Been There Done That (Leffersbee #1) - Hope Ellis Page 0,67
at the bank, and you never have. The least you could do is not get in the way of our future growth and the work we’re doing to build on the legacy we all share.”
I sat back in the booth and slowed my breathing in an attempt to contain the rage buzzing through my skull. I thought of how I’d pretended interest in the bank and its inner workings as a kid, just so I could spend real time with my father. I thought of the times I’d wished I had the same closeness with my dad that Tavia and Walker cultivated by working so closely with him each day. How frustrated I’d always been by the fact that the bank, the business, had come to define our family in so many ways. Just as when I was a child, it was more clear than ever to me that I was outside that circle and I always would be.
Enough. My mother was right. My life, the way it was going, it didn’t suit me. It was time to burn it all to the ground.
I stood up, fished in my purse for a twenty and threw it next to my plate. Tavia’s startled eyes rose to meet mine.
“Zora—”
“You’re right, Tavia. It’s time for me to look out for myself, to get my own piece of the world. You’re on your own.”
Chapter Fifteen
Nick
I’d made a habit of shoving Green Valley and any related memories out of my brain for years now, but I’d forgotten how beautiful it could be. Life moved slower, more quietly here. After a few days, I no longer thirsted for the relentless pace of our New York and San Francisco offices. Suddenly, I relished the quiet. I caught myself straining to identify birdcalls just as I had as a kid. I took the time to appreciate the perfect weather, the unseasonable warmth of early fall and the stunning perfection of all the late-summer blooms.
Today, however, I was in a majorly fucked up mood and had been all morning. True, I needed to take responsibility for some measure of my ire. It had been my decision to take a leave from the office right before a major meeting with our shareholders, and with more than a few crucial irons in the fire. But the sudden ineptitude of our staff irritated the shit out of me. After a series of emails that basically amounted to everyone running around like headless chickens, I’d finally managed to get everyone back on track. Then fielded a call from Eddie asking if I really needed to be so rude, and hadn’t I said I was going to demonstrate more patience? The staff was only doing their best, after all.
I’d hung up on him and taken my foul mood out to the wraparound porch of the rental house before I permanently burned any bridges. I’d taken possession of a handsome home on Lake Bandit, conveniently furnished by the owner. It hadn’t taken much effort to move my suitcase from Knoxville and settle in it.
I should have been thrilled. My mother and I had joked about living out here in this exclusive area all our lives. We’d driven by the houses, mouths agape, and I’d always asked her which one she wanted me to buy her when I was rich. Being here in this gorgeous house should have been a crowning achievement. A milestone.
But I was beyond irritated. Because of Zora Leffersbee. Every time I closed my eyes, every time I attempted sleep, I remembered how easily she’d come to me in her sleep three days prior on my plane. I couldn’t free myself from the memory of her open palm against my face, my chest, then mere inches from my zipper. I’d forever remember the moment she finally awoke, her hands reflexively tightening on me before she slowly came back to the world. I wanted her to look at me that same way again, open and unguarded. I wanted her friendship, I wanted her love, I wanted her trust.
I needed to touch her again. I needed her touching me again.
Luckily my assistant pulled up the long driveway and interrupted my stewing. He opened the back passenger door for Sir Duke, dripping sweat and stuttering incomprehensibly about the switchbacks he’d navigated along the way. I hadn’t even heard him. It was an overwhelming relief to see Sir Duke racing toward me at the lightning speed for which he was bred.