VERSUS (Second Chances 2)

” He reaches forward to tug on the lapels of my jacket. “You need to tell her how you feel so she can decide whether Buffalo is home.”

“Buffalo is home to her,” I reiterate that fact. “She works there. She owns a place there.”

“You work in New York. You own a place here. All of that can be changed.” His arm waves in the air. “Your argument is weak, Colt. What the hell is really going on here?”

I shove a hand through my hair. “We’re having fun until she goes home. It’s what we agreed to.”

“Don’t blow this for a second time.” He takes a step back. “You didn’t tell her how you felt in high school. This is your chance to right that wrong. Don’t let it pass you by.”

It’s the only wrong I can right, but it’s not fair to Eden. If I want a future with her, I need to confess to the past I’ve kept hidden from her.

I doubt like hell she’ll find it in her heart to forgive me for that.

Chapter 35

Eden

“I wish there were two of me,” I say to Mrs. Burton. “Buffalo Eden and New York City Eden. The former could use a run right now. The latter wants a cocktail. Decisions. Decisions.”

The only response from her is a nudge of her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

Tough crowd.

I know I’m not Kurt Sufford, but you’d think by now she would have warmed up to me just a little bit.

She’s been in my office for the past two hours. We’re going over the finer details of a case that I told Kurt I’d work on.

He called Noelle this morning to reassure her that he’s fine. He had a blood pressure spike last night and ended up back in the hospital for observation.

He’s home now, resting and reading over every open case file.

I agreed to close out this one for him since the only issue left to settle is custody of two prized poodles.

I spent the afternoon working out a schedule that will give our client most weekdays and every second weekend with the pups.

Everyone, including the dogs, is happy with the arrangement.

She clears her throat, but that’s it. There are no words that follow that.

I’m going to let her off the hook because I need alone time and a martini. I wasn’t kidding when I told her that.

“You can go home, Mrs. Burton.”

That pops her head up. “I can?”

I shrug. “Yes. Please take the rest of the afternoon off.”

She slides forward on the leather chair she’s sitting in. “Did I do something wrong?”

I shake my head. “No. Absolutely not. You’ve been nothing but helpful.”

She’s been a little off-putting, but that’s because I’m not Kurt and I know she’s worried about him. As soon as I got to work this morning, she asked me for an update on his condition.

She scratches the side of her neck. “Mr. Sufford doesn’t approve of leaving early.”

I’m an old family friend, so I know that Kurt has always offered a great deal of latitude to me. I’m not a regular employee. I’ve tried hard to never take advantage of that.

“I approve of it.” I smile across my desk at her. “I want you to take the rest of the day off.”