Of course, there was no one else. They worked together, lived together, exercised together—okay, he hit the weights, she scrolled through her phone while she walked on the treadmill. In any case,duh, he didn’t have someone else. He wouldn’t have time for that.
“I’m sorry, Leelee.” He studied his coffee. “So sorry. I think we’ve both been feeling a little lost in the relationship for a while now,” Scotty continued like he needed to keep explaining something that really didn’t need explaining. “I know you feel it, too.”
He wasn’t wrong—the little flare that had started their fling dimmed way past the ember stage years after they’d entered full-blown relationship status. But then he’d proposed. And they’d—she’d—planned an elaborate wedding. Scotty worked with her father. Her father who would not be happy about the amount of cash he’d already poured into Denver society’s event of the season.
“What are you going to do for a job?” Marlee asked as gently as she could. It’s not like Scotty could keep working for her father after they split. She’d gotten him the job as vice president of operations and personally worked as director of events in the office. It’d be way too awkward for them to continue working there together. He’d have to sort out his job, and they’d have to figure out what to do with the townhome they’d purchased together. The logistics were starting to tug at a migraine brewing behind her eyes.
Scotty gave her his what-are-you-talking-about look. “I’ll still work for your dad.”
For a really smart guy, Scotty was being very dense.
“Even after we break up?” she asked.
“Yeah, Marlee, it’s my job.”
No, that wouldn’t work. It was the job he got because he was with her. “But I work there.”
“And?”
“And we won’t be a couple. I don’t think Dad will be okay with—”
“He’s fine. We discussed it yesterday.”
Wait. What?
There was that free fall feeling again.
“You told him we were breaking up before you told me?” Her cheeks heated, but not with embarrassment. “You knew you were ending things yesterday? And you didn’t mention it?”
“Leelee.” Scotty used that tone that never failed to piss her off. “He’s my boss. He’s my friend. Of course, I talked with him.”
Her blood pounded through her heart, echoing in her eardrums. “You told him before you told me? And if he’d have said you couldn’t keep the job, would we be getting married?”
She’d never have known.
Scotty pinched his lips into a flat line.
So that’s how it was. This was all amicable, but if Dad would have said no, then Marlee would be getting married to a guy who didn’t really love her.
The moral of this story? Never trust someone who says they love you more.
“You and I… We haven’t connected in a while,” Scotty said again.
She was sad, too. Sad that she understood about the not connecting. Their lives were more than intertwined, but their hearts? Once upon a time, they had been. Lately? Not so much.
Maybe that’s why the breakup didn’t burn the way it should’ve. The wound had broken open and healed long ago.
“You’re right. We haven’t connected lately,” she finally said.
They hadn’t. And she’d tried. Tried hard to catch his attention the way she used to, but after so much time together, things just… They just felt like one of those drums that you strike with the top of your palm. So, instead of a good tap, the sound was more of a thud.
She blew a breath into her cheeks. Scotty hated when she did that—it annoyed the ever-loving snot out of him. But what Scotty thought didn’t matter anymore. The breath escaped her lips slowly.
“When are you leaving?” she asked. Wasn’t that the way this worked? The one who called it off was the one to leave?
“I’m not leaving. We’ll sort through the logistics together. No need to rush.”
Okay, so she would be the one leaving. At least for now, until she could figure out the legalities of homeownership after a breakup.
