“Right. But I didn’t realize… I wasn’t under the impression that you were dating her. But you were?”
“We saw each other for a little while, yes.”
Eric ducked his head and let out a long breath.
“What did you do? Come on to her?” Jamie smiled at the idea. When Eric swallowed so hard Jamie could hear it, his smile faded. “What’s wrong?”
“She came in here to tell me I should give you a chance. I was defensive. I said I’d already given you plenty of chances. When she pressed me, I threw your last mistake in her face.”
“Which one was that?”
Eric met his gaze. “Monica Kendall.”
It felt like all the blood drained from Jamie’s body in an instant. His heart beat, but there was nothing for it to grasp on to. “What did you tell her?”
“The truth.”
Shit. His mind spun like a tornado. Olivia must think… “Shit,” he breathed. “What did she say?”
“She didn’t say anything. But I could see she was upset. That was when I realized… Christ, Jamie. I’m sorry. Even if you hadn’t been dating her, I had no right to say that.”
“No, you didn’t,” Jamie said, but he didn’t even feel angry. He didn’t feel anything except panic. He’d made it very clear to Olivia that he hadn’t been with another woman in a long time. And he’d meant it. Nobody understood. But now that she knew he’d lied, she must think the worst. That he’d been screwing with her. Playing with her feelings. She must think he was exactly like her ex-husband, just as she’d suspected.
Jamie scrubbed a hand over his face.
“I’m sorry,” Eric said again. “I let my temper get the better of me.”
“It’s all right. I need to try to—” He looked around at all the work on his desk. He couldn’t leave now. And hell, he had no idea where she might be anyway. But it had been six days. Six days of cursing him and hating him and telling herself that all men were cut from the same evil cloth. Jesus.
He shifted his hand and found himself looking at the pile of applications. “It’s okay, Eric. I’ll talk to her tonight.”
“Good. I hope I didn’t screw anything up for you.”
“No, it’s fine.” What the hell had there been to screw up, anyway?
Jamie picked up the phone and got back to work, but his stomach burned with dread.
HER COFFEE STEAMED into the thin air, the wisps trailing slowly up until the breeze caught them and swirled them into the sky. At this altitude, it was cold in the shade of the balcony, even in the middle of summer, and Olivia had wrapped herself in a blanket so she could enjoy the morning view.
It had been a foolish trip, maybe. Certainly, she should be saving her money instead of spending it. But she’d needed to get away. Just away. From everyone and everything.
After she’d left the brewery, Victor had called. When she hadn’t answered, he’d come to her house, and she’d been forced to hunker down in her chair and listen to him ring the doorbell for five minutes. Jamie would’ve come soon, too. And she’d realized that it was all too much.
Olivia had packed a small bag, and after class she’d set off in her car. She’d taken the back roads to Winter Park, the long, windy, narrow roads that added an extra hour to her drive. Once there, she’d found a little studio room right on the ski slopes that went for next to nothing in the summer. It was quiet here and nearly deserted, and she’d done nothing but sit. Sit and drink coffee. Sit and eat lunch. Sit and watch movies at night.
It was what she should have done when she’d left Victor. She should have sat and turned her thoughts inward. But there’d been so much to do. All the horrible tedious work of a divorce. The sorting out of possessions, the search for a new place to live, the panic of bank accounts and insurance and retirement plans. But what she’d really needed to do was think.
r /> “Better late than never,” she sighed, propping her feet up on the balcony railing.
She had to go back to her real life today, and that would be fine. She hadn’t suffered a change of heart about anything. She was glad she’d left Victor. She was glad she’d had those days with Jamie. And she couldn’t wait to start her real work. The work she’d always wanted to do.
So, these days of quiet hadn’t changed anything, but they had been so worth it. She felt… My God, she felt like a grown-up, and how ironic was that?
Smiling, she finished her coffee and then went to pack her bag for the drive home. When the phone rang, she knew who it was. Her cell phone was off as it had been since she’d driven away from her apartment, and the only person who had the hotel number was Gwen.
“Good morning, Gwen,” she said when she answered.
“You sound chipper. Are you going to find your way back home today?”