Chapter 28
twenty-eight
. . .
Lila
I’d been here for a week, and I’d worked more hours than any human should ever have to work in a twenty-four hour day. And I didn’t see that lightening up any time soon.
The five people that they’d hired to be on my team were all new college grads, as well, and the atmosphere reminded me of race days.
Like everyone was willing to do whatever it took for the win.
The way I’d left things with Hugh had haunted me, and then we’d both just sort of gone quiet after I left because we didn’t really know what to do.
At least I didn’t.
And to say I was miserable would be a massive understatement.
My body physically ached. I couldn’t sleep. Couldn’t eat.
So, I focused on work.
The corporate housing they’d given me was swanky and really nice, but it just felt cold and lonely to me.
The furniture was velvet and way too fancy to curl up on.
I slept in one of Hugh’s T-shirts that I’d snagged when I’d packed up that last night before I left, and it was the only thing that comforted me now.
I’d never felt so alone in my life.
Sure, I had friends from college here, but everyone who lived in the city was working long hours, or they’d moved to the suburbs, which wasn’t an easy trek, especially when you were working fourteen-hour days.
Luckily, my apartment was close enough that I didn’t need to even use public transportation because it was a short walk to and from work.
I’d left my car in Cottonwood Cove, dropping it off with Brax again, hoping he could sell it for me. I’d asked him to give the money to Hugh so I could pay him back for helping my father.
Thoughts of Hugh had my heart aching so severely that a permanent lump had lodged in my throat.
And one thing that I’d learned from being home this past summer and spending all that time with Hugh, crossing things off my list that were important to me, is that life is what you make it.
And you could spend your entire time on this earth working, if that was what was important to you.
And for a long time, that had been important to me.
But I’d realized that I actually liked living an awful lot.
I’d spent the last few months loving and laughing and living every single day.
And staring at a computer screen with rows of numbers was not living to me anymore.
I’d changed.
Hugh had brought a part of me to life without even knowing it.
Being at the restaurant and working on his books was completely different than being here and feeling more like a robot than a human.
I didn’t know if Hugh felt the same way about me, but I thought he did.
But regardless of what he wanted or if there was a future for us, my life was not here.
I knocked on Mr. Schneider’s office door, and he called out for me to come in.
“Lila, this is a pleasant surprise. You can’t already have those reports done for me, can you? Although I guess being a collegiate national champion, anything is possible for you, huh?” He motioned for me to take a seat.
“I don’t have those done yet, but Julia is making real progress. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
His gaze narrowed, and he nodded. “Go ahead.”
“I’m so grateful for the opportunity that you’ve given me. From the internship to the position that you offered me here to head up this new department. But I’m not the right person for the job,” I said, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders as the words left my mouth.
“Oh, that’s just exhaustion talking. We all go through it when we first start out and put in those grueling hours. You were made for this, Lila. I don’t have any doubts that you can do it.”
I smiled because he did mean well. “I know that I can do it. The problem is that I don’t want to.
You see, I found out that there is a lot more to life than I’d ever realized.
And now that I’ve had a taste, it just doesn’t matter how much money I can make, or what I can accomplish professionally, because it doesn’t make me happy.
And I’ve waited a really long time to be happy.
So, I hope you won’t be upset with me because I truly am grateful for the confidence that you have in me.
But those are shoes that I just don’t want to fill anymore. ”
He stared at me for a long while before he spoke, and I held his gaze, making it clear that I was not going to waver.
“I want to be upset, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was happy for you. The rat race can be exhausting, and I’m probably not one to give advice about a happy life. I’ve been married three times and hardly have a relationship with any of my kids. So, you know what, Lila James?”
“What?” I asked.
“You follow your gut. Good for you. I think Julia would probably be thrilled to be promoted. Do you think she’s up for the task?”
“One hundred percent. She’s smart and driven, and she definitely wants it.”
He chuckled. “And what about you? What do you want?”
“I want to go home.” I shrugged. “I want to swim in the cove and have dinner with my father and get to see my niece or nephew as often as I want—and go convince the man that I love that he loves me, too.”
“Well, that sounds a whole lot more fun than looking at a computer screen all day.” He chuckled. “I am sorry that it didn’t work out, but I’m glad that you know what you want.”
He could have been angry. They’d invested in me coming on board, but I guess that was just part of the game when it came to corporate America.
They’d win some, and they’d lose some, and they accounted for that financially.
I thought about offering my two weeks’ notice, but I’d only been here for a week, so I certainly wouldn’t need to train anybody because I hadn’t even figured out the position yet.
I’d already spoken to Julia, and I knew she was ready to step up to the challenge.
“Thank you. I appreciate you being so supportive.”
“Of course. I hope you find what you’re looking for.”
We both moved to our feet, and I shook his hand. “That means the world
to me. And I definitely will. I’ll have my things out of the apartment in a few days.”
“Take your time. Though I’m guessing you’re in a hurry to get home.”
“Something like that,” I said, holding up my hand and waving at him before stepping out of his office.
When I turned down the long hallway toward the reception area, I heard my name being mentioned.
“You’re here for Lila James?” Vi purred, and her voice sounded unusually flirty, and she giggled after she said it.
I guessed someone good-looking was most likely dropping off another pile of work for me. One that I wouldn’t be taking with me on my way out the door.
I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face when I came around the final corner.
My mouth fell open as I saw Hugh Reynolds standing there in all his glory. Tall and lean, a navy blue baseball cap on his head, a pair of dark jeans, and a white button up that was even more wrinkled than usual.
“Hi,” I said, the word coming out all breathy as I came to a stop a few feet from him.
My legs weren’t moving, as I was literally stunned that he was standing here.
“Hey, Snow.” He closed the distance between us as his tongue swiped out to wet his plump lips. I didn’t miss the little gasp that escaped Vi as she watched him stride toward me.
“What are you doing here?” I whispered.
“You forgot this.” He held out my Snow Day notebook, and I chuckled as I took it.
“Wow. You came all the way here to give me the notebook?” My voice was all tease because the way he was grinning at me made it clear that wasn’t the reason he was here.
“Well, you left the last thing on the list unchecked. What kind of guy would I be if I didn’t help you rectify that quickly?”
“You did help check quite a few of those off the list, didn’t you?” I moved forward, my chest bumping into his as I tipped my head back to look at him. His hand looped around my waist, tugging me forward, and he turned his cap around and winked at me.
“I sure did. And it inspired me to make my own list. I did it on the plane ride here.”
“Is that so?” I asked, my breaths coming hard and fast. I didn’t even care that we were doing this in the middle of the reception area with Vi watching us like she was watching a movie.
He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a piece of paper.
“I only have one thing on the list, because only one thing matters.”
I glanced down at the paper.
#1. Go get your girl.
I didn’t need to speak another word. My arms reached up for him, and he lifted me off the floor, my legs coming around his waist. I buried my face in the crook of his neck, breathing him in.
He started walking and pushed through the doors until we were out of the waiting area near the elevators.
“I don’t want to get you in trouble at work,” he said against my ear. “But I needed to say something to you, and it couldn’t wait another minute.”
He set me down on the floor, and I swiped at the tears rolling down my face. I gasped as I took him in and noticed the bruise on his cheek.
“What happened?” I reached up and feathered my fingers across the discolored bump that was there.
“Your brother knows. He actually took it much better than I thought he would.”
“My brother knows what?” I asked, shaking my head.
“That I’m in love with you. That I’m moving to Chicago if that’s where you want to give this a try. Because I’m all-in, Snow. And I’ll follow you wherever you want to go.”
I couldn’t speak. I’d waited so long to hear him say those words to me. I shook my head, trying to push down the lump lodged in my throat, robbing me of my words in this moment.
“Take your time,” he said, smiling as his large hand rested on the side of my neck while his thumb stroked my cheek.
“I love you,” I said, as I finally calmed my breathing and pulled myself together.
“I love you, too.”
“You told Travis, and he hit you?”
“Yep. I thought he’d hit me a couple times, but he just needed to react, and I don’t know, he just looked at me, and I think he saw it there.”
“What did he see, Bear?”
“A man who’s in love with his sister. A man who’s losing his mind because the love of his life is gone, and he didn’t get to tell her how he felt.”
“I hated the way we left things, and then I didn’t know what to do when I got here. I wasn’t sure how you felt, and I’ve just been so miserable,” I said, the last word breaking on a sob.
He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close.
“I’m sorry I didn’t do something sooner.
I knew how I felt for a long time, and I should have manned up.
I was just so afraid of holding you back, and I didn’t know how to make it work with me there and you here.
But that’s not an issue anymore. I realized that being with you is more important than anything else. ”
I pulled back and looked up at him. “What does that mean?”
“It means that I found a way to come here if you want me to.”
“What about the restaurants? And your family? Your life is in Cottonwood Cove.”
“My life doesn’t work without you.” His forehead came down to touch mine. “That’s the truth. I go where you go.”
I chuckled. “Well, I’ve got good news for you.”
“I don’t know, Snow. I think my news is going to be hard to beat.”
“I think you’re right.” I pulled back, taking both of his hands in mine. “I just quit my job. I kind of hate it here. I want to go home. With you. I want to work at the restaurant every day and skinny dip in the cove every night.”
“Damn. Your news just trumped mine.” He waggled his brows. “But you don’t have to decide anything today. How about we go back to your place and skinny dip in the tub? Or we can just get naked and get in bed.”
“Now you’re speaking my language,” I said, as I bumped my shoulder against his side and tugged him over to the elevators and pressed the button to go down.
When the doors opened and we stepped onto the elevator, he rushed me, my back pressing into the corner, his chest pressed against mine. “I fucking missed you.”
“I missed you, too. I’m so glad you’re here.”
The doors opened, and he led me outside. “Where do you live?”
“About a block down that way.” I pointed to the right, and he moved so fast he caught me off guard. He scooped me up, and once again, my legs wrapped around his waist, and my head fell back in laughter as he started to jog in that direction.
“I need to get you there now,” he said, as he continued to run down the street with people staring at us as we moved by them. And I didn’t care one bit.
That was the thing about Hugh. He taught me how to have fun and how to do the things that make you happy.
And he made me happy.
“You do know that I’m a fairly fast runner, right?” I said over my laughter as we approached my building. “We’re here.”
“Are you really going to pull out the national title when I just sprinted all the way here with you in my arms?” he teased, as he set me down on the ground.
“I think you could give me a run for my money.”
Another elevator ride up to my apartment before we finally pushed inside the door.
We were alone for the first time.
Hugh whistled. “Fancy. You sure you want to leave all this behind?”
“The only appealing thing to me in this apartment is the man standing in front of me with his cap on backward and that bathtub in the bathroom.”
“Ahhhh… I can work with that,” he said, as he stalked toward me and then threw me over his shoulder and smacked my ass. “Let me see the place.”
“I could give you a tour if you’d put me down,” I said, over a fit of laughter.
“I like looking around and having your sweet little ass right next to my face.” His words were all tease, but I squeezed my thighs together because I knew that we would be naked within seconds.
He tossed me onto the bed, and I bounced, unable to stop smiling. “Did you miss my sweet little ass?”
“Damn straight, Snow. I missed everything about you. Your lips.” He hovered over me, and his mouth covered mine.
My lips parted, and his tongue slipped inside before he pulled away as I squirmed beneath him.
“I missed your face. And your beautiful fucking body. And don’t even get me started about your tits. ”
His hand slipped beneath my blouse and moved up my side until he cupped my breast, tweaking my nipple and making me gasp.
“Not my cooking, huh?” My breaths were coming hard and fast as he moved to my other breast.
“Oh, yeah. The pancakes and the bacon. I definitely missed those, too. But you know what else I missed?”
“What?” I whispered.
“The sound of you coming on my lips when I bury my face between your legs and lick you until you can’t take any more.”
“I missed that, too,” I said, smiling up at him as he tugged my pencil skirt up, letting the fabric gather around my waist.
“Well, we can’t have that, can we?”
And just like that, he tugged me down to the edge of the bed, dropped to his knees, and showed me exactly what I’d been missing.