The Ahern Brothers Collection - Claudia Burgoa Page 0,105
now, I’m not sure if accepting this gorgeous present is smart.
“He’s going to get big though,” I say with a heavy sigh. “This isn’t the best place for such a handsome boy.”
“You should come home; back to Colorado,” he suggests.
“Slugger,” I say, opening my eyes wide. “That’s a loaded suggestion. You can’t possibly be saying that.”
“It’s been a couple of years, and you love to be surrounded by tall trees.”
Frowning, I try to find the words to explain how I feel.
“If not Denver,” he continues, “you can always move to Tahoe.”
Why is he asking these questions? Questions that feel like arms tightly constricting my chest. He waits for an answer, and I don’t have much to say, “Tahoe isn’t cheap.”
There’s laughter inside my head. It’s such a lame excuse.
“You already own a house there,” he snorts, “and New York is freaking expensive too.”
He’s so frustrating. I don’t tell him that the house isn’t mine because that’ll open up a can of worms. If anything, I try to avoid talking about Wes around Sterling. The old pain shimmers deep inside, knifing its way through when I think too much about him—leaving me breathless and bleeding with fury.
“Well, my job is here,” I sneer, masking the pain.
“You can work anywhere.”
The exchange reminds me of a few we had when I was in college. Linda, his mother, used to call us out as if we were two rambunctious children fighting over the same toy. When Sterling gets an idea in his head, he becomes obsessed, like his brother. It’s a family trait.
“You went from Washington state to New York, it’s like you’re avoiding the middle of the country.”
“This is where I’ve been living and working for the past year,” I remind him. “It’s a choice, a change of scenery from the West Coast.”
I work as an accountant at Beasley Enterprises, a job I landed thanks to Esperanza’s Home. They not only helped me while I was inside, but they continued supporting me afterwards. New York is perfect. I’m close to places I love to visit, like Washington D.C. or even the beach. Some weekends I drive to Niagara Falls. It’s easy to travel to different states and discover something new.
“What do you do in your spare time? Shop?”
I roll my eyes at him. He’s ridiculous. “There are other things to do around here. I travel up and down the coast. If I want to hike, I go to Vermont.”
He clenches his jaw and speaks through his teeth. “Have you renewed your lease?”
I shake my head. “Not yet. I still have a couple of months to decide and six to move out. With this little guy, I’ll have to search for something bigger.”
“We can find anything you want. There’s a house downtown that you might like,” he offers dragging my attention toward him.
“In Manhattan?” I look at him in disbelief. If there’s a house in the middle of the Big Apple, it must be super expensive.
“No, Denver.”
“You’re so maddening,” I sigh. “My job is here.”
“You can come back to work for me. I need a new agent. An accountant, an assistant.” He stops right in front of me and gives me a narrow stare. “I need you.”
I perk up because Sterling needing me feels good. Although, I wish his brother was the one needing me. He’s never reached out to me, even though he said he would. Some nights I fantasize about Wes coming to find me. It’s been so long since we spoke. I don’t understand what I did wrong that made him decide we were finished—even as friends. As much as I talk to my therapist about my feelings, the only thing I can come up with is that he never loved me, and felt he couldn’t be with someone who had done so many repulsive things.
“Please, come back!” He gives me a puppy pout that’s hard to resist.
“You can be so dramatic. I’m still wondering why you chose sculpture over acting.” I dust all the puppy hair the little guy sheds from my skirt. “Can I think about it?”
“Of course. It’s just an option I wanted to throw your way. Please, don’t feel obligated to accept my offer, but know it’ll always be there.”
The tightness in my chest loosens once his posture relaxes. He can be a little demanding, and I’m not up to moving to Denver and lose what I’ve worked so hard to build here.
“You’re sticking around, right?”
“Yes, I’m taking a month off,” he smiles. “I’ll be here for