Love In Secrets (Love Distilled #3) - Scarlett Cole Page 0,31

that, Elijah. I need a leave of absence.”

Her request was met with silence beyond the quiet huff of Elijah’s breathing. She knew there was no point in saying anything else.

“I don’t know what to say, Cassie. I gave you a shot on The Grosvenor and as soon as I ask you to clean up the school for me, you suddenly need a long break in Denver. If I’d left you on The Grosvenor, you’d have been back here like a shot.”

Maybe she would have, maybe she wouldn’t. “I’m not going to lie to you, Elijah. The decision would have been a lot harder for sure, but I think I would have still come to the same conclusion. My dad needs me. His company needs me.”

“Ah, Cunningham Construction. You might find smaller projects more your speed.”

“Elijah, please don’t make this difficult. I got an exceptional review. I love my job. It kills me to be off The Grosvenor and I would have got the school done in time just to get back on to it, but I can’t leave my dad in the hospital with no one to steer his ship. I’m asking for four weeks . . . five, tops.”

“The truth is, Cass, I can’t give you that. I’m going to have to fill the gap while you’re gone, and I don’t know if I can find someone temporary to do it. The school can’t wait. I’ll have to take a look and figure it out.”

Shock hit her first, swiftly followed by the realization he wasn’t agreeing to a leave of absence. “You’re firing me?”

Elijah had the audacity to bark out a laugh. “God, no. You’re choosing to leave. I might have made another week work, but our project plate is really full. No one can cover for you. You’re leaving me with no choice. I need to interview and find someone, but I’ll be moving quickly.”

Desperate, she began to mentally flip through options.

“Is there no way I can manage portions of this remotely like I have been doing? Bruce is a great site manager, he can work with me and—”

“You forget Brandon is now on The Grosvenor.”

Shit.

“What if you start looking, but before you hire the person, we chat again? One of my first tasks here is to recruit to fill the gaps my dad has. With a full team, he will need less support, maybe I could come back earlier.”

Elijah huffed again. “I suppose there is no harm in that. But, if I find a more qualified candidate than you, it would be difficult to justify not hiring them.”

Anger scratched the back of her throat, making it dry. “You know I’m really fucking good at my job. I hope you’ll remember that when you look at these candidates. I’m coming back to New York, Elijah. I still have my apartment. And if I can’t work for you, I’ll work for someone else.”

“You're welcome to apply, but it won’t go over well when word on the street is you let the school project fall apart.”

“You wouldn’t . . .” But the words dried up. Of course he wouldn’t let his nephew take the fall for the school. And he certainly wouldn’t go to any lengths on her behalf to clarify that a family emergency had caused her to request time off. No, he’d leave her hanging. She wanted to yell about how unfair it was, but he’d simply remind her life wasn’t fair. She wanted to throw something, but he’d call her temperamental. She wanted to call him an asshole, but she wanted a path back to The Grosvenor more. If she could oversee that project from start to finish, her resume would open so many more doors.

“I have to go, Cass. I’ll start looking for a replacement, and you’ll try and get here before I find someone. Otherwise, I feel like we’re done.”

The phone line died before she had a chance to say anything more.

Her limbs felt as though she’d spent a day using an industrial jackhammer. Everything still vibrated within her, sounds were deadened. She walked to Jake’s sofa, sank down into the soft, brown suede, and put her head in her hands.

She’d just torpedoed her career.

Her freaking career.

Tears stung her eyes, threatening to spill over. She hadn’t cried through any of this, not once. Not when she’d gotten the call from Jake. Not when she’d seen her dad for the first time in the hospital. She wasn’t going to cry now. She’d planned to see her