“I thought they liked the wholesmall-town girl falls for?—”
“Spin, remember?”
I glared at him, trying to reconcile this calm, detached man with the one who’d once flooded my phone with attention and promises and declarations of love.
“So, that’s it?”
“Should there be more?”
I shook my head. “No,” I said quietly. “I guess not.”
“Look, Jess.” He exhaled slowly. “I know this probably seems a little…”
“Cold?”
“I was going to say controlled.”
I shrugged.
“The reality is, we’re both tied to this, and if we’re going to salvage it, we need to be a unified front.”
I blew out a breath.
“You signed contracts,” he said calmly. “You’ve already made this harder than it needed to be. You’ve had your childish dramatics; now it’s time to grow up. If this project falls apart, it doesn’t just hurt me. It hurtsyou. Professionally and financially.”
Already moving for the door, he didn’t wait for my reply; it didn’t matter. He was right and he knew it.
“And Jess?” He paused, his hand on the door handle. “Given where a lot of your investment came from,” he continued, “I’d think very carefully before making any more emotional decisions.”
There it was. The quiet threat wrapped up in reason. Very on brand for Trevor.
The door shut behind him before I could respond.
I sat there for a long time, my coffee growing cold in my mug as the weight of his words settled over me.
My phone buzzed softly on the coffee table. I looked down, my chest tightening when I saw Preston’s name.
Preston:
I’m glad you got home okay.
I smiled, surprised by the flicker of disappointment that he hadn’t said more. Although I’m not sure what I was expecting.
Before I set my phone down, another text came through.
I’m always here if you need me.
I held the phone for a moment longer than necessary, my thumb hovering over the screen before I finally set it down without responding.
It didn’t mean anything. We’d said one night. We were friends. He’d helped me out when I needed it, nothing more.
Still, I couldn’t help but wonder whether itdidmean something. Or whether it could.
I shook the thought away and stood, pushing myself into motion.
I still had more calls to make and more explanations to hand out.
Some things were easier not to examine too closely.
