“Right,” he says. He sounds flustered. Why would he be flustered and calling me? My stomach turns in knots as Nan’s words echo.You shouldn’t be wasting your time with men you have no intention of dating.He wouldn’t be trying to blur lines—there’s no way. Despite my denial, my mouth is dry as I speak.
“Is it something with the Scented Acres account?”
“Well, no. But also yes.”
What is with people and that damn answer today? It’s either yes or no.
“What happened?”
“I emailed the apology we wrote together, and Tom asked for a personal call this afternoon.”
“And the phone call didn’t go well?”
“Oh, it went fine. At first anyway.”
“But . . .” My patience with leading this conversation is growing thin.
A heavy sigh is the only answer on the other end of the line, and my heartrate kicks up. What could be stressing him out this much? I run over the apology in my head. It was damn near perfect—heartfelt without groveling, and while it might have been clear it wasn’t written by Brad, separating him from this was the right call. I’m certain.
Pacing the patio is little more than two steps in either direction, so I sink into one of the outdoor chairs and balance my elbows on my knees.
“Noah, just tell me what happened.”
“They invited us to come out for a face to face meeting. Tom wants to meet us.”
I frown. I don’t know why this would be as problematic as Noah is making it sound. A little unconventional, sure, but worth all this worry? Unlikely. He takes my silence as reason to continue.
“I know travel wasn’t part of our agreement, but I will make sure you are paid, time and a half even, if you want it, for every hour we spend preparing for or being on this trip.”
Oh. Tom invitedus.Together. Me and Noah. On a business trip. Overnight and out of state. Now the nervousness makes sense.
“He invited us to visit next weekend, and into the following week. Something about an annual festival he and his wife host. I think I spoke about us so much as a team that he assumed you would accompany me, and after he extended the invitation to stay at the farm, I didn’t know how to turn him down. I can ifyou’re totally against it, or I’ll find an appropriate way to decline your half of the invitation. In fact, I’m sorry I even bothered you with the call, never mind. I’ll take care of it. Have a good rest of your weekend, Charlotte.”
His voice is so rattled, his words rapid fire, and I just need a second.
“Wait.”
What am I doing? He’s quiet as I tick through all the reasons why what I’m about to say is a terrible idea, none of them feeling like enough to stop me.
“Charlotte?”
I shake my head, sitting up a little. He sounds concerned, and I fight the swirl of nerves cresting at the notion he might be concerned aboutme. I don’t need his concern, and I should be mad, not flattered by it.
“You’re panicking because you’re afraid I won’t want to go on a business trip?”
“Well, I suppose . . . yes. But like I said, I shouldn’t have. I’ll let them know I would love to come alone. I’m sure they’ll understand the need for someone to stay behind to look after the store launch.”
“Don’t. Just wait. Give me a minute to think.”
He doesn’t, his question hitting me square in the chest.
“Do you want to go?”
I shouldn’t want to go, but I do. I choose my words carefully.
“For the brand’s sake, it would probably be best to present a unified front. And if they invited us both, we probably shouldn’t decline that. You said it yourself, this relationship is important, and if this is how Tom does business, then we need to make sure it’s sound.”
Noah is quiet for a moment, before his earnest curiosity starts a new fire of nerves.
