She looked at him. Warm eyes, soft hair. He was sacrificing a lot by making this offer—literally sacrificing one-third of his company.
He wouldn’t have done that if he didn’t have faith in her, or if he didn’t think she could bring value to HNS. Rohan was generous, yes, but he was a businessman, too. He would never do anything to put HNS at any risk. This offer meant he trusted her.
He also wouldn’t be doing this if his feelings for her went anywhere beyond friendship. What was it he said to her weeks ago?Work isn’t living…I’m never getting involved with a colleague again. It distorts the relationship.
Kamila had admitted to herself that she loved him, but she wasn’t exactly sure what that meant for her. Did she want a relationship with Rohan? A future?
If he wanted to be business partners, that meant he didn’t want that.
This offer proved Rohan cared about her. He valued her. He respected her. He had faith in her. But he didn’t love her.
She exhaled. “Okay. I’ll think about it.”
Jana was at a small table inside the now-empty party room when Kamila went back to look for her. Surprisingly, she was sitting with Anil. Kamila tried to give them a wide berth, not sure how personal their conversation was, but as soon as Jana noticed her, she motioned her over.
“Are you ready for dinner now? I’m starving,” Jana said, standing. “I think this is the hungry part of the pregnancy.”
So apparently Jana actually did intend to eat a meal with Kamila. She hadn’t said it just to save her from Rohan? Remarkable.
Anil stood, too. He put out his hand for Kamila to shake. “Thanks for everything. The party was even better than I had hoped.”
Kamila shook his hand. “It’s a good cause.”
“I’ll be in touch about what we need from your firm. I think this is the beginning of a great working relationship.”
Ha! Marlene must not have spoken to him. She decided not to mention the issues with Emerald’s future right now. “Thanks,” Kamila said.
Anil looked at Jana. “You’ll think about my offer?”
Jana nodded. “All I’m committing to right now is thinking about it.”
He smiled, but it wasn’t the overly charming, confident smile of his. This was insecure but hopeful. “It’s all I can ask. Stay in touch, though. Take care, both of you.”
***
Kamila and Jana ended up going to a lively Japanese izakaya for a late dinner. Kamila was surprised at Jana’s choice—she had assumed Jana would have wanted somewhere quieter and more…boring. Not a rowdy bar with rich fried foods.
“I’ve just discovered this place,” Jana said as they slid into a booth. “I like that you can sit alone at the bar and not stand out. They do really interesting nonalcoholic cocktails. If the baby wants fried tofu and octopus balls, who am I to say no?”
Apparently, prim-and-proper Jana had an adventurous side. At least when it came to her culinary choices. Thatalonecomment was a bit sad, though—Kamila would have had a meal with Jana (despite not even liking her) if she’d known Jana was lonely since she’d come to town. After they’d ordered several small plates and adventurous fresh juice concoctions, Kamila settled back and looked at Jana.
This was supposed to be her enemy—hernemesis. But in the last two days, Jana had seemed to know exactly what Kamila needed before Kamila even did. Actually, even longer. She hadn’t forgotten Jana’s support in the hospital.
Despite knowing Jana all her life, she knew very little about the woman. She’d noticed the perfect grades, the scholarships, and the great jobs. Kamila had only seen the surface of Jana. And apparently, Jana felt as stifled by people’s assumptions about her as Kamila did.
“Thank you, by the way,” Kamila said, after the food arrived. “For coming to the party. Not sure I could have done that alone.”
Jana shrugged. “I came for you, but also a bit for me. This project was supposed to be mine, and I wanted to see it come to fruition.”
“I hope it wasn’t too hard for you to see it all without being involved.”
“Actually, that’s what Anil asked me just now. He wants me to be the managing director of Aim High.”
Kamila’s eyes went wide. “Holy crucifix, he offered you ajob?”
She shrugged. “It’s actually my area of expertise. That app idea I had never got off the ground. I’ve picked up some contract work lecturing, but work in this field in Toronto is scarce. This job is a dream.”
“But would you work with Anil? After everything he did?”
