30. Oliver
Oliver
What was I going to do? I’d lain awake all night trying to sort out my thoughts.
My heart and my head had warred all night long, chasing any chance of sleep away.
Now, as the morning light began to seep through the sliver between the shades and the window, I still wasn’t any closer to figuring it out.
Trinity stirred next to me. My hand rested on her bare ass.
How could I let her down, this woman who’d wiggled her way into my heart?
I couldn’t.
That was the truth of it. No matter what other tantalizing offers Wyatt pulled out of his ass, I had to refuse.
After the way Trinity had peeled back her armor and told me about her grandmother’s history—the way she’d sacrificed her own love to ensure the future of her family—I couldn’t take away Trinity’s ability to make it right.
I’d tell Wyatt today. Before I chickened out and changed my mind again.
Trinity snuggled closer to me. Her eyes slowly blinked open. A lazy smile spread across her mouth. I’d never get tired of waking up next to her. One more thing I’d need to commit to memory before I had to leave.
“How long have you been watching me?” she whispered into the narrow space between us.
“Not long enough.” I shifted, pulling her closer to rest her cheek on my chest. The way she nestled into me, the way her curves aligned perfectly against me, I knew I’d never find this again with someone else.
She traced her finger up and down my chest. “Is that one of your big turn ons? Watching women sleep?”
“Just you, Trinity.” My fingers smoothed over her hair.
“So you just go into creepy sleep watcher mode with me? I should feel special.”
I let out a half laugh, making her cheek bounce off my chest before she settled against me again. “Sorry, that’s kind of funny. I’d be happy to be your creepy sleep stalker. Does it pay well enough for me to stay in the States?”
Her mouth turned down. “How much time do we have left?”
“A couple more weeks. I thought about enrolling for another class and trying to extend my student visa, but I don’t know if I have enough time.”
“That’s a great idea. Why don’t you do that?”
I propped myself up, resting my head on my hand. “I can’t be a student forever. I’m already in debt for my tuition so adding to the balance of my loan isn’t going to help in the long run.”
“I can use my trust money to?—”
“No. Absolutely not.” There was no way I’d let her bankroll me.
I wasn’t going to mooch off my girlfriend.
I’d either figure something out on my own or suffer the consequences.
“Even if I have to go home for a little while, I can still apply for jobs here. There’s a chance it could still work out.
” A slim chance. Once I got home the odds of finding a job in the States would dwindle.
“There’s got to be a way. Are you sure I can’t have Macy and Mitch put out some feelers?”
I didn’t want to be some charity case, and I didn’t want to be indebted to Trinity’s friends. “Give me one more week. If nothing comes through by this time next week, I’ll be desperate enough to take all the leads I can get, okay?”
She flung an arm over my chest. “I don’t want to let you go. Why can’t your family set up an office here? You could be in charge of imports and distribution. Or”—she flung the sheet off and sat up in bed—“I’ve got an idea.”
Dread settled in my chest. She still thought my family owned a vineyard. “What’s that?”
Her arms spread wide. “You should apply at a wine importer. Think about it. You can pave the way for your family to start exporting their wine to the States.”
Not even the sight of her naked torso could rouse me from the well of lies I’d fallen into. “Yeah, I don’t know about that. I can check it out.”
“I’ve got to go.” She leaned over and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “I’m meeting my brother for coffee this morning.”
“You’re not going to ask him about a job for me, are you?”
She pulled on her bra then yanked her shirt on over her head. “I’m not planning on it, but if it comes up…”
“Trinity,” I warned.
“Yes?” Crawling toward me on all fours, she grinned.
“One more week before you start rousing the big guns, okay?”
She held her pointer finger up and kissed it then gently placed it on my lips. “One more week. I promise.”
Sighing, I watched her gather the rest of her things.
“Are you working tonight?”
“Yeah. I told Wyatt I’d take as many shifts as he could give me over the next few weeks.”
“I’ll stop by the bar later.” She slung her purse strap over her shoulder. “Mind if I stay over again?”
“I’d love that.” Did I mind? Hell no. I’d take whatever time I had left with her. With a tight fist feeling like it was closing around my heart, I called out. “Hey, Trinity?”
“Yes?” She whirled around as she reached the door.
I drank her in. “Nothing. Just wanted to look at you one more time.”
“You know, if that liquor distributor thing doesn’t work out, I think you’ve really got a future as a creepy sleep watcher.”
“I’ll see if I can find any openings for that on LinkedIn.”
She lifted her hand to her lips and blew a kiss. Then disappeared through the door and was gone.
Tempted to spend the day under the covers, feeling sorry for myself and avoiding the outside world, I took in a deep breath.
I needed to call the whole thing off with Wyatt.
The sooner the better, too. Before Trinity got word about how I’d almost sabotaged her business.
As I got up to get dressed, I pumped myself up to take on Wyatt.
No matter what Wyatt offered, no matter how he sweetened the pot, the answer was no.
Trinity deserved to make a go of No Limits without me and Wyatt trying to derail her.
Her family history was so entwined with this building that it couldn’t be anything but what she’d envisioned.
Wyatt would see it that way, too. He had to.
A half hour later Wyatt slammed his fist down on his desk. A full mug of coffee rattled, sloshing a few drops onto the papers that always seemed to litter his desk.
“You’ve got to be shitting me.” Wyatt’s face flushed, his cheeks red with rage.
I held my ground. “Sorry. I just can’t be a part of it. She deserves a chance to realize her dreams.”
“And what about my dreams?” Wyatt placed his palms on his desk and leaned forward, his gaze drilling into me.
“You had your chance.” I shook my head. “Hopkins offered to sell you the building before she even got involved. You should have taken it then.”
Wyatt clenched his jaw, his voice a low growl. “I told you, I tried. He didn’t take my offer.”
“Because you lowballed the man.” I spread my arms. “I can’t help you. I won’t.”
“What about you? You really want to run home to mom and dad and spend the rest of your life playing with yarn?”
I swallowed my own anger. Wyatt was pissed. He was blowing off steam. He’d cool off eventually and figure out another way.
“We can find another building. I was over on the east side of town the other day. There was a warehouse that looked perfect. With the influx of cash your dad’s friends are willing to put into it, you’d have enough to move the operation. We can still make this work.”
Wyatt slumped into his chair. “That would set us back. Moving all this shit. Do you have any idea how much that would cost us?”
“No. But I’ll figure it out.” The fact that he no longer looked like he wanted to leap across the desk and strangle me was a good sign. A very good sign. “Let me run some numbers. I can put together a business plan and show them how moving the operation would be an even better decision.”
“You really think that’s going to work or are you just trying to save your girlfriend’s ass?” Wyatt funneled his hands through his hair.
“If you get what you want, does it matter?” I asked.
“Hell, I suppose not. You’ve got a week.” Wyatt reached for his phone. “My dad wanted me to present something formal to his friends soon, anyway. They’ll all be sharing a house out in Napa. You get the plan together and we’ll fly out and present. If they say yes, then we’re still a go.”
“And if they say no?” I asked, not sure I wanted to hear the answer.
“Then you go back to playing with your balls of yarn and sticks of wood, and I force your girlfriend out on my own.”
I shook my head. I couldn’t let it come to that. “If you want me to put together a comprehensive business plan that they’re going to buy into, I’m going to need every spare second. That means no shifts behind the bar for me this week.”
“You got it.” Wyatt sat up straight in his chair. “You’d better nail this.”
Panic began to claw its way up my throat. I swallowed hard, forcing it down. I’d figure out a way. “They go for it, and our arrangement still stands?”
“Yep.” Wyatt thrust his hand across the desk.
I shook it, my heart squeezing tight in my chest. This was it. I had one final shot at making sure Trinity and I both got what we wanted. If I succeeded, she’d never know the truth about what I’d almost done. But if I didn’t, I’d have no choice but to head home and lose her forever.
I couldn’t afford to fail.