Not soon enough.
Damn.Maybe I should visit you.
She replies with a heart-eyed emoji andCan you imagine all the uninterrupted time we’d have together?
Yep. Too bad I used my once-every-ten-years vacation on my trip to Vegas.I’d make you scream my name so many times, everyone in Boulder would know who I am.
The bubbles dance on the screen and then stop. A minute later, she finally responds.I have to go. Jeff wants to meet early.
All right, sweetness. Talk later. And remember… take no shit.
She sends a simpleXOand goes quiet while I sit for far longer than I should, trying to convince myself that an impromptu trip to Colorado could easily be justified. A horse that needs looking at. A tractor we might need at the ranch. Hell, I wouldn’t even have to tell anyone where I was going, although Alana would probably figure it out.
Tessa told me she’d caught on to us, but Al hasn’t breached the subject with me yet. Probably to protect herself from any additional fallout when Holden finds out she knew and didn’t tell him.
I get to my feet and reach for my gloves again when my phone buzzes with another text. Instead of Tessa, it’s from Kip, my old friend and the lawyer I hired for the annulment.
Check your mail, Langston. You’ve had certified mail sitting there for days.
Shit, I’d forgotten about that.Thanks, man, I type back.Appreciate it.Even though dread rolls in my gut.
I’ll need a physical signature from both of you. No scanned copies.
I’d figured as much. And that trip to Colorado? Looks like I just got my reason.
* * *
TESSA
“I talked to Spencer last week,” Jeff says from across his desk. Much like the last time we met, his demeanor is nonchalant but somewhat apathetic, too.
“Okay…” I cross my legs and fold my hands over my knee, my knuckles already turning white as I wait for his update.
“He responded like I expected him to. Like you probably did, as well.” Jeff sits forward and gives a heavy sigh.
I frown. “What does that mean? He denied everything?” I’m not sure what I expected. I only know that I fully expect him to turn into a complete ass. Fortunately, he was out of the office when I came back yesterday, and I haven’t seen him yet today.
“He argued that interactions between the two of you haven’t been one-sided.”
“What?” I almost come off the chair. “I’ve never—”
Jeff holds up a hand. “I didn’t say I believe him.”
“Whether you believe it isn’t the point. I know how I’ve handled things, and Spencer knows, too. For him to say otherwise…” It’s infuriating. I thought he and I were friends. And that maybe we still could be when this is said and done. But if he’s going to twist things and try to make me look like a liar, I’m not sure I want to preserve that relationship.
Jeff takes a deep breath and lets out an even slower exhale. “Let’s set that conversation aside for a minute and talk about the assistant manager position.”
Yes. Let’s do that, because we’re only five minutes into this meeting, and my blood pressure already needs a reprieve. “Will’s last day is Thursday, right?”
“Yes. And I’d really like to have someone in his place in the next two weeks.”
Two weeks? Holy crap.
“We’re coming up on the holidays, and while most of our seasonal campaigns are already in the works, things usually get crazy around here. And personally, I’d like to take an actual vacation this year.”
I squeeze my hands together on my knee as I swallow and do my best not to seem too eager. “If you want to the fill the position that quickly, you must be hoping to do so internally.” He more or less said as much last time we met, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up.
“Yes. I have a couple of people in mind, but I can’t play favorites. We’ll have to open the position to the entire creative team, and I want to encourage you—very adamantly—to apply.”
