“It’ll never be over,” he snarled moving closer to her.
She scrambled away from the door until she was on the other side of the room. Holding up her hand, she glared at him, fire in her eyes. “Leave, Leo.Now.”
“You’re making a mistake,” he ground out. “Can’t you see that?”
She refused to speak, but those dark eyes remained fixed on him.
His heart was shattering into a million pieces, and she was the cause of it. Couldn’t she see the damage she was doing to him? To them both? A pained growl burst from his chest as he reached for the knob and yanked the door open, then slammed it shut.
That was not how their conversation was supposed to go. He needed to regroup. Then he’d try again. Leo refused to give up on her.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Kat left without saying goodbye.
She’d called her father and insisted that they could get reports from Jane from this point forward. If they needed to send someone out to the site, they could send Chaz.
Kat didn’t think she could stomach seeing everyone again, especially since she’d left the premises the way she had.
No one got an official goodbye.
Jane had been the only one to know her plan to leave early.
Sonya had received a note so she could tell Leo that Kat wouldn’t be returning.
Yes, Kat was a coward.
She’d never been a coward before. Leo had done something to her—had changed her so innately that there was no way she could recover.
Maybe that was why she hadn’t gone a single day since returning to New York without crying.
There was a knock on her office door, and she quickly swiped at the tears beneath her eyes before she called out, “Come in.”
Keeping her focus trained on the computer before her, she set her hand on her mouse and aimlessly moved it around while clicking every so often to look busy.
It had been a month.
One month had gone by and it was safe to say she was utterly miserable. This was not how following her dreams was meant to feel.
“Good morning, beautiful.”
Kat couldn’t help it. She scowled. Then she lifted her eyes up to see Chaz leaning casually against the door frame. He wore a magnetic grin. Once upon a time, she’d thought he was handsome. She’d considered going on a date with him until she realized that her goals were too important.
Leo had been the only one in her whole life who had her second guessing how she wanted to live her life.
“What do you want, Chaz?’
He brought a hand to his chest, drawing her eye to his expensive five-piece suit. It probably cost more than Leo made in a month working at the ranch. Even from where she sat, she could tell. And for some reason, that fact irritated her. “You wound me, Kat. We’re supposed to be spending this time getting to know one another. I came here to ask you to join me for lunch.”
She turned her attention once more to the computer screen. “Thank you for the invite,” she gritted out, “but I’m swamped.”
“No, you’re not. I’ve seen your schedule. You’re done for the day at one.”
Shutting her eyes against the oncoming migraine she was sure she’d be feeling in the next several minutes, Kat focused on her breathing. “I’m leaving at one so I can attend one of the several appointments with the wedding planner. Right now, I’m working on the changes that are going to take place once you and I take over for my father.”
He perked up at that. “Then perhaps you could use my help.”
Why was he pushing this relationship thing so hard? They were barely friends before she’d left for Montana. Sure, the guy had been flirty, but nothing like this.
