Casual Affair

It was the one and only thing that could keep him in London.

He just couldn’t leave her.

“I’m not yet seeing your point.”

“Zane,” Peter said in a quieter voice, “I know how much you blame yourself for your mum’s death. I was there when it happened, and I’ve seen how it’s changed you. But you need to let that guilt go. You were a kid. There was nothing you could have done.”

Zane didn’t want to go there. “I still don’t see how this translates to my controlling side.”

Peter pursed his lips then continued, “It’s as if you think you could have stopped your mum from leaving that night, thereby preventing her death. And because you didn’t, you perceive that a lack of control means something bad is going to happen. Always.”

“I didn’t realize I was here for a session, Dr. Freud,” Zane said flatly. “How much am I being billed?”

Peter ignored him. “Look at Envision,” he said. “I offered to share the CEO position with you, but you would rather be out there overseeing operations, making sure that everything goes according to your plan. Basically you have your hands on everything. It’s a pattern with you, mate. And it seems Bea hasn’t gotten used to it like the rest of us have, or she doesn’t want to get used to it.”

Zane held his hands out. “Should I just ignore my instincts? Leave everything up to chance?”

Peter shook his head. “It’s not about chance. It’s about trusting in people. You care about others and you have a big heart, but I think it’s difficult for you to have faith in people. That’s a dangerous road to travel down. It leads to cynicism and bitterness.”

“But I do have faith in Bea,” Zane said, frustrated. “I trust her more than anyone else. I don’t know why she can’t see that.”

“Because you have to show her,” Peter countered. “Hovering and always trying to take over whatever she’s doing shows a lack of faith in her ability. To her, it’s you not trusting her. You have to show her otherwise.”

Zane digested that for a long moment. The picture was not flattering.

But slowly he realized, dammit, his friend was right.

He felt his jaw tighten, determination setting in. The more he thought about his relationship with Bea, the more certain he became. He could not let her slip through his fingers. He’d do whatever he must to keep her, even if it meant listening to his smug friend.

“How?” he demanded.

“Do what she says and give her some room to breathe at work. She knows what she’s doing, so make sure she knows you trust her judgment. She wants to feel valued, not constantly questioned.”

Zane quirked an eyebrow. “That means I would have to convince her to move to London.”

Peter shot him a look over the rim of his beer bottle. “Or it means that you would have to move to the States. On a more permanent basis.”

Was he serious? “How would that work with Envision and the new stores?”

Peter shrugged. “I can handle things with the stores here in London. As much as I’ve missed you this past year, I’ve also realized I need you in charge of operations over there. We’ll have three branches and four stores in the U.S. by the end of next year. No one can manage that better than you.”

“And you decided to wait until now to bring this up with me?”

Peter grinned. The smug bastard. “I wanted to see how you’d acclimate to life over there. You’re welcome for that, by the way.”

Zane rolled his eyes, but his voice came out serious. “I still don’t know if I can leave her.”

Peter leaned forward and slapped him on the back. “Your mum knew you loved her, mate,” he said, “and that her accident wasn’t your fault. She wouldn’t want guilt to keep you from living your life. Listen to me. You can’t allow something that happened years ago—something you couldn’t control—to prevent you from being with the woman you want.”

Bloody hell, he was right.

Zane fell back against the sofa cushions, his head about to explode with self-recriminations. He was a grown man, and he hadn’t thought there was much more he could change about himself.