It was literally a lost cause. I figured though that I could stay mad at Sam forever and have her continue the cycle of calling me literally every day and send me a million messages begging for forgiveness, or I could just talk to her.

  It had been three months since we last spoke.

  That was a really long time for people who used to live together and see each other every day.

  It was her persistence that got me, I suppose, and maybe I felt like I was in a better place in my mind because of Hunter.

  Weeks ago, when we’d decided to push the whole idea about the job aside, I didn’t know that it was going to be the best decision I’d ever made.

  I looked out my kitchen window as the rain started to pour. He’d be here in a minute. We were going to make a Mexican feast. He said we needed some fancy French wine to go with it. I didn’t argue since that man had proven to me more than once that he knew his stuff when it came to food. So, French wine with a Mexican feast was happening.

  “I’m just glad we’re talking. I have some news I wanted to tell you in person, but this works.”

  “Are you pregnant?” That was the kind of news you shared in person, and that would be the next thing to happen to her.

  “No, I’m not pregnant, and I’m not seeing anybody either. I got a job with an advertising company.”

  She had an advertising and marketing degree and never used it. Sam was one of these women who thought life was better having a guy around to take care of you.

  That was the crux of her problems. She’d gone to college for the life experience, and she did whatever was popular just because it was popular.

  This was new.

  “That’s good.”

  “It’s better than good. I started last month, and I’ve already moved up to a promotion. It turns out I’m good after all with my skills in advertising. I landed a campaign with Nike.”

  God, that was better than good. “Sam, that’s amazing.”

  “Thank you. But that’s not all I wanted to tell you. Or even the good part. What I wanted you to know is that I’m going to find a way to pay you back. I have two thousand dollars so far, and I’m going to put aside five hundred dollars every month. I figured by the end of next year, I should be able to pay you back close to ten grand.”

  I sighed and slid onto the kitchen stool. It was very noble of her, and I would have most likely done the same thing, but it didn’t feel right to accept.

  “I didn’t want you to have to do that, Sam. Thank you for trying to make this right, but the real culprit here if Bane.”

  “No, actually, the real culprit is me. It was my fault he was able to get into your account. I told him your password. Me in a stupid drunken state told him. So, it really is my fault. I should never have allowed that to happen.”

  “It doesn’t feel right that you pay me back.”

  “It feels right for me. Jia, it’s not just that. Let’s not pretend that this is the first time I’ve screwed up. It’s been years of it.”

  I was glad she could see that now. It was a horrible thing to have to point out to someone.

  “I’m glad you got this job, Sam. I’m proud of you for getting it. How about we see how we go with you paying back.”

  Considering the time was fast approaching when I would most likely not have a job, I knew I probably wasn’t in the position to say anything like that. Realistically, I should take whatever money I could get.

  Things weren’t bad financially yet, but they would get there the minute I stopped getting paid. I knew I sounded like I’d already accepted defeat, but I had to be realistic. Hunter’s talent was through the roof, and dare I say it, better than mine.

  He was better than me, and I knew that once we got placed in that room at the end of this journey of ours, the difference would be very evident.

  “This is going to happen, Jia. You’re too nice a person to tell me you want your money. I’m going to be the friend I should have been years ago. I don’t even know how you are.”

  That was true, and I wouldn’t know how to begin to describe my situation with Hunter, so best not to try.

  I could tell her this part though. “I met someone.”

  “Really, oh my gosh! What’s he like?”

  “Dreamy. He’s English and has that sexy presence about him that I love. It doesn’t hurt either that he looks like a cross between Brad Pitt and Thor.”

  “Whaaat! Oh my God, he sounds perfect for you. You’re obsessed with Brad Pitt.” She giggled.

  I smiled to myself. I kind of missed this between us. It was nice to have it back.

  The front door opened, and I looked on languidly as my dream man made his way into the kitchen. He held up the bottle of wine and smiled with triumph.

  “Hey, I gotta go. He’s here.”

  “You sound happy, my friend.” Sam laughed.

  “I am. Speak soon.”

  Hunter set the bottle on the counter and came up behind me to smooth his big, strong arms around my waist. He nuzzled his face in the crook of my neck and kissed me.

  “I want you,” he spoke against my skin. His warm breath tickled me.

  “You have me, but you’re going to get a very cranky Jia if we don’t move on to this food now.”

  “How about I cook it, and you can put your feet up? Just sit on the sofa and look pretty for me.”

  I turned into his embrace. “You really are the perfect man.”

  “I’m glad my lady thinks so.” He took my hand and led me to the sofa, where he sat me down.

  This was nice. It was nice, and it felt right to be with him like this.

  I was happy. For the first time in my life, I was happy, but I couldn’t ignore the shadow across my heart.

  This agreement we had to keep work separate worked both ways. It was a good concept because we literally didn’t talk about work, but at the same time, I needed someone I could talk to about it.

  He started to cook, and within an hour, he indeed had a feast laid out before me on the dinner table. He’d made burritos, enchiladas, and quesadillas with mini shrimp tacos.

  I was grateful I’d left the cooking to him.

  “Is there anything you do that’s not good? Because I have so many flaws. It would be good to know you’re at the very least human.” I laughed and took a sip of wine, which tasted fantastic.

  “I’m human, love, and I don’t know what flaws you’re talking about because I have the perfect woman right here in front of me.”

  I moved to sit in his lap, and he held me close. “Thank you, Hunter Kane, for another amazing evening. I don’t know what I’ll do when I don’t have you.” Maybe it was the wine, but I was starting to speak my mind, and I wished I hadn’t said that.

  “What makes you think you won’t have me? Something I should know?” Concern washed over his handsome features.

  “No, I’m just being realistic, is all. You’re super talented.”

  “So are you. Hey, do you want to talk about the project? We have just a month. How’s it coming?”

  I laughed and wasn’t sure if I should answer that question. “It’s not.”

  “What do you mean?”

  I got off his lap and walked over to the window bay. He joined me and sat opposite me.

  “Jia, talk to me.”

  His voice seeped into me like always. Luring me into that safe haven. I thought maybe it wouldn’t hurt to talk within reason.

  “We know the answers to two questions. I can’t figure out the other stuff, and because I can’t, I don’t know what I’m supposed to paint.” That was the truth. When I got the inspiration to do something, I could paint it all in a day or two depending on what it was. We had those last two weeks to prep and get everything sorted out, but Carla was right. It would have been better to come up with an idea well before now.

  We had another month. The time had come around so quickly. It flew by. Literally flew by. There would be two weeks left of the tour, and then we’d have two weeks to finish up our projects.

  He tilted his head to the side, and his hair fell forward.

  “Does it help to know that I haven’t come up with anything yet either?”

  I gasped. “You’re kidding. But you said you were working on it a few weeks back.”

  “I did, and I came up with nothing. Like you, I can’t figure out the other stuff, and it’s fruitless to only go into it half-hearted. And clearly, we missed whatever it was we were supposed to see.”

  I nodded, agreeing completely because we were supposed to have all the information by the third exhibition. That had come and gone weeks ago. Months even. That was the Pieces of Purple exhibit done by Cora. I hadn’t seen anything significant, and while Stephan had calmed down with his visits, he still made himself available to me for questions.

  Hunter didn’t like that, so I’d limited my interaction with him. I also hadn’t told him Stephan and I had been a couple because I figured it would make him crazy. Plus, there was also the painful memories around that, that I saw as part of the same problem.

  “What if we watch a recording of the third exhibition?” That was the only thing we could really do at this late stage.

  “That could work, but thinking back, I really don’t know what we missed.” He ran his hand over his beard and leaned forward.

  “Could it be that we were so wrapped up in each other that we missed it?” I offered because when I thought back to a few weeks ago, if we weren’t sneaking off to the basement, we were sneaking out for an early night. We’d end up in bed here or at his place, or a few times, we just parked in an alley and had sex in his car.

  I couldn’t exactly complain about having a relationship that was hot like fire, but damn, it really could be that we’d missed important stuff because we got lost in each other.

  “Come here.” He beckoned for me to go to him, and I moved to sit in his lap. “We’ll watch the recording and see what we missed. Then maybe we can have some piece of mind. Honestly, I can’t wait for it to be over.”

  I looked up at him, looking over his truly handsome face. If he ever knew how worried I was about the end, he wouldn’t say that.

  “I think you’ll get it.” I smiled at him.

  He pressed his chin to the top of my head. “I think you’ll get it.”

  “You more than me.”

  “No, you.”

  I lifted my head up, so I could kiss him. “I want you to get it. You want it badly.”

  He laughed and turned me to face him. “There’s only one thing I want badly right now.”

  “What could that be?” I had to say I was eager to find out because of the way he’d put it. I thought he wanted the job badly. Hearing there was something else got me real interested.

  “You,” he replied effortlessly, stunning me.

  Now, it was the way he was looking at me that got me ... more than interested, and the look made me feel a little uneasy. “You’re sweet.”

  “I’m ... serious. I’m bloody serious, Jia. But hey, job sounds good too. How about we help each other get those last clues? I think I’m inclined to agree with you that maybe we were a little preoccupied with each other during that show.”

  I chuckled, although what he’d said before was still on my mind. “Thank you. Also, you have me. Can’t think why you’d want me, but you pick your poison.”

  “Hey, don’t make yourself sound like that.” His hair brushed against my face, tickling me. I moved back laughing, but he pulled me to him again.

  “Okay, I’ll be whatever you want me to be. I guess I must be just as bad as you, because I want you badly too.” Being with him made me speak my heart, maybe more than I should.

  I had the worst examples of relationships around me growing up, but what I was glad for was that I’d never allowed it to affect my perception of what I hoped for, for myself.

  I didn’t walk around with my heart closed. I was just sensible.

  And I was being sensible now. I liked him, a lot. That was okay.

  “Well, love, you got me badly, in case you didn’t notice. So... I was thinking...” He raised his brows and gave me an expectant look.

  “What were you thinking?”

  “About Christmas. You haven’t said what you’re doing. I’ve decided not to go to England this year.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, my family are still all weird about my decision to do art. My mom’s okay, and my brother. It’s my dad though. I don’t want to have to deal with all the tension and whatever. Plus, the week before is when we have to present our portfolio. I need peace of mind to do that.”

  “I get it. I do.”

  “Are you going back to Atlanta to see your family?”

  My family. I held his gaze, realizing that I’d kind of never really much talked about my family with him. He knew my mom, Todd, and Grams died, and that Lana was my niece, but the way I’d told him the story left out all the horrible details. I didn’t tell him that it was Todd’s death that made me leave Impasso to take care of Lana, and made it sound like I still had some family left back home. I’d said my father and I didn’t see each other much. That was what I’d told him.

  The truth was something I didn’t share with anyone. Sam knew, and Bernice, but that was the limit.

  “No, I’m not. I thought maybe I would meet Lana, and we could do something from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day, but she’s gotten involved with this on-campus group for people who are going to be on campus for the holidays. There’s a guy in the group she’s into. She was excited about staying, so I thought I’d allow her to do that.”

  It would be the first Christmas in years we didn’t spend together, but she was cool about it, and I understood her motives. I was an eighteen-year-old girl once, and if there was a guy I liked, I would for sure pick seeing him over spending Christmas with my family.

  “What about your dad? Won’t he miss you?”

  Maybe I should have explained that part more to him and let him know I didn’t exactly have a father. An unwanted memory filtered into my mind. It was of that day at the park when I’d last seen him. He was with his family. The family he wanted. The wife and two girls, who were just a little older than me.

  I was ten at the time and wearing rags. The girls wore beautiful dresses.

  Mom had taken me with her to ask him for money. The way he cursed her that day in front of everyone, in front of me, was awful.

  He called me a thing. Told her to never bring that thing back to see him and to stay away from him and his family, then he called her a whore who tricked him. I didn’t even know what that meant.

  He called her that and made us both feel like the nothing we were.

  I remembered watching him ushering away his wife and the two girls, taking them away from us.

  Hunter touched my face, and I blinked. The memory faded, and I came back to reality.

  “Hey.” He tweaked my nose playfully. “We’re you thinking about it? Cos if your dad won’t miss you too much, I was wondering if I could steal you from him, and maybe you could spend Christmas with me.”

  “Really?” I beamed, loving the idea. “You’d want to spend Christmas with me?”

  “Yeah, I’ll make scones.”

  “Yes, I’d love that. Yayyy.”

  “Yayyy me. I promise to make it good, with all kinds of food.”

  “I’ll cook too. I make really good pigs in blankets.”

  “Okay, lady, looks like we’re spending Christmas together.”

  It sounded good, although the week before would see us getting the long awaited answer on who would get the job.

  I wasn’t sure what sort of Christmas we would have with such tension.

  But hey.

  I’d play...

  God.

  Chapter 18

  Hunter

  I grabbed the basketball as Devon shot it my way.

  Patterson was fixed on it though. Tonight, we were playing on opposite teams. That kid was good, and I saw him going places in a big way.

  I got the ball and could have easily continued with it to the hoop, or even try a shot from the distance, near the center.

  I was pretty certain that at this distance, I would have scored, but I knew what it meant to him to get the ball. He wanted to play pro one day, and I could absolutely see that happening.

  He’d had a rough time recently with his parents’ divorce and his father wanting him to study medicine while his mother encouraged him to play basketball. I knew what that was like all too well.

  I figured the guy deserved a break when I pretended to launch the ball at Jack, knowing Patterson would catch it.

  He did. The kid jumped and took the ball like he owned, it and from where he was, not that far from me, he shot the ball through the air.

  I stood watching it spin and definitely wasn’t surprised when it went through the hoop effortlessly, winning him the game.

  His team cheered, and I laughed.

  Devon came up to me and landed a hand on my back. He leaned in close to my ear.

  “I know what you did,” he muttered.

  I winked at him. “We keep that between us.”

  Devon chuckled.

  While the guys headed to the changing room, we hung back to talk and clean up the court. There were only a few more weeks like this until we closed for the holidays.

  We sat on the last bench on the bleachers when Devon tossed me a bottle of ice-cold water. I downed the thing within minutes. He laughed and tossed me another bottle.

  “I love that we play hard.” Devon laughed.

  “There’s no other way.”

  “So, you know I’m going to ask about your girl, right?” A curious smile lit up my friend’s face. I’d told him about Jia. I had to. Over the last few months, he’d noticed how I was always busy and away, or not answering my phone.

  I tried not to smile, but I failed miserably. I went from pressing my lips together to grinning like an idiot.

  “What about her?”

  Devon laughed. “Look at you. You should see your face. Glad to see you took my advice on finding a decent woman.”

  “Hey, I found her well before you gave that advice.” That was true.

 

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