16. SOFIA
16
SOFIA
M y phone rang early and I groped for it on the nightstand.
“Yeah?”
“Did I wake you?” Elena asked brightly. “I thought you were on a work trip, not on holiday.”
“We’re not busy until later,” I said sleepily, rolling over onto my back in the giant bed. “I never get to sleep in, so I thought I’d give it a shot.”
“Sorry,” Elena said.
“No, no. What’s up?”
“I just wanted to check in with you. How are things with the great and frustrating Blackwood?”
“Actually… it’s not so bad.”
“Oh?” Elena sounded intrigued and I could just imagine her raising an eyebrow at me. “That’s not something I expected to hear.”
“Well, he’s still a pain in the ass. But he’s also showing me a different side and, you know, it’s nice to see that under all that gruffness there’s something that resembles a heart.”
“If I didn’t know any better, I would say that you like him,” Elena said.
I groaned and sat up in bed, rubbed my eye with one palm.
“He’s just not as bad as I thought, that’s all.”
The truth was I felt a whole lot more about Ben than just liking him. And what happened between us the other day… but it was better I didn’t talk about that. I was just doing what Elena had suggested—having fun with it. I wasn’t getting attached and I didn’t read anything into the fact that we’d slept together and then went out for a really nice dinner afterward, the way a couple would have done.
We’re not a couple. We don’t remotely resemble a couple.
But the truth was we did resemble a couple, and it was supposed to be that way, at least for now. Ben had really put his foot in it, but it was now the only way we were going to get the project, and despite the way he’d opted to do it, I didn’t want so many people not to get the help they deserved just because he was a lying, deceiving, handsome…
“It sounds like you’re having a good time,” Elena said, pulling me back from the brink of thinking someone shouldn’t have. “That’s good. You deserve a break, a good time. You work so hard all the time.”
“My career is important to me,” I said.
“That’s actually the reason I’m calling. Not just to check in, but to let you know I put your name forward for a position that just opened up.”
I blinked. “What? What are you talking about? I have a good job at Blackwood Inc.”
“Yeah, one that won’t allow you any room for growth. Just more money, and we both know that’s not what drives you.”
I sighed. She was right.
“What position is it?”
“Well, it’s a position in an international environmental organization.”
“What organization?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.
“Ever heard of the GNPA?”
“Oh. My. God. Elena…”
The Global Nature Preservation Alliance was an incredibly large operation with teams in just about every country on Earth that needed help with endangered species and nature preservation. That was the kind of name that could look so good on my résumé, almost making Blackwood Inc. look like child’s play.
Even with their new environmentally friendly direction.
“Right?” Elena said, excited now. “I showed Seth your résumé when he told me, and he’s really interested.”
“Wouldn’t you want that position yourself?”
“I’m happy where I am. I have a different direction, Sofe. This is cut out for you. This position specializes in sustainable development projects and climate change mitigation efforts. Seth needs a project manager for a large-scale conservation initiative aimed at preserving the habitats of endangered species, and I told him you’re perfect for the job. You can talk to stakeholders and government agencies with ease, get involved in local communities and, get this, there’s so much room for growth it’s insane.”
“Elena… that sounds like an incredible position,” I breathed. I’d been resigned to working at Blackwood Inc. for a long time still, but this kind of position could really push me in a new direction. And it tugged at my heartstrings—helping others, even if it was animals, was exactly what I loved to do.
“There’s only one catch,” Elena said. “I have to tell you this upfront so you’re aware of it because Seth wants to see you the moment you get back. They’re in a hurry.”
“What’s the catch?” I asked carefully.
“You’re going to have to relocate for the job. But we can still see each other, fly back and forth, and your living expenses, travel expenses, and all that jazz will be included. He wanted me to reassure you of that.”
I frowned. “Relocate where?”
“Costa Rica,” Elena said simply. “They’re busy with huge conservation efforts right now.”
I nodded slowly. “That’s… a really big relocation.”
“I know,” Elena said. “But Sofia, this could really be life-changing for you.”
“It can,” I said. I had no attachments in Newport. My family all lived in Oregon, and I barely got to see them more than once a year as it was. I didn’t have any relationships, and my only close friend was Elena. I would miss seeing her, but with modern technology, the world had become such a small place…
For some reason, my mind flashed on Ben.
If I left Blackwood Inc., I would leave Ben behind, too.
But what did that matter? It wasn’t like I was that attached to him, so involved that I would turn down such a big opportunity.
Right?
“I’ll think about it and be ready for Seth by the time we get back,” I promised.
“Will you consider it? It really is such a great opportunity and it’s such a nice field to work in.”
“I’ll consider it,” I promised. After all, it would allow me the chance to grow, which was something I didn’t have right now. But to leave the business I’d come to understand behind, the company, the Blackwoods—one in particular—was a tough decision to make.
“Thank you for putting my name forward, El,” I said. “I really appreciate it.”
“Of course!” Elena cried out. “Now, do what you do best, get that project, and come home so we can get the ball rolling! It’s really going to be great. Sad that you’ll be leaving… but great.”
I smiled, and we ended the call.
Elena was such a good friend, always with my best interests at heart, and if anyone knew what I was like and what I needed, it was her. Knowing that I wasn’t going to grow in the company was a big factor. After I’d decided a family wasn’t for me, my career was really all I had left, and if that was the case, I needed to do what I could to forward it.
It only made sense.
Why was I reluctant, then? Ben Blackwood wasn’t that special. He was nice, sure. And it was nice that it turned out he had a heart, which was surprising. But he wasn’t someone to give up such a big opportunity for.
I got up and showered, dressed in tailored pants, a flowing top, and comfortable flats. Ben and I had a date today to go out on the town.
Not a date, an appointment , I corrected myself. It was a business appointment, just like everything else here.
Except the sex.
And the dinner we’d had together.
And the fact that we were having to pretend that we were together.
Well, that part was business.
Sort of.
“Good morning,” Ben said brightly when I walked into the dining room. “Have a croissant.”
I sat down when Ben gestured to a seat. He stood, very gentlemanly of him, and only sat again when I did.
He’d ordered biscuits and gravy for us, a traditional southern breakfast.
“Try the coffee,” he said. “It’s AeroPress coffee.”
“What’s that?” I asked and reached for my cup.
“A rich coffee brew. There’s a lot of precision and control offered by the brewing method, so you can tailor the strength and flavor to your preference. Since you didn’t like how strong the French roast was, I got them to go a little easier on this one.”
I picked up the cup and sipped it.
“Yeah, this is good,” I said. “I like this one.”
Ben’s grin broadened and it was sweet that he’d wanted to make the kind of coffee that would impress me.
“So, where are we starting today?” I asked when we dug into our breakfast.
“Center of town and work our way out,” Ben said. “The town center is where all the businesses will be, so it will allow us to get an idea of how far Harborview has fallen.”
I nodded. That made sense.
“And then we’ll go where the wind takes us. We’ll ask the driver to—”
I glanced at him, and he hesitated.
“—to drop us off somewhere, and we can figure out which way we go.”
I smiled. He was getting the idea. There was no way we would ever understand the needs of the town and the people if we looked at it all from the comfort of a luxury car and stared through tinted windows. That just wasn’t how things worked. If you weren’t willing to get your hands dirty…
That made me think about my conversation with Elena this morning.
“Is everything okay?” Ben asked.
“Just fine.” I forced a smile. I wasn’t going to tell him that after this trip I was potentially going to take another job. I didn’t need him to become grumpy again, and it seemed to be Ben’s fallback, even if he was kind now.
But the different coffees always seemed to cheer him up.
After we had our breakfast and coffee, we walked through the hotel lobby and to the car that waited to take us downtown.
Harborview was a quaint little town, and there was a lot of proof that it had once been a very well-looked-after place, but the claws of decay had scratched their way around town, and it was clear that the “good old days” were far behind it.
We walked through the streets, dropping in when we found an open business and talked to the locals. The more we talked to them, the clearer it was that they were in a dire position and anything would help. A new factory that created some jobs, a marina that could bring in money by way of rent and other costs to the yacht owners, and an overall rejuvenation would do the town a lot of good.
By lunchtime, we were worn out after spending all morning in the sun on our feet. We found a street food cart and bought fried green tomatoes. We couldn’t find anything else and we were hungry.
At first, the name put me off but when I bit into one, it was amazing. They were coated in cornmeal and flour, deep fried and golden brown and we each had a side of dipping sauce.
“This is incredible,” Ben said when we found a bench in a nearby park.
The grass was knee-height, blowing in the breeze, and the rusty play structure was abandoned. One of the swing’s chains had snapped, the seat hanging to the floor.
“I didn’t think this would be so good,” I admitted.
“Do you travel a lot?” Ben asked.
I thought about the job and Costa Rica again.
“Not really. My family lives in Oregon, so they come out to me, or I go out to them when I can, but that doesn’t happen very often.”
“They’re all there? No one in Newport?”
“Yeah, just little ol’ me in Newport, living it up.”
Ben nodded and popped another fried tomato into his mouth.
“I don’t always get along with my brothers. Especially Alex. But I don’t think I’d ever be able to live far away from them. Daniel is always away on trips and I don’t know how he does it. We still see him every couple of weeks, though.”
I nodded. “It’s great that you can be that close to your family.”
“You don’t want to be that close to yours? Or maybe one day have a family of your own?”
“I’m not really cut out for family life,” I said.
“Is it because of the asshole who left you?”
I glanced up at him. “Excuse me?”
“That’s what you told Richard. Or was that a lie?”
“I don’t fall back on lies to get business projects.”
Ben’s smile faded, the skin around his eyes tightening. “I was just asking.”
“I didn’t lie,” I said. “But that was long ago, anyway. It doesn’t matter, now.”
“It does if you’re being this defensive about it.”
“I’m not being defensive.” I totally was. “I just don’t see the point in sharing my personal life when we’re on a business trip. I don’t mix the two.”
“That’s not what it felt like to me when we were in my bed,” Ben grumbled.
I gasped. “I’m not the one who got us into this mess where we have to pretend we’re married .”
“But you’re very happy to play along when it comes down to having the fun stuff.”
I shook my head. “That’s not what happened, and if you think that I was trying to take advantage of you or the situation… I wasn’t. It won’t happen again.”
I glared at him. How had this become an argument? But it pissed me off that he was digging into my personal life, pushing buttons that weren’t there for him to push. I didn’t like talking about my past. I only looked forward, focusing on the good stuff and forgetting about the bad.
Telling Ben anything about my past was just too close, and I couldn’t allow that.
Getting too close meant getting hurt, and I wasn’t up for that anytime soon. I’d managed to recover from the last round of pain when I’d thought I would have it all.
Career. That was what I would focus on.
Ben was a means to an end. The project would look good on my résumé, and even if I decided not to take the job—if Seth even thought I would be good for the position—then a pay rise couldn’t hurt.
This was just business, and I should have known that mixing business with pleasure would just get me in trouble.
I just hadn’t expected that the kind of trouble wouldn’t be professional, it would be directly related to my heart.