Chapter 25
3 Years Ago
“Nolan, can I see you in my office?” George, his boss, had said from the doorway of his office.
Nolan didn’t hesitate. He stopped what he was doing and followed George inside. He expected George to take his seat behind his desk, but he stopped and closed the door. Closed door meetings only meant important business, and a pit settled in Nolan’s stomach.
One of their large accounts hadn’t liked a few of their new product lines as much as Nolan had anticipated. Nolan immediately worked with the client to tweak the existing products into something they wanted to carry in their stores, but it set him back on other projects.
He didn’t think it was grounds to be fired, but he didn’t know for sure. He’d been putting in so much time to make it right and to bank some overtime that he didn’t stop to think about how George would have viewed the snafu.
Nolan had other things on his mind as well. After months of hard work, he finally saved enough money to buy what he was saving for, and today on his lunchbreak he was going to make the purchase. Getting fired would put a total kink in his plan… Though, he’d been with the company since he was nineteen, starting out as an intern and working his way up the ladder.
George took his seat and rested his folded hands on the big mahogany desk. “I wanted to go over the Sweeney’s account with you.”
The pit in his stomach turned into a hard rock. “I know it put me behind on my other projects.”
“Who cares about the other projects? Give them to someone else. You saved our asses with one of our biggest clients. Don’t think I didn’t notice the effort you put in to turn it around and make them happy. It showed real leadership, as well as devotion to your job. Which is why, I’d like to offer you the position in Seattle.”
“Seattle?” Nolan exclaimed. He knew they were opening a new office and they needed new blood to help with the transition, but he never expected to be up for consideration. It would bring him up another wrung on the career ladder.
But his life was here in New York. His friends and family were here. Isla was here.
They’d been together almost every day since they started dating at fourteen and even before that, not much time had passed without them seeing one another. He couldn’t leave without her, but her life was planted more firmly here than his own.
She worked at her parent’s floral shop, and one day, she would take it over. Her grandmother was here too. Isla never wanted to leave Morgan’s Bay, and he assumed they would stay in the small town together until their death.
Seattle . Born and raised an east coast boy, he knew nothing about the west coast. And didn’t it rain a lot in Seattle? He wasn’t exactly sure. But this was an opportunity of a lifetime. A chance to prove his worth and excel in his career.
“I didn’t expect you to look so shellshocked,” George said. “I’ll sweeten the pot for you. I have high expectations for you. You remind me a lot of myself when I was your age. You’re a go getter with a good head on your shoulders to boot. You come to Seattle, and you’ll be on your way to becoming head of the department. From there, who knows.”
Nolan’s mouth opened and closed as he tried to find words. This was everything he’d dreamed about, but Seattle was never the plan. He wanted it all in New York. Uprooting his life had never been a thought in his mind.
“I appreciate the offer. You have no idea. It’s everything I’ve been working for.”
“So… you’ll take it?”
“Can I think about it and get back to you on Monday?”
“Think about it? You just said it was everything you’ve been working for.”
“Well yes, but it’s not just me I have to think about.”
“You’re not married. You don’t have kids.”
“No, but I do want that someday and my girlfriend does, too. I need to talk to her.”
George sighed. “All right. I’ll give you till Monday. I hope you make the right choice.”
Nolan gave George a nod and headed to his desk. He sat down and faced his computer, but he couldn’t work. His mind was going a mile a minute. Isla would support him, she always did. If they had to do long distance for a little bit, he’d make it work.
They loved each other, trusted each other, and distance would only make them stronger. And once he gave her his surprise, he had no doubt in his mind that everything would work out.
***
On his lunchbreak, Nolan headed to the jeweler his colleague had recommended. He stepped inside and went right to the rings, looking at all the sparkling diamonds and trying to decide which one would look best on Isla’s finger. He wanted only the best for her, especially after all the months of him coming home late, cancelling plans, and being preoccupied with his workload. He knew once he put the ring on her finger she would understand.
He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, but he also didn’t want to start their lives in debt from a ring. A wedding was going to cost enough, and he didn’t want to hold any expense back. Whatever his girl wanted, he wanted her to have.
“How can I help you?” an older gentleman in a black suit and red tie asked as he approached.
“I’m looking for an engagement ring.”
“Then you have come to the right place.” He took a set of keys out of his pocket and unlocked the display with all the rings Nolan had been eyeing. “What did you have in mind?”
Nolan had done a lot of research and had a few ideas. “I’m thinking princess cut.” As kids Isla always wanted to be a princess, and he wanted her to know that she was his princess. “Platinum band.”
“A man who knows what he wants.” The jeweler bent down into the case and pulled a few rings, placing them on the glass display case in front of Nolan.
Nolan didn’t have to look at any other rings when the man placed down a third ring. It was as if the heavens above were pointing their fingers and telling him it was the one.
He picked it up, ignoring the others and admired the way the diamond sparkled like Isla’s eyes. “What’s the carat size on this?”
“It’s a full carat.”
“This is it,” Nolan said.
“Are you sure. You don’t want to look at any others?” The jeweler reached into the display case and Nolan shook his head.
“Nope, this is the one. I can feel it.” He envisioned putting it on Isla’s finger as she squealed out an excited yes.
“My mother always said trust your instincts. This is the one, then?”
“It’s the one.”
The jeweler took the ring and pure joy radiated through Nolan. All of his hard work had paid off, and he would soon be engaged to the love of his life. Knowing he had a ring, made the decision about Seattle a little easier. No matter what they decided, they’d be together.
Twenty minutes later, he walked out of the store with the ring in his pocket and a permanent smile on his face.
He was a few blocks from the office when his phone rang. He reached into his other pocket and pulled it out. He didn’t recognize the number, but it could be a client. He answered.
“Hi, is this Nolan Parker?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Hi Nolan, this is Holly from Flowers ‘R’ Us and I’m calling to let you know that you have won a free bouquet of roses. I just need to know who you want me to send them to, and I’ll go ahead and get them right out for you.”
“Wow, this is unexpected. Thank you, but no thank you.” Nolan stepped out of the path of foot traffic on the sidewalk and pressed up against a building.
“No thank you? They’re free. Won’t cost you a dime. Just have to tell me who to send them to.”
“My girlfriend’s parents own a floral shop, and they have the best flowers in the county… maybe even the state. You can go ahead and give those flowers to someone else who will appreciate them.”
“Why don’t you send them to your girlfriend. What’s her name?”
“Isla, and she only gets flowers from her parents’ shop.”
“Okay well… this is awkward,” Holly said.
“I’m sorry?”
“My name actually isn’t Holly it’s Anna from Anna and PJ in the Morning. You’re on a segment we do called Roses of the Heart. We have your girlfriend on the line.”
Confusion swirled in his mind. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”
“It’s a segment where we try to catch cheaters.”
“ Cheaters?” His voice croaked. “What? Isla, you think I’m cheating on you?”
Anger, disappointment, frustration, annoyance… so many emotions crashed into him and he used the building to keep from falling.
“It’s just that you’ve been so distant lately, and I didn’t know what else to do.”
“Didn’t know what else to do? Are you freaking kidding me right now? You could have talked to me. You could have asked me. Instead of making our relationship some watercooler gossip.”
“Nolan, I’m sorry.”
His teeth gritted together. The ring weighed heavy in his pocket, and the pure joy he experienced only minutes ago was gone, lost to the pain in his heart. “We’ve been together since we were fourteen years old. I have loved you every damn day. How could you do this?”
“I know, and I really am sorry.” Her voice was filled with sorrow, but he didn’t care. He couldn’t see past the anger. It pooled in his soul and tainted his entire being.
“All this time and you don’t trust me when I would trust you with my life.” Everything he did was for her. She was the center of his world and he’d cross hell and back to get to her, and she didn’t even trust him. After all this time…
“Nolan, I do trust you.”
“No, you don’t.” His voice rose. “If you did, you never would have publicly humiliated me like this. You would have come to me and talked to me like an adult.”
“I said I was sorry.”
“Sorry isn’t enough this time, Isla.” How could he forgive her? She just accused him of cheating on the radio. God only knew how many people had tuned in, hoping she’d catch him, so they could get their fix of drama.
“What are you saying?” She choked on a sob.
He felt the ring in his pocket, rubbed his thumb across the black velvet box. It was only an hour ago when he imagined the rest of his life, but now… Now he knew he could never have that life. Trust was the foundation for every relationship and Isla just cracked theirs in half. What if he decided to go to Seattle? They’d never be able to make long distance work. And if they couldn’t make long distance work then maybe…
“I can’t be with someone who doesn’t trust me.”
“No, Nolan. Please. Just talk to me.”
There was nothing else to be said. “I have to get back to work.”
“Will you please talk to me.”
The heartache in her voice broke him. “I’ll call you later.” He hung up the phone, and his legs gave out. His back slid down the side of the building, and he collapsed into a broken pile of man.
All these years. All this time together, and for what? In the matter of seconds, his entire plan for his future was destroyed. He all but lost the girl, but he wouldn’t lose the job, too.
He picked up the phone and called George.