Page 152 of The Rules Of Attraction
“Summer.” At the sound of my voice she turned her head and stood.
She was dressed up, wearing a black jacket, a pair of jeans that hugged her slender legs. Her hair pulled back into a ponytail.
“Hey,” she gave me one of her little smiles.
I walked right up to her and took hold of her hand.
“No.” I wanted to get straight to the point before she could tell me she was leaving. “Stay don’t leave.”
“I have to.” She breathed and just like earlier today a tear ran down her cheek.
“No, Summer, what happens at work has nothing to do with us. You and me, exist beyond work.” The quiver in my voice was something I’d never heard before.
“It actually doesn’t. You chose your career and I’m choosing mine.”
“You’re making it sound like I’m choosing my career over you.” I wasn’t doing that.
“Alex, I know you know that going ahead to represent Devon is wrong. You don’t know what can happen, and if you get caught up in it you won’t have control over what happens either. I’m certain that your father would prefer to find out all the things you found out today and stop a problem in its tracks rather than think everything is fine and it’s not.” She nodded and pressed her lips together.
“I’m still thinking about what to do.” I confessed because right now I wasn’t sure.
Losing the chance to be senior partner would cut me deep, but losing her would break my heart.
“Well I hope you choose the right thing.”
“Please don’t go.”
“There’s a job I think I’m going to accept. Morgan and Ackerman are interested in me taking on a senior associate role in Dubai. It’s with a view to being senior partner in a year. I’m going to stay with Eilesh until I go.”
That was an excellent opportunity.
“You found that out today?”
She shook her head. “Nearly two weeks now. I was going to turn it down.”
I stared into those eyes of hers, wondering why she would turn down something like that but the answer came to me.
“Why?” Like most things I wanted to hear her say it.
“You. I wanted to stay with you.”
“Why?” That too, I knew the answer but wanted to drag it out of her.
Again she shook her head. “Doesn’t matter now.”
“I love you.” This was on me. It was for me to say. The only woman I’d ever said that to was my mother. No one else.
“I love you too, but it’s not enough.” More tears ran down her cheek.
“How can that not be enough? It should be everything.”
“It’s not, because it doesn’t solve anything. If you choose to do something you know isn’t right you aren’t the man I thought you were. I won’t do that again either and be in a relationship that is destined for doom.”
“Summer, I said I’m still thinking about it.”
“So think. But, I can’t be here.” She stood on her toes and planted a soft kiss on my lips.
A kiss from an angel.
