Page 69 of Love Me Sweet

“You’re leaving?”

Sylvie stood in the doorway, wearing nothing but the white shirt he’d had on last night. It hung halfway to her bare thighs. Her expression gave nothing away.

“My dad called.” He gestured to the coffee maker, gripped with a sudden feeling of unease. “I made a pot. Ethiopian blend. Your favorite.”

Without even sparing the countertop where the coffee pot rested a single glance, she crossed the room, stopping a couple of feet from him. “What did your father want?”

“He wants me to come home.” Andrew might have been speaking with a statue. She didn’t even blink.

“I thought you had until October 1 to give him your decision.”

He frowned, puzzled. “What decision?”

“About whether you’d be returning to Boston or not.”

“My returning to Boston has never been in question.”

She flinched as if she’d been slapped. “I see.”

“What do you see?” The question spurted out with more edge than he’d intended.

“I see,” she spoke slowly and deliberately, “that you came back here to get me out of your system. You’ve accomplished your mission. Now, you’re leaving.”

The light that had shone so brightly in her eyes last night had vanished.

“You don’t understand.” He stepped forward, grasped her hands. Relief surged when she didn’t pull away. “I want you to come with me.”

The flicker in her eyes was all the encouragement Andrew needed. The words tumbled out. “If you don’t like my condo in the Millennium Towers, we can do some house-hunting while we’re there. You can even scout locations for your bakery. It will be good, Sylvie. You and I can build a life together there.”

She tugged her hands free, took a step back. “I have a life here, in Jackson Hole.”

His heart plummeted but somehow, when he spoke his voice was calm. “Of course, you do. And we can come back every winter and see your friends. They can come and see us in Boston as often as you want.”

“You’re planning on working for your father.”

“I won’t be working for him in the traditional sense of the word.” His tone had stiffened, despite his best efforts to control it. “He’ll be the CEO of O’Shea Sports, I’ll be COO. We’ll each have duties and responsibilities.”

“You’ll be working all the time.”

Though Andrew wanted to reassure her, he wouldn’t lie. “Initially, possibly.”

“Probably,” he qualified at her probing look. “But once I get up to speed, it won’t be as much.”

“Will you be able to practice medicine?”

“No.” He’d done his best not to think of what he’d be giving up and he found himself resenting her for bringing it up. “There won’t be time.”

Sadness swept across her face. “There won’t be time for me either.”

“It’ll be hectic at first, but—”

She raised a hand. “The position will consume your life, like it does for your father, like it did for your brother.”

The mention of Thomas had him going cold. “What are you saying, Sylvie? Spit it out.”

“I’m not going with you.”

“You can come later. I realize you have obligations here. I was hoping you could fly back with me today but I understand—”

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