Page 117 of Chosen Road

Gus

Some days are longer than others. I was convinced of this. Today was one of those days. I smiled to myself. At least it was for a good reason this time.

We had the lease on the condo for two more days and plans to make the best use of those two days, with Alex staying with Ruby and Vander for a couple of nights before they flew out on the weekend, leaving Jace with us.

Our dinner order would be ready for pick-up at six o’clock, and Amber planned to meet me there after swinging home to check on Yiayia.

Over the past few weeks, Amber revealed so much more of herself than she ever had, and I saw her in a whole new light, as if through a different lens. The urge to meet Amber’s needs drove me, as it always had, but this new lens acted like a GPS, leading me in the right direction as I learned her anew.

Voicing her desires was not her strength, nor was prioritizing herself. Knowing this gave me insight into one of the sources of her irritability, and her resentment. Thinking about it further, I realized she did voice her wants, but she wouldn’t insist. I got one chance to hear her.

One.

I wondered how many times I’d missed it.

Based on the year apart, I guessed more than a few.

I spun around in my chair to collect the files I needed for my next and last appointment for the day. My office was mobile, but still gave off an air of elegance, however temporary and easily dismantled. A wide-open lobby area was flanked by two, small, glassed-in conference rooms where we conducted client meetings.

Both my assistant, Caden, and I, had desks in the central lobby, and we each had an office at our disposal. I saw him through the glass walls of his, walking a young couple through their décor choices. I chose him based wholly and entirely on his gender, not wanting to give Amber an ounce of anxiety over who I spent my days with, and I did not regret it for a moment.

Easy-going, efficient, and personable, he was going places. He came from money, and had plans to do something with it, which involved learning everything he could about real estate before opening his own office.

He studied during his breaks and told me how many hours he put in at night and on the weekends studying to take the licensing exam. I could easily see myself working for him one day and told him so.

I organized my files and paperwork on the table in the conference room and set the coffee to percolate. The bell over the door jingled and I noted the time. They were half an hour early. Ah, well. It was not unheard of; buying a house was exciting.

I headed for the door and ran straight into Jacqueline. I instinctively grasped her arms to stop her from toppling before I even registered who it was. She brought her hands up to grasp my elbows, her wide blue eyes staring up at me, and I lifted my hands in the air as I forcibly stepped back.

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

Her eyes skittered back and forth between mine. She whispered, “I brought the supplies you asked for.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Did Nick send you?” Surely, he knew better than that? I’d all but told him something inappropriate had happened between us and I needed separation. I wanted his fucking head on a goddamn platter.

“No. He gave them to Shelby, but you’re on my route home so I told her I would take them.”

“You shouldn’t have,” I spat. “I don’t want you anywhere near me.”

“Gus, don’t hate me,” she cajoled. “We were two adults, two consenting adults-”

“Stop.” I held up my hand. “To me, you’re a-”

The sound of the bell jingling over the door reached me. I closed my eyes and took a breath.

“Leave.”

She stepped towards me, her hand reaching, eyes beseeching.

I stepped back and rounded the table, not wanting to give her an opportunity to touch me again. I desperately wanted to wash my hands as it was, not knowing where else I’d touched her in the past. The sight of her sickened my stomach.

She spoke softly but rapidly, her words running into one another. “We could be good together. We would be perfect.”

“I have perfect. I married perfect. Get this through your head: I don’t want you.”

Caden chose that moment to rap sharply on the door without looking inside. “Boss, sorry to interrupt, but can I have a moment of your time before your clients arrive?”

Relief and escape beckoned. “Caden, come in,” I barked.

---