“Thank you. Let me get you pulled up here.”
I turned my back to the desk and rested my elbows on it. Bryson was still on his call, and he had his back to me. I knew that it was probably another one of his clients. As much as he complained about me not being available, that man was just as busy with work as I was. The difference was that he was good at delegating tasks to his staff and prioritizing things in his life.
I wasn’t good at it yet, or more like I was terrified of doing that because I worried it would impact my career. It had always been easier for me to work my butt off proving that I was the qualified candidate, the dedicated employee, the prospective match for the next promotion, and deserving of the highest salary increase when merit increases came around. I had often placed work and familial relationships in the backseat in order to maintain my credibility.
It hadn’t started that way. But after getting passed over for a promotion at twenty-four because I wasn’t available to work late on a weekend on two separate occasions, I changed my flow. Whenever the job needed me, I was there. It became a point of contention between my ex-boyfriend, Brent, and me. After six months of that, the wedding plans we had made were discarded, and I found myself alone in my almost empty apartment after work one night when I arrived.
All he left me was a Dear Joan note, stating that he couldn’t do it anymore. He said that it felt like he was alone in the relationship, and while he tried to wait until I came home to have the conversation, he had been waiting for two months, and the opportunity never presented itself.
I was devastated and heartbroken. Rather than chasing after him and trying to make up with him, I buried myself deeper into my career, allowing it to be a balm to heal my broken heart. Three years later, I met Bryson, and we butted heads in the beginning. After our first date, we immediately connected.
Our passion was fire, the chemistry was off the charts, and we found ourselves screwing every chance that we had, wherever we were. It was hot and heavy like that for the first two years. We bought a home together, and in the third year, we settled into who we were, but we were still passionate. This last year, things fell off. I felt like it was because he wanted to maintain the same level of commitment to his career, but he didn’t want me to. I set out to prove that I could handle it just like he could, only I’d failed miserably.
“Here’s your key card to the cabin and a stack of brochures that tell about all the amenities that we offer here.”
“Are there any restaurants up here aside from the ones on the property?” I asked her as I heard Bryson coming up behind me.
“No. It’s just the resort. Nothing is close to here for another twenty miles.”
“Well, thanks anyway.”
“Thank you both for coming to stay with us. Please let us know if there’s anything we can do to make your stay more comfortable while you’re here,” she stated as she turned and headed through an office door just as more guests arrived.
I turned and saw an odd expression on Bryson’s face. “You okay, baby?”
“Uh, . . . yeah, I’m good. Come on.”
Chapter 10
Bryse
FRIDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 10TH
“Good morning, beautiful,” I greeted her the next morning.
“Good morning. Aww, you’re so sweet,” she murmured sleepily through a yawn as she stretched.
“I went up to the B&B and picked up breakfast for us. One of the staff there was kind enough to give me this tray so that I could bring it back to you and serve you in bed.”
“Where’d you get the tulip? I don’t recall seeing any.”
“They’re on the walking path leading back to our cabin. We drove back down from the B&B last night, so we didn’t see them. But they’re all along the path.”
“That’s odd,” she stated, picking it up and holding it to her nose. I watched as she inhaled it and closed her eyes with the sweetest smile on those full lips.
“Why?”
“Tulips are generally in season from March to May.”
I shrugged. “I’m sure they pay their gardener a pretty penny to keep them in season all year round then.”
“I guess. Did you get anything to eat?” she teased, lifting the top off the plates to find bacon, eggs, sausage, waffles, and fruit.
“Girl, scoot over so I can get in here with you.”
She did as I requested and immediately started eating.
“Did you sleep well?” she asked.
