Chapter 19
19
COLE
I pushed open the door to the parts store and saw Paige at the counter, head down, appearing to be typing on the computer.
She looked up slowly, saw me, and cleared her throat. “Hey, Cole.”
No smile, no twinkle in her eye, hell, even when we were fighting, there was still a light that seemed to shine around her, but now there was nothing. Honestly, she seemed better when I saw her in the hospital. I’d been texting her every day to check on her, but she was standoffish, and when I stopped by her townhouse, she refused to open the door more than a crack, and that was only to tell me she had a headache. That bothered me, so I called Lanie, who explained she did the same thing to her and that she was just as worried.
So I left, but I continued to drive by her place several times a day. When I heard she’d decided to go back to work, I gave her a few days, letting her get settled in before I could no longer stop myself from going to the store. I needed to get my eyes on her and see for myself that she was healing.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, just busy,” she answered, but she looked exhausted.
The bruises had faded, and her lip healed, but heavy black circles hung below her eyes, and she was pale, really pale. I was surprised Jake hadn’t said anything, considering he and Lanie took her to a follow-up with the doctor yesterday.
“Cole.” My attention shifted to the doorway of the warehouse, and I saw Dave. “You got a minute?”
“Yeah.” I started past Paige, but she’d already dropped her head and was once again looking at the computer. I followed Dave when he walked into the warehouse, stopping when he turned to face me.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“It’s Paige.”
My eyebrows drew together. “What about her?”
Dave frowned and looked past me toward Paige. “Need to let her go.”
Surprised, I shook my head. “Why?”
“She’s fucking up a lot, man,” Dave explained. “Making mistakes on orders. Mistakes that are costing me money. We’re not talking a few hundred bucks. We’re talking thousands.”
“It’s only been a few days,” I argued. “Give her a chance to get back on her feet.”
“Look, man, decision’s made. I already told her I need to let her go. To make it easier on her, I said I decided to downsize my staff,” Dave admitted, but he didn't say that to make it easier for Paige. He was only making it easier on himself. Dave didn’t like confrontation and did anything he could to avoid one. “She’s going to finish out the week, and then Kenton will take over for her until I can replace her. I was going to call you as a courtesy because I know she’s close to your family, but since you came in...”
“Yeah, I get it.” Frowning, I looked over my shoulder at Paige. “Thanks for letting me know.”
He jerked up his chin and watched me walk back to the counter. I ignored him, instead concentrating on how to talk to Paige about this.
Her head snapped up when I stepped up beside the counter, but she didn’t say anything for a moment. She looked so fucking lost and sad that it felt like I was staring at a whole different person.
“Do you need something?”
“I need someone to run my office.” I hadn’t planned to say that. I had no idea what I wanted to say while I made my way back to her, but after I made the split-second decision, it felt right. I hated the idea of her being alone at her townhouse, and knowing she would be there all day after this week caused a knot to form in my stomach. “Dave just told me he’s downsizing his staff a little to save some money, so I was hoping you might want to work for me.”
“For you?”
“Yeah. For me. Office is open nine to five, so that’s all I’ll expect you to be there. Don’t worry, you don’t have to work the hours I do.” I grinned, but she didn’t give me the smile I wanted.
She ran her hand over her forehead and looked over my shoulder before once again meeting my eyes. “He’s not downsizing. He’s firing me because I keep making mistakes. The doctor said it’s because of the concussion, but he can’t tell me how long it’ll take to get better. I’ll probably screw up a bunch of things.”
She knew. Of course she did. Dave wasn’t exactly subtle and probably told everyone why he was letting her go. Everyone except her. Hoping to ease some of the tension around her eyes, I shared something with her. "I had a concussion when I played football in high school. A pretty bad one. I couldn’t walk up the stairs to my house without help for a while. I know what you’re going through, and I have all the patience in the world.” I softened my voice. “Just give me a chance.”
She looked so fucking tired and defeated. The circles under her eyes told me all I needed to know about where she was in her recovery right now.
She swallowed hard and glanced back at the computer. For a minute, I thought she was going to turn down my offer. Touching her arm, I waited for her to look at me again. “Why are you hesitating?”
She sighed. “Honestly?” When I nodded, she continued. “Because I’ve been thinking about moving to be near my family. We’re not very close, but it would give me a fresh start. Maybe that’s what I need.”
The thought of her moving caused panic to roll over me. I didn’t want her to leave. Our relationship wasn’t anywhere close to where I wanted it to be. Our past was filled with judgment and misunderstandings, none of which any relationship could survive, but I vowed in the hospital that I would change that, and I hadn’t been exaggerating. I couldn’t imagine my life without her, and after my reaction to her being hurt, I realized the reason I was always so pissed when I was around her was because I couldn’t have her in my life the way I wanted. But that was all in the past. We had a chance to start over, and if this was my only shot, I had to make damn sure I took it.
I wrapped my hand around her forearm and squeezed gently. “Give me a month.”
She tilted her head slightly. “A month?”
“Yeah.” I grinned. “If we don’t kill each other in that month and you like the job, maybe you’ll reconsider staying.”
A small grin tugged at her lips, and my shoulders relaxed. “That would make Lanie happy. She tried to hide it, but she was upset when I said I might move.”
This time, I smiled. “Is that a yes to my job offer?”
She nodded, but it was obvious she was still hesitant. “Yeah, I guess it is. When should I start?”
“Tomorrow?”
She gestured toward the back room where Dave’s office was located. “I’m supposed to finish out the week here.”
“I’ll take care of Dave,” I promised. “Just be at my place tomorrow at nine.”
“Okay.” Her lips tipped again. “Thanks, Cole.”
I reached out and wrapped my hand around hers, squeezing softly before dropping it. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She nodded but didn’t say more, and I turned to leave before I said anything she wasn’t ready to hear.
Not yet anyway.