I paused about halfway down the hallway and felt my heart sink into my stomach.
Images of him from that morning raced through my mind. Caley had grown so attached to him, to the point where she even wanted him to tuck her into bed. I just couldn’t believe that everything was about to come to an end.
I quietly slid my back down the wall in the hallway until I was sitting on the floor, just inches away from his office.
“The sooner you come back to San Diego, the sooner we can move along with this new project, sir.” I closed my eyes as other people began speaking into the phone, encouraging him to go back soon so he could enjoy the San Diego ‘nightlife.’
I wanted to cry into my hands right there in the hallway.
I realized that me getting nervous that morning wasn’t just because of my history with Cam. My intuition had reminded me that Jake had been in River Valley for quite a long time, so of course, he’d have to go back soon. That was precisely what I was afraid of. The way he was talking to his employees only reaffirmed my belief that he’d leave, too. It wasn’t the voice of a man who was in love.
It was the voice of a bachelor who wanted to keep making money, not spend time with a single woman and her child.
“I’m really looking forward to getting back there, especially since I’m not needed here anymore. Don’t get me wrong, it’s been great reconnecting with everyone and all. But man, do I miss San Diego. Especially the food.”
Hearing Jake say those words made me want to crumble into a heaping mess on the floor. Why did I allow myself to be so vulnerable?
“We all miss you, sir, and I’m sure Hillard misses partying with you.”
I heard all of them laughing, and I couldn’t take it anymore. I pulled myself together, walked in, and made my presence known. Our eyes locked as soon as Jake saw me, and I did my best not to look upset.
“Okay, um, I have to get going, but everything sounds great.” He immediately hung up the phone and walked over to me.
“Hey, I thought I’d stop by before I have to leave for work,” I managed.
He wrapped his arms around me and leaned in for a kiss. My knees immediately became weak, and all I wanted to do was take him into his room and make passionate love. Yet, the harder he kissed me, the more I wanted to pull back and just crawl into bed alone.
“I’m so happy to see you. Glad you stopped by,” he said.
Even his voice did something to me, turned me into a hopeless romantic. How was your meeting? I didn’t mean to rush you off of the phone.”
My voice was still low and quiet, hoping he wouldn’t know I’d overheard him talk about leaving River Valley. To my surprise, it didn’t seem to.
He shrugged and took my hand. We walked downstairs and into the living room, sat down on one of the couches next to each other, and looked out the window. “It was okay. They were just updating me on some business plans.”
I waited for him to tell me about having to go back to San Diego. And I searched his face for clues as to what he was thinking. Was he mulling things over, or was he dead set on returning and abandoning Caley and me?
“Any big news?” He just shook his head no, leaned back and motioned for me to put my head on his shoulder.
I obliged and let him stroke my hair as we sat in silence for a few minutes.
“Are you hungry? We have time for an early lunch before you have to leave for work.”
I was about to say no until my stomach let out a loud growl.
Crap. I just want to be alone.
“I’ll take that sound as a yes.” Jake laughed.
It felt like I was acting in a slow-motion movie. My stomach was tight, and my chest physically hurt. Before I had a chance to fully process what was happening, Jake was driving us to a local diner, where we sat in a booth near the back. Both of us perused the menu in silence, and his stiffened shoulders made me think my uneasiness was catching.
After we placed our orders, Jake started to tell me more about Pinnacle Production Company. He went into detail about expanding and growing it as a whole. I didn’t say much, though. I just sort of nodded and smiled at the appropriate moments. I kept waiting for him to mention going back to San Diego, but the more he talked, the more it became apparent that he didn’t want me to know just yet.
“Are you alright? You’ve been awfully quiet since you came over.” He took a sip of his soda and waited for a response.
My stomach was in knots. “Yeah, just thinking about stuff, I guess.”
The look on his face told me that he had a suspicion I’d overheard his conversation. “What kind of stuff?”
