“Um…”
“My assistant Marissa is fantastic with research. After we check out some properties today, come back to the office with me and we’ll sit down with her and let her know what you’re planning. She’ll do everything she can to gather the data we need to put in with the bank.” He winked. “Don’t worry. You’ve got this.”
With a weak smile, she said, “It sounds more like you’ve got this. I feel like I’m in over my head.”
He squeezed her hand again. “It’s always a little daunting starting something new—especially a business. But I promise you’re not going to have to go through it alone. You’ll have a ton of people on your side helping you navigate everything if you decide this is what you want to do.”
When Ryleigh first mentioned it, the idea intrigued her. The more she thought about it, the more excited she got.
And then terrified, and then excited again.
It was an absolute roller coaster ride and she still hadn’t decided if she wanted to stay on or jump off.
Turning her hand in his, she gave it a little squeeze too. “You have no idea how much that means to me. Just know you’ll probably have to remind me of that like a hundred times a day.”
“You got it,” he told her.
Someone cleared their throat to get their attention, and Fallon felt like the floor had dropped out beneath her when she turned and saw Jamie standing beside their table. She slowly pulled her hand from Patrick’s and noticed how Jamie’s eyes followed that movement.
“Hey,” Patrick said with an easy grin. “I thought you had the day off today.”
“I do, but I needed to come in and do some payroll stuff. I’ve got Asher with me, but Uncle Ronan’s got him at the moment.”
Fallon glanced toward the bar and couldn’t help but smile at how Ronan was cradling the baby and showing him around behind the bar.
“So? You two look cozy,” Jamie said with a hint of disdain. “What’s going on?”
Patrick looked at her and she hoped the panicked look in her eye conveyed that she didn’t want anyone knowing about but she was working on.
“I have a client who is thinking of opening a daycare center here in town,” Patrick said smoothly. “They didn’t seem to know a lot about the process and I’m trying to help as much as I can, so I thought I’d talk to Fallon. With her degree, I knew she’d be able to answer a lot of my questions.”
She almost sagged with relief and knew she’d have to thank him profusely when they were alone again.
“Plus, I knew it was pot roast day here and you know it’s my favorite,” he went on, “and it just made sense to meet here. We were just…” His words were cut off by the sound of his phone ringing. Frowning at the screen, he slid out of the booth. “Um…excuse me for a moment. Sorry, Fallon.” And then he was gone.
Dammit.
Unable to look up at him, Fallon studied her hands as she clasped them on the table.
“So, um…how’ve you been?” Jamie asked as he took his brother’s seat.
With no other choice, she glanced up and her heart kicked hard in her chest. “Good,” she said, hating how shaky and breathless she sounded. “How’s Asher doing?”
Not that she had to ask. She’d seen him every day for the last several days.
“He’s good. He had some colic issues last night, so neither of us got much sleep, but…other than that, he’s awesome.”
Nodding, she said, “That’s good.”
It was an awkward silence and she prayed Patrick would come back soon, but as she looked around, she didn’t see him anywhere.
“Yeah, um…when he gets a call, he tends to walk outside,” Jamie explained. “No one knows why, but it happens like that all the time.” He paused. “Have you ordered lunch yet?”
“No. We were just talking and no one came over to take our orders yet.”
“Let me get you something to drink at least, and then I’ll send Sadie over to…”
“Jamie,” she interrupted. “It’s okay. I can wait for Patrick.”
“You might be waiting a while.”
She really hoped not.
“I’ll be fine. I’m sure you need to get to that payroll stuff,” she prompted, hoping he’d take the hint. “And your uncle won’t be able to amuse Asher for long, so…”
He nodded, and Fallon watched as he started to slide out of the booth. She held her breath and prayed he’d keep going, but…he stopped.
“I miss you,” he said gruffly.
Everything in her stilled. The words secretly thrilled her, but…this was what Jamie did best. He’d schmooze and charm, and she couldn’t allow herself to be taken in again. That’s why she held her tongue and said nothing.
“I…I just wanted you to know,” he said after a moment. “I know I messed everything up, but…I’d really like the chance for us to sit down and talk sometime. Maybe you can come over for dinner, and…”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Okay, we can go out someplace…that restaurant we went to in Beaufort…”
She shook her head.
“Or the coffeehouse…”
Again, she shook her head. “Jamie, I just don’t feel like there’s anything to say that won’t cause an argument. And honestly, I’m tired of fighting with you.” Her shoulders sagged. “I can’t keep fighting with you,” she corrected. “I have to focus on my own life right now and…and I’m sorry if you’re struggling to find childcare, but I can’t help you again. I’m sorry.”
His expression was bleak. “It had nothing to do with childcare and everything to do with the fact that I miss you, Fallon. I miss seeing you and talking with you…I miss laughing with you and sleeping beside you.” He swallowed hard. “You left a giant hole in my life and even if you can’t forgive me, I’d hate to think that we lost everything—even the tentative friendship we finally achieved.”
She laughed softly. “I miss you too,” she admitted. “But the only way I’m going to move on and feel good about myself is if I stop looking back. You and I will never see eye to eye on things and while I respect that and know that no two people can agree on everything, some of those things aren’t ones I can live with on a daily basis.”
He nodded. “Yeah, I know.” Sliding a little more out of the booth, he paused one more time. “If you ever want to come by and see Asher, I promise I can arrange for Ryleigh or Ari to do it if you don’t want to see me. I hope it doesn’t come to that, but I’ll accept it if it does.”
All she could do was nod and whisper, “Thanks.”
“Let me go and get you a drink.” He glanced toward the door. “Here comes Patrick. I’ll make sure Sadie comes over to get your orders.”
“Thanks, Jamie,” she said and their gazes held for a long moment. It felt like a lifetime since they’d looked at each other like that, and it felt like they were the only ones in the room.
“Wow, sorry about that!” Patrick said as he walked back over. He clapped Jamie on the back. “Can you send someone over to take our orders? I’ve got some showings in an hour that I need to get to.”