Love In Secrets (Love Distilled #3) - Scarlett Cole Page 0,78

out of the cupboard while the coffee pot hissed and bubbled.

A knock at the door made her jump. She checked the peephole and saw Orla with her hair in a complex braid and dressed in a navy suit.

“Flowers to wish you luck,” she said, handing her a jar of wildflowers. “Oh, do I smell coffee? I have time for a quick one before I head to court. Are you prepared?”

“These are lovely. Thank you. And to answer your questions, yes, that’s coffee, and yes, I’m prepared.” She opened the door wide to let Orla in. She poured two cups of coffee and handed one to her friend. “I’m hoping the meeting with Elijah goes smoothly. I’ve thought through what I’m going to say. But I’ve arranged interviews with two other firms with vacant positions over the next week or so as backup.”

The first, a similar-sized firm to Elijah’s, was offering a comparable position, but it was all the way in Yonkers. Less than ideal because of the commute. Her only hope would be to confirm the majority of their projects were confined to Manhattan. She really didn’t want to get a car, but nearly an hour spent on the Hudson line wasn’t appealing, either. The second was a smaller firm, but the office was in Hoboken, an easier commute.

“Have you spoken to Jake?” Orla asked, placing her hand on Cassie’s arm.

“No. I haven’t heard from him at all.” Cassie grabbed her bagel from the toaster. “He looked as devastated as I felt when I left him at the airport. I figured we could both do with some space. Beyond telling him I made it home safely, I haven’t tried to contact him.”

She thought about the way he messily applied peanut butter to his bagel instead of smoothing it out, so it was nice and even all the way around. How he somehow managed to eat it in five bites and was finished in a quarter of the time it took her. And she selfishly wondered why he hadn’t messaged her. He hadn’t even responded to her text.

“The sad look on your face hurts my heart. Are you sure you don’t want to even attempt long-distance again?”

“It never felt natural, Orla. Focusing on each other in sprints. Scheduled calls. Keeping notes in between visits of everything you wanted to discuss with them in person.”

Orla placed her cup on the counter. “Maybe if you tried it with the right person, it would feel different. Look, I have to go. I’m around later and want to hear all about your job. Good luck.”

After a shower and a subway ride where the heat and crowds felt disproportionately oppressive, she pulled up outside the office of Walters and Everson. “There are other firms,” she muttered, as she pushed the rotating door to enter. “There are other firms.”

As she said it, she tried to give herself the pep talk. Her skills were great, her track record strong, and that they’d be foolish to not take her back. Yet there was a sliver of commitment missing.

If it didn’t work out, if she didn’t find a place, she could always head back to—

No.

She had to stop thinking of Denver as home all over again.

By the time she reached Elijah’s floor, she was a mess. Her insides felt as though they’d been detonated, her limbs felt as heavy as concrete support beams.

“Cassie.” Elijah’s face revealed nothing as he gestured to the chair across from his desk. “How are you?”

The clipped tone wasn’t unusual, but she knew Elijah well enough to know he wasn’t really interested in her answer, so kept her response brief. “The last six weeks have been a lot, but I’m back and ready to discuss the potential of continuing my work here with you.”

Elijah pressed the tips of his fingers together and brought them to his lips, as if in prayer. Which was probably what she should be doing, given the look on his face. “It’s not quite as straightforward as you put it. We can’t have senior project managers such as yourself, dropping projects and dashing home for months, and taking prolonged periods of leave without prior approval. I made it clear, your request was denied. We were happy to give you the five or even ten days or so to be there for your father. I explained all this to you.”

Cassie sighed. She’d made her peace with having to grovel a little. “You did. I understand you felt you might need to hire for