Chapter 61
LIAM
The next few days, I was super intentional about giving London the cold shoulder.
I sat behind the computer in my office, my door closed and my earphones in.
I was still aware of her at all times, knowing exactly where she was in the house or office, but I’d hardly said a word to her since the games night.
I mouthed along to the words as I worked on perfecting a pitch for the cruise company. We’d been back and forth with them a couple times, and unsurprisingly, they’d chosen to go with the font London had chosen.
Working with it all day long wasn’t easy when it was a stark reminder of better times between us whenever I looked at my screen.
Even as I proofed it one final time, London walked past my office to the conference room and I practically felt her head turn before she was staring at me, but only for a beat.
By the time I finally looked up, she was past my windows, her blonde ponytail bouncing as her head shook. I knew she was confused. Curious. Worried. I also knew that she was waging an internal battle about blurred lines versus what she’d always wanted.
Contrary to what she probably believed, I hadn’t slept with Bailey.
I hadn’t touched her and I hadn’t even kissed her.
I had heard from her after, but only as a friend.
Bailey understood what I was going through—had apparently been in my shoes before—and she wasn’t interested in someone who was, and I quote, stuck in that rut she’d been in for a long time.
If anything, she’d friend-zoned me and I hadn’t even thought about doing the same to her because I wasn’t zoning anyone as anything right now. London just didn’t need to know any of that.
Every time she looked at me, I could feel the questions she was shouting at me in her head, but I ignored them. Mostly, I ignored her too. Right now, I had to.
I’d even gone so far as to rent another car so I could drive myself to and from work alone.
London had my truck, and while I could tell she didn’t like it, at least I hadn’t left her without wheels.
Besides, it wasn’t like I was enjoying letting her have my beloved monster of a truck while I drove around in someone else’s sports toy, but it was better this way.
I was tired of the games, and the waiting, and the mixed signals.
Frankly, if she still wanted to hurt me like that after everything we’d said to each other and everything we’d been through, then my friends had been right.
I’d already lost her—if I’d ever even had her—and whatever I’d thought we were slowly building didn’t exist.
No matter how much I loved her and how much I wanted her to be mine, she was never going to give me an actual shot.
All of this had been for naught. The risks I’d taken had been meaningless to her, an endeavor in futility on my part.
It had ultimately been devoid of purpose and completely unproductive.
Blink-182 faded out over my earphones and I glanced at my screen, restarting the song for the umpteenth time. I’d always liked it, but it really resonated with me. As did a whole bunch of much more depressing songs.
On top of it all, the branch was becoming busier by the day. We were signing new clients left, right, and center, and we were committed to doing our best and doing it fast. Things were happening at breakneck speed, which meant London and I still had to work together as closely and as well as ever.
Even that had changed, though. In moments where we could’ve been joking, I now met her with silence. I honestly had zero interest in banter or laughing with her. It was a waste of time we didn’t have and it’d stopped being fun to boot.
Throughout the week, we had meetings when we had to and we spoke when it was necessary. We emailed more than ever before and I deferred to her on things I usually would’ve argued about even if I’d known I’d eventually let her win.
By the time we had to leave for our staff retreat weekend, London Walker was close to having a meltdown unlike any she’d ever had before. I could smell it from a mile away.
It didn’t help that Jerry and Lorelei had moved out, leaving us alone in a house that was suddenly much too quiet and far too empty.
They’d reminded us so many times that they were right across the street and that we were welcome anytime, but I didn’t know if London had gone over yet to see their place.
All I knew was that I hadn’t. I didn’t want to answer any questions and I knew both Jerry and Lori would have many. If I had answers, maybe I would have risked them asking said questions. I shook my head at myself.
Now wasn’t the time.
Nathan had rented a cabin outside the city for a team-building weekend and London and I had to set up some challenges, games, and workshops. The purpose of the weekend getaway was to bring us all together and to allow us to learn more about each other.
It was about us as a team and how we could become even more cohesive. Everyone gelled and we were working well together, but in most ways, we were still strangers to each other. I double-checked the address on my phone as I pulled up to a beautiful lodge.
This was the right place, though. I’d been expecting a literal cabin. A biggish one, since it had to have enough space for everyone to sleep, but instead, Nathan had outdone himself once again.
Set among lush, tropical gardens, a network of stone-built paths led to a lodge and several outbuildings, the various parts of the place connected by wooden walkways.
Water features and mossy statues sat in all the nooks and crannies, a canopy of bright green leaves allowing only mottled sunlight to reach the ground.
Despite my shitty mood, I found myself grinning, excited to be able to spend a weekend here with the people we’d handpicked to work with.
This was going to be good for us. I was sure of it.
Nate had never steered us wrong, and as I climbed out of my car, my ears met by nothing but silence and the occasional bird song, I knew he hadn’t done it this time either.
Moist ground and leaves crunched under my feet as I headed up to the lodge, wanting to get a look at the place before I brought my things in. I inhaled a deep breath of warm, damp air, and for just a minute, I let my mind wander to hot, sweaty nights here with London if things had been different.
I’d seen pictures of hot tubs and swimming pools on the website, and although the photos seriously hadn’t done the place justice in terms of what to expect from the buildings, the surroundings so far seemed spot on.
I saw the same flowers there had been close-ups of, the same touches of vintage, cast-iron décor on the front porch.
Barely halfway to it, I heard another engine coming down the drive and I groaned. I’d recognize that particular sound anywhere. That wasn’t just any car. It was my truck and it was racing across the muddy earth.
Hands flying to my hips, I spun slowly to wait for her to arrive, arranging my features into a scowl while I was at it. London was fucking abusing my beloved monster, and if she didn’t apologize—and offer to pay for a check-up for it—I was taking the truck home and she could walk.
When she came around the final corner, she slammed to a stop as if she hadn’t been expecting to arrive, even though I knew the GPS would have warned her. My scowl deepened, my teeth clenching. I watched her toss her long hair over her shoulder before she shut off the engine.
A sudden and complete silence fell across the area. I suspected nature itself knew to shut up right now, but London? God, of course she refused to listen.
“Hey!” she called as she opened the door and jumped out, eyes hidden behind her sunglasses.
She slammed the door so much harder than necessary and turned to peer at our lodgings for the weekend.
“Wow. This is so much nicer than I anticipated. Gosh, we’ve really going to have to take some notes from my dad when it comes to choosing properties, huh? ”
I agreed with her, but I didn’t say so. “If you wreck that truck, you’re buying me a brand new one. Fair warning, a single scratch on that baby, and I’m heading straight to the dealership.”
While I still couldn’t see her eyes, I knew she was rolling them at me. Her lips pursed and she slowly swung her head back to mine. “In case you hadn’t noticed, trucks are meant to be used. All I’m doing is driving her like she wants to be driven.”
“Then buy your own fucking truck and drive it that way,” I snapped, starting toward it.
I could feel her watching me as I grabbed my bag, a medium-sized duffel with quite a lot of space left in it. On the other hand, London seemed to have brought enough luggage for a week in Paris.
Again.
I saw the suitcases in the bed of the truck, but instead of striding over automatically and grabbing one to help her bring them in, I spun on my heels and walked toward the lodge. When she realized what I was doing, she huffed out an audible breath.
“Really? You’re not even going to offer?”
“Nope. Sorry. I have my own stuff to carry.” I kept right on walking, not looking back at her. I wasn’t sorry at all.
Maybe I’d been enabling her all this time. Perhaps if I’d stopped helping her a long time ago, she would’ve learned to pack lighter by now.
“Oh, no worries!” she called after me, but I could hear the indignation in her tone. “I forgot we were being childish and not talking to each other or being friendly.”
I shrugged, still without looking back, and finally reached the porch. The faint scent of varnish and earth drifted to my nostrils on every inhale. The birds finally realized they could sing again as I reached for the door.
With wood creaking under my flip-flops and the door needing slight force to open, I went on in, and just like I’d expected, the place was amazing. The foyer was dark but elegant, with emerald green as the accent color and chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.
It reminded me a little of a fancy hunting lodge and I smiled despite the anger I could feel radiating from her behind me. London could be pissed all she wanted. I wasn’t the one who had started this and I also hadn’t been responsible for ending it.
No way she could peg me as the one playing the childish games.
I was ready for it—for everything—with her.
If she didn’t want it, then fine. All she’d had to do was tell me she didn’t need me.
I’d said as much that very morning, but instead, she’d chosen another guy right in front of my own two eyes.
That had been the final straw. The way I saw it, none of this was on me. As I walked inside, I heard her storming. Before I’d even turned to face her, she was ranting at me, her voice tight and brimming with emotion.
“Alright, that’s it. It’s time to talk, Liam Jones. This is ridiculous and it stops here. Today. Right now. Look at me, Liam. I’m begging you here.”