Love In Secrets (Love Distilled #3) - Scarlett Cole Page 0,92
a way to make it easier for you to take some weekends to go see Cass in New York.”
He reached for Em’s hand. “Thanks, sis.”
Thankfully, she took his and held it for a moment. “I hope you’ll understand that I really can’t talk to you anymore about this right now. I’m gonna need to compose myself.”
“I totally get that. You okay, Liv?”
Liv nodded. “I’d like to talk to Em for a minute, if that’s alright?”
“Right. Sure.” The pain that he would shortly not be included in any of the conversation pertaining to the distillery cut through him, but as he left the office and jogged down the stairs toward the exit to get some air, he felt the tightness in his chest relax a fraction. He’d told them, and there was only one person he wanted to tell.
He grabbed his phone and video-called her.
“Hey, sweetie,” Cassie said. And the very sight of her in her hard hat, the way she smiled at him, the way her blue eyes sparkled, eased the pain in his heart a little. “Wait, are you okay?”
He rubbed his hand along his jaw, certain the emotions of the meeting were written on his face. “I told them,” he managed.
“Oh, Jake. How did they take it?” She removed her hard hat and stepped to a place a little quieter.
“About as well as can be expected. I know this is the right thing, Cass. I just didn’t expect it to be so hard to actually do.”
For a moment, she was silent, and a worry flickered through him that she was going to try and talk him out of it. “I didn’t tell you so you’d feel guilty or anything. I just . . . I guess I need to talk to someone about it.”
“I love you, Jake. I love you for doing this, for putting my selfish need to be here for this career ahead of your own.”
“I love you. Em had an idea about building some extra inventory when we finally move into the new building so I can come see you a little more easily.”
“And I’ve been thinking I should find a way to clear some time to get away the occasional weekend too. It shouldn’t be you doing all the work.”
“I’d like that. Seeing I’m not going to be here much longer, it would be good to enjoy it with you and Em and Liv.”
Cassie turned her head to someone off screen and answered a couple of brief questions. “I know this is the worst timing, Jake, but the inspector just arrived, and I really need to go and talk to him. But thank you. For doing this for us. If it’s any consolation, I can’t wait to continue the life we’re going to build together.”
“Yeah, me too, love. I’ll call you tonight.”
She blew him a kiss and waved, and the screen went blank.
I can’t wait to continue the life we’re going to build together.
Neither could he.
He just had to work through the heartbreak of ending the life he currently had to get there.
19
“Cassie Cunningham?” The voice echoed in the lobby of the ConTerra office, a masterpiece of contemporary design with chrome and glass and slabs of poured concrete. Steel girder trusses were paired with laminated timber, which Cassie thought to be made of Douglas fir.
Cassie stood and grabbed her backpack filled with her construction site clothes. “Yes. Good morning.”
“I’m Tessa Summerstone, Mr. Powell’s assistant.” She shook Cassie’s hand firmly. “I’ll take you upstairs.”
“Thank you.”
There was an awkward silence in the elevator as they travelled to the fourth floor. “If you take a seat here, Mr. Powell will be along shortly.”
Cassie chose a chair near the floor-to-ceiling window of the waiting area and picked a piece of white lint off her black pencil skirt. It was early, seven in the morning, her suggestion. She hadn’t told anybody except Bruce that she was attending. Nor had she told Jake about the interview, but her logic, to not jinx herself by talking about it, now seemed ridiculous. Guilt swirled with nerves in her stomach. She’d tell him everything tonight when they spoke, regardless of how the interview went.
“Ms. Cunningham. I’m Mark Powell. Welcome to ConTerra.”
Forty-five minutes later, Cassie’s interview was complete. In an unexpected turn of events, Mark had been approachable, friendly, had asked interesting questions that seemed to go beyond pure construction project management, into architecture and design and contemporary construction methods.
“Thanks so much for agreeing to get together so early, Mark.”