Chapter 14 #2
“We just met for coffee and to catch up. That’s why I’m in town.”
“Mateo was headed that way.”
Mom nodded. “I passed him on my way here. Anyway, Lydia has a son. Blaze.”
“Blaze. Interesting name.”
“He’s seventeen. She didn’t get into the whole story, but I got the impression Lydia’s had a rough decade.
I met the man she married once and didn’t like him much.
She divorced him this year. Good for her.
But Blaze is struggling. They were living in Missoula, but I guess he had some major problems in his high school there.
She thought maybe a move would be a good reset. ”
“Ah. Well . . . this is a good place to reset.”
“She’s still not sure if she’s going to send him to high school or just home school him for his senior year. But if she does keep him home, she’s worried he won’t get enough social interaction. Apparently he’s very introverted and would be happy playing video games twelve hours a day.”
“Okay,” I drawled, feeling the real question coming.
“Lydia wants him to get a job.”
I swallowed a groan. “I’d be happy to interview him.”
“Or you could just hire him for that open part-time position.”
The position I still hadn’t been able to fill. Three people had applied. Two had come in to interview—the other had ghosted me—but the fit had been off. So I’d passed them up, not wanting to get into a situation where I had to fire someone.
“Mom, you know I’m trying to be regimented in hiring decisions.” It was an employee who’d gotten me into trouble in the first place. Mom, of all people, should want to make sure we avoided that situation again.
“I know you are,” she said, holding up her hands. “I respect that. But just . . . do me a favor? Give him a part-time job. If it doesn’t work out, let him go.”
She made it sound so easy. But I hated firing people. It was the worst of the worst part of my job. Hell, I’d happily scrub toilets and scour bathrooms for the rest of my life if it meant I didn’t have to fire anyone.
Hence the reason we’d gotten involved in that lawsuit. Hence why I’d been more careful about hiring.
“Mom, I don’t know.”
“Please?”
The lobby door opened, covering the sound of my groan.
Jasper strode inside, wearing a simple black T-shirt and his favorite pair of faded jeans. They had buttons on the fly instead of a zipper, which made them my favorite jeans too because they came off so easily.
“Hi,” I said.
“Hey.” He stopped beside Mom, giving her a nod. “Hi, Anne.”
“Hello, Jasper.” She smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes. Instead, there was a wariness in her gaze. She watched his every breath like she was waiting for him to turn around and walk away.
“Am I interrupting?” he asked, hooking a thumb over his shoulder. “I can go.”
“No, you’re fine,” Mom said. “I actually need to get going. Think about Blaze?”
I nodded. “I will.”
She turned, casting Jasper one last suspicious glance before heading to the doors.
Was this really where we were? My own mother was avoiding the man in my life? It was wrong. Every cell in my being screamed fix it.
“Mom,” I called before she could leave.
“Yeah?” She stopped beside the door, looking back.
“I’ll hire him. Have Lydia send him in tomorrow.” It was a mistake to shortcut my process and skip the interview. But apparently mistakes were becoming my specialty.
“Thanks,” Mom said on a sigh, the relief on her face only making the knot in my stomach tighter. Had she already promised Blaze a job? She lifted a hand to wave, then pushed outside.
It would probably be fine. If it wasn’t, then I’d deal. If Blaze did a bad job or had a problem cleaning rooms, well . . . at least Mom could tell Lydia that we’d given him a chance.
“You okay?” Jasper asked.
“Long day.” I forced a smile. “What are you doing?”
“I need to go on a trip.”
I blinked. “A trip? When?”
“Tonight.”
“Tonight?” What about fish tacos? Or a little advance notice? Had something bad happened with his family? Did he need me to go with him? “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, I’ve got an interview in Vegas with an up-and-coming fighter. It’s last minute.”
“Oh.” Someone might as well have kicked the chair out from underneath my ass. “That’s . . . great.”
That was great, right? This could be a new challenge for Jasper. He’d need that now that Foster was retired.
“What time is your flight?” It was supposed to come across as supportive but it sounded like a whine.
“I’m driving. I don’t need to be there until Friday, but I don’t want to bother with the airport in Missoula.”
Driving? To Las Vegas? “I could take you to the airport tomorrow.” It was only two hours away. Not that I had two hours to spare, but I’d find the time.
“Nah. I’ll hit the road. Find a hotel along the way. Get there tomorrow before my interview Friday.”
“Oh. Um, all right. When are you coming back?”
If Jasper heard the desperation and disappointment in my voice, he didn’t let it show. “Next week sometime. I’m not sure. I might stick around Vegas for a while. Check in on my house. Hit the old gym.”
In my imagination, I heard a piece of paper tear in two. Rrrrrip. There went our marriage certificate.
This was Jasper stepping back, wasn’t it? Planning his life. Leaving Montana.
I was supposed to have a couple more weeks.
Guess not.
“Drive safe.” My voice wobbled.
Jasper rounded the corner, forcing me to turn and face him. Then he framed my face with his hands, dropping a chaste kiss to my mouth. “The fridge is full of food. I even made you cookies. Which means there’s no reason for you to turn on the oven.”
I gave him a small smile. “No oven. Got it.”
Jasper’s brown eyes searched mine. So I searched his right back, wishing I could hear whatever thoughts were in that gorgeous head. Would he miss me?
I’d miss him.
Now. Later.
I was afraid that I’d miss him for the rest of my life.
“Will you text me updates as you drive?” I asked. “So I won’t worry?”
He nodded, kissing my forehead. Then he was gone, walking out the door.
To start the next phase of his life.
It was time to plan mine.
The Eloise Inn. That was the goal. I couldn’t let a couple months of incredible sex with Jasper steer me off that path.
So I waited until Mateo returned with his coffee, then spent an hour wandering the hallways, up and down each floor, smiling to guests passing by.
Taking mental notes of what I’d change when—if—the hotel was mine.
By the time I made it home, I was starving. Jasper hadn’t lied about the food in the fridge. It was teeming with storage containers, each labeled. I snagged the one marked fish tacos. The tortillas were on the counter. So were the cookies.
Everything was set.
For me to eat alone.
For me to stay alone.
How long had he known about this interview? How long had he planned this trip?
“Last minute, my ass,” I muttered.
Instead of taking the food to the table and eating my dinner alone, I balanced it in one hand while I snagged my purse with the other and marched outside, climbing in my car and driving back to town.
Lyla was dressed in sweats when she answered the door to her house. Gray joggers and a matching hoodie. She was also wearing that freaking fake smile. “Hey. What are you doing here? Everything okay?”
“No, it’s not okay. Stop being so nice. And happy. It’s weird.”
“Me being happy is weird?”
“You know what I mean, Lyla. You’ve been acting strange since you found out about Jasper. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I had no idea that you liked him.”
The facade slipped as she crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s fine.”
“No, it’s not. You’re upset.”
“I’m embarrassed,” she corrected. “It was just . . . embarrassing.”
My heart pinched. “I’m sorry.”
Lyla straightened, waving it off. “You didn’t know.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” It wasn’t like Lyla to keep her crushes a secret, especially from Talia and me. Usually half of Quincy knew she liked a guy before they even had a date.
“I don’t know.” She lifted a shoulder. “But if you’re happy with Jasper, then I’m glad I didn’t.”
Because had I known she liked him, our night beside the fountain in Vegas would have been entirely different.
That made both of us glad. Otherwise I never would have known Jasper.
“What’s that?” Lyla pointed to the container and tortillas in my hand.
“Dinner. Jasper had to leave, and I don’t want to eat alone. How do you feel about fish tacos?”
“Um, well, that depends. Did you make them?”
I giggled, feeling some of the tension in my frame melt away. “No, Jasper did.”
“He made sure you had food while he was gone? Aww.” Lyla pressed a hand to her heart. “That’s sweet.”
It was sweet. And annoying. Because he hadn’t told me he was leaving.
“This dinner comes at a price,” I told her.
“Wine?”
“And your guest bedroom. Can I have a sleepover?”