“Hey, Jake,” I manage, forcing my voice into a casual register that belies the earthquake happening inside my chest. No need to let him know I’ve been counting hours since his disappearance.
Jake’s smile emerges slowly, hesitantly. “How have you been?”
“Surviving,” I answer with a half-shrug. “You?”
He stands before me, mail clutched in one hand, as if searching for the right words. “I owe you an apology,” he finally says. “I should have told you earlier.”
What he did for me—sacrificing his reputation, claiming my work as his own to protect me from his uncle’s fraud investigation—sits like a stone in my throat, impossible to swallow or spit out. The resentment I’d held onto for four years, the anger I’d used to barricade my heart, has dissolved into a raw, unbridled urge to cross the hallway between us and fall back into everything we once were.
“Why didn’t you?” I ask.
“I didn’t really know how to deal with it.” His shoulders slump forward. I’ve only seen him look this defeated twice in my life: during his video confession, and now.
Shaking his head, he continues, “And I was convinced you wouldn’t come back here—that you’d stay in New York and start a career, probably meet a great guy. I didn’t want to get in the way of that.”
My feet carry me toward him. “You can’t just assume things and make decisions for me. The right thing to do was to let me choose for myself.”
“I should have done a lot of things differently,” Jake admits, his blue eyes full of regret.
“Will you come back to your apartment?” I don’t want us to be strangers anymore. Four years of silence and distance have carved enough emptiness between us to last a lifetime. But pushing too hard might shatter whatever fragile bridge we’re building across this chasm.
Jake’s gaze drops to the floor. “I’ve done enough damage here,” he replies.
Hearing those words from his lips cuts deeper than expected, like a paper cut on an already bruised heart. My job at Lanter Bridge teeters on a precarious edge; I don’t want to stay on Tim’s team with their whispered plots and exclusionary tactics. But I understand—Jake wants a fresh start away from the drama our history created.
“Jake, I know it’s my fau—“ I begin.
“How is it going on Tim’s team?” The deliberate subject change hangs obvious between us. If he doesn’t want to discuss our relationship, I won’t force the issue.
Pulling my shoulders back, I try a different approach. “They’re up to something,” I tell him, leaning forward. “I think they’re trying to hurt you in some way.”
Jake brushes off my concern with a half-smile. “Don’t worry. It’s always been this way between me and him. Just a friendly competition. They wouldn’t risk their own reputations like that.”
“I’m serious, Jake,” I insist, frustration threading through my voice. “You need to be careful and you need to look into it. They are planning something—I overheard Tim at the anniversary party.”
“Sarah,” he sighs, his hand rising to rub the back of his neck. “You’re reading too much into it.”
I stand my ground. “I’m not. I’ve been watching them—how they keep things from me, how they whisper. It doesn’t feel normal.” My hand reaches automatically to him, but I catch myself, stopping mid-air between us.
Jake’s nod feels patronizing. “If they are planning something, let the best man win.”
“Jake—“
“I should get back to work,” he interrupts, glancing at his watch. “The presentations are coming up soon, and we have plenty of prep to do.” He waves goodbye and turns toward the door.
“Why won’t you listen to me?” I call after him.
He pauses at the entrance before turning to face me. “Let it go, Sarah. I know how much this job means to you. Had I been honest with Judy about... never mind. You deserve to be here, and I won’t stand in your way.”
Is that what he thinks this is about? That I’m worried about my own career?
“Jake—“
“See you around,” he says before stepping outside, the door swinging shut behind him.
If Jake won’t listen to reason, then I need concrete evidence of Tim’s sabotage—hard, undeniable proof that even the most stubborn, self-sacrificing man in Arkansas can’t ignore, becauseI will be damned before I let him fall on another sword for me again.
Chapter 21
