Abby sniffled. “Same, but how do I work here knowing what they’ve said? A few I considered friends.”
I completely understand, but I try to come up with something. I can’t slap sense into them, which means I have to do something else that would work similarly. I do know onething I can do, something I didn’t want to tell her yet. I almost started to on Christmas but was interrupted. Unfortunately, I don’t have a choice now. “Do you really want to leave the job you love?”
“No, I really do enjoy working for this company.”
That’s all I needed to hear. “What if there’s another option?”
Confusion flickers across her face. “What?”
I take a deep breath. This isn’t how I wanted to tell her the truth about my family and their roles at the company, but I have no other choice. “My family owns the company. We could transfer to the corporate headquarters, where no one will care if we’re dating. I’m sure they’d love having you closer.”
Her forehead creases. “I don’t understand. The founder isn’t a Barrington. It’s George—”
“My mother’s father,” I explain, watching her eyes widen with understanding. “My grandfather, and his brothers are Ross and Rusty.”
The confusion in her eyes turns into hurt. “You didn’t tell me.”
It’s not a question. I pause, considering my words carefully. I don’t want to make things worse. “Does it matter?”
“Yes… No… Maybe,” she stammers, clearly conflicted.
I reach for her hand, relieved when she doesn’t pull away. “I told you how I’ve felt about you from the beginning. That’s the truth that matters.”
Abby is quiet, her gaze dropping to our joined hands. Then, unexpectedly, a small smile tugs at her lips. “If you’d said anything, especially in front of my family, Rachel would have dumped Jake in a heartbeat and made a play for you.”
We both laugh, the tension easing slightly. It reminds me how far we’ve come, from boss and employee to boyfriend and girlfriend.
“Want to think about it?” I ask, hope creeping into my voice despite my efforts to remain neutral.
She nods. “I do.”
“Take all the time you need. I’ll be in my office if you want to talk more. Otherwise, I’ll come over tonight with takeout if you don’t have other plans.”
She nods again, and I reluctantly leave.
I close her door behind me. As I do, I notice a few curious glances. Let them look. We’ve done nothing wrong. We have nothing to be ashamed of.
As I leave, I don’t know what else I can do other than offer Abby another way out of this mess. I want us to stay together, too. Selfish? Completely, and her need to think about a transfer worries me. Will we even have a chance now?
I enter my office and leave the door ajar, remembering what Abby said about being more available to employees, even though I’m upset at those gossiping about us. I plop into my chair and try to think of what else I can do. Calling Grandpa pops into my head, but he put me here to turn the office around. I should at least try to handle it before asking for help.
Maybe I should get ready for the conference call that’s happening in minutes.
An hour passes, then two. Somehow I sounded professional on the call, but I’ve made little progress on anything else. My mind constantly drifts to Abby. My gut tells me to check on her, but I don’t want to appear pushy. This is her career and her decision to make, not mine.
A knock sounds at my door.
“Come in,” I call, not expecting anyone.
Abby enters and closes the door behind her. Her eyes are red-rimmed but dry, and the determined set to her jaw wasn’t there earlier.
She takes a seat on the other side of my desk. “I’ve been thinking.”
I lean forward. “Come to any decision?”
She takes a deep breath. “I appreciate the offer to transfer, John. But I can’t do that. Even though my first instinct was to quit, I can’t run away from this.”
My heart cracks. I can’t imagine she’ll want to continue dating if we’re both working here. “I understand.”
