this job would be an in-and-out situation. It was entirely possible I was about to embark on a game of cat and mouse that could span the globe. I’d been close to him before, and he’d always eluded me.
A call came through, and I had the fleeting hope that it was Natalie. But it wasn’t—it was Maple.
“Go ahead,” I answered.
“Just wanted to update you that we’re sending Deacon to Tilikum. Can you put him in touch with your asset there so he can pick up where you left off?”
What was that scorching heat burning through my veins? Grinding my teeth, I gripped the steering wheel, irrationally angry. I’d felt the same way when I’d listened to Natalie’s ex-boyfriend at the Snowflake Ball. I hadn’t understood it then, either. Why was I so filled with rage?
Wait. Was that jealousy?
“Jensen?” she asked.
“Sorry.” I loosened my grip on the steering wheel. “Yes, I can do that.”
“Good. I’ll let him know.”
I didn’t reply, and a second later, she ended the call.
Shock reverberated through me. Jealous? I’d never been jealous of another man in my life. I always had what they wanted, not the other way around.
But the thought of Deacon waltzing into Tilikum and laying his eyes on Natalie—my Natalie—had me seeing red.
Or was it green?
