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Throwing my pen, I shouted, “They’re in school, Robert. And I can’t even get a handle on them here, in their own environment. I certainly can’t trust them out in L.A. I’d need to keep an eye on them every second, and that defeats the purpose of me coming out to see you.” I shook my head. “I’m sorry. It’s just not gonna work.”
“What’s not gonna work? You coming out here…or us?”
Both.
Maybe?
“What are we, Robert? We’re not together. We’re not even really friends.”
He sighed. “You mean something to me, Devyn. I know I’m busy, but I want you in my life.”
“You’ve always wanted to have your cake and eat it, too. But I have a life of my own and responsibilities you obviously can’t understand.”
“Yeah. I guess you’re right.” He exhaled. “Well, I tried. And I didn’t mean to get you all worked up—at least not inthisway. If you change your mind, let me know. I’ll book the tickets.”
I blew out a frustrated breath. “I’m sorry. That’s not gonna happen.”
He sighed. “Yeah. I’m sorry, too.”
After I hung up, my mood disintegrated. I was angry at myself for wasting so much time infatuated with a man who wouldn’t even try to understand my current predicament. One positive thing about being in New York was the distance and clarity it provided me about the things in my life that had been weighing me down for so long. Robert was certainly at the top of that list.
***
Rather than continue stewing over that phone call, a little while later I decided to take a walk to get some fresh air.
As I approached the building on my way back, a Town Car pulled up. To my surprise, Owen emerged from it. My heart pounded. He wasn’t alone. A beautiful, tall blonde exited the vehicle right after him. A wave of nausea hit as she wrapped her arms around him in a hug. Then she got back inside, and the car took off.
Swallowing my jealousy, I contemplated sneaking into the building before Owen spotted me, but his eyes found mine before I had a chance.
“Hey, you.” His mouth spread into a smile.
Owen looked gorgeous in a crisp, blue, collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up. It fit perfectly over his broad shoulders. His navy dress pants and shiny brown shoes finished off the look. When he removed his shades, the sun caught his eyes, which were a gorgeous aquamarine.
“How was your date?” I asked, tasting the unjustified bitterness on my tongue.
“Date?” He laughed. “It wentvery well, in fact.”
Fighting the urge to flee, I nodded. “Well, that’s good.”
“It was abusinessdate,” he clarified. “I took myclientto see a few properties. She had her driver drop me off after.”
“Oh.” I looked down at my feet, hiding my relief. “Well, she was very beautiful. I just assumed…”
“Carolyn is married, and her husband is a friend of mine. They’re in the market for a bigger place in the City.”
“Ah.” My cheeks burned with embarrassment.
“I would’ve gone back to the office, but I left my laptop behind and was going to fetch it before returning to work.” He tilted his head. “What are you up to?”
“I was just taking a quick walk between getting some work done. Trying to make the most of the time when the kids are in school.”
Owen checked his phone. “It’s just about lunchtime. I know you prefer not to hang out with me recreationally, but would you want to grab a quick bite to eat?”
I chewed on my lip. “I don’t know, Owen…”
“Just two neighbors sharing a meal, Devyn. Nothing more.” He chuckled. “How much trouble can we get into in public anyway?”
I pushed my reservations aside. “Okay, why not?”
