interviewing for a big job and I didn’t want to be in the way.” He managed to keep the words even, far lighter than he felt. “I’m going by tomorrow and picking up the puppy and the cat, and I’ll watch them for her while she’s gone.”
Would she be able to take them with her? Or would they be left behind like he would?
It wasn’t fair to think that way, but there was a tinge of bitterness that he forced back down. It wasn’t her fault. She’d done exactly what her father had worried about. She’d asked him to come with her or to sit down and go over all the reasons for her to stay.
She would have stayed if he’d asked her to. He’d seen it in her eyes. She’d been looking to him to give her that reason, to say he loved her and wanted to build something with her here. With their dog and their cat and their two not-great-paying jobs.
But she could have an amazing future in the city she loved. She simply couldn’t have it with him. What kind of a selfish ass would he be if he asked her to give it all up for him?
“I thought you were going to talk to her.” Remy looked disappointed.
“Leave your brother be for the night,” his mother admonished as she walked around Remy’s big shiny truck. She waved to Lisa. “Thanks for a lovely evening, you two. I’ll see you tomorrow. Love you.”
His brother looked like he wanted to argue, but Lisa put a hand on his arm. “We love you, too, Momma. Zep, we’ll talk tomorrow.”
He waved as they drove away and promised he would find something to do tomorrow that didn’t involve explaining to his brother how he’d lost the only woman he was ever going to love. He plastered a smile on his face for his mother’s sake. “You have fun tonight? I saw you talking to Shawna. You seemed to be the only one she really opened up to.”
“She’s a sweet thing,” his mother said as she strode up the yard. “We talked about her wedding. All brides like to talk about their plans. Roxie’s parents are . . . well, they are different than I would have expected. Roxie’s such a down-to-earth young lady. They’re on the pretentious side. I thought a cop would be more blue collar. Not that there aren’t perfectly nice white-collar people out there. But her mother seemed a little on the snooty side.”
“I’m sure she thinks we’re odd, too.” Maybe he could get out of this without much deflection. It was late and his mother wasn’t a night owl. In the morning he could dodge her, and after a couple of days, she would simply think he was back to his old habits. “You ready for bed?”
She stopped in front of him. “Baby, what happened tonight?”
Damn it. It looked like he would have to talk a little after all. “All that happened was Roxanne is getting an opportunity she’s wanted all her life, that she’s worked for and earned. She needs to go to New York and explore the possibility, and that means we’re probably going to spend some time apart.”
They would spend all their time apart.
Even in the shadows cast from the porch light and the moon, he could see his mother thinking. She studied him like she didn’t believe a word that came out of his mouth. “Yes, I heard her ex-husband was some bigwig with her old department and he wanted to convince her to come back. Why did her father want to talk to you alone?”
“He just wanted to let me know that her ex-husband was strictly down here to talk to her about the job. Nothing more.” Though he’d seen how the man had watched Roxie when she wasn’t looking. Longing. It had been stamped on Joel’s face. He was certain the same look had been on his own.
The moon shone down, illuminating the worry on his mother’s face. “What did he say to you? Don’t smile and lie to me, baby boy. If everything was all right between you and Roxie, you would be spending the night at her place, not coming back here when you don’t even have your bag with you. You walked out without packing your things. You had a fight?”
“No. It wasn’t a fight.” Except it had been. She’d been willing to fight it out with him, but he’d always known he would have to lose