Blinking in the brilliant white snow stood Jordan, his hands stuffed in his pockets. He wore the same thick gray turtle-necked sweater and faded jeans she’d seen on him less than an hour ago at the parade. Right away, she spotted the guilty look on his face as he squinted at her and tried to smile, revealing his perfectly white teeth.
The rage she’d felt toward Aaron only seconds ago didn’t seem to fade with Jordan’s sudden appearance. It simmered below the surface, drawing a snarl from her lips. Her brain was telling her to cool it; Jordan didn’t deserve her wrath. Not all of mankind was so horrible. But her heart was still reeling from her sister’s heartbreak.
“Bad timing?” he asked, giving her a helpless smile. Despite herself, she also felt the instant need to run into his strong arms and let him block out the world. The strong curve of his biceps and the broad width of his chest invited such embraces. He could make everything better.
“It’s fine.” She tried to block out her romantic impulses and stepped out onto the porch. It wasn’t fair to her sister to be thinking about such things right now.
“Good. Hey listen…” He backed up until he nearly fell off the top step. Catching his balance, he chuckled nervously. “Oops. Anyway, I just got a call from my boss.”
She crossed her arms and stared flatly at him. Why was he telli
ng her this? His boss called every minute of every day.
“She wants me back in Duluth tomorrow morning,” he said with a grimace. Rubbing a hand over his bald head, his dark gaze moved up to her face. “She said I’m done here and she needs me to tackle a new project right away tomorrow morning. I’m not sure what to do.”
Chloe felt like her heart had been hit with a tiny ice pick. It caused a spiderweb of cracks to spread, shattering her heart into a million little pieces. First Aaron and now Jordan. He was leaving her. She’d never see him again and her play would be dead without him. It was all over.
Biting her bottom lip, she blinked away the tears of frustration that formed in the corners of her eyes. Looking up at the clear blue sky, she avoided eye contact and twisted her lips into a frown. “Just go, then. It’s fine.”
He blinked twice, as if unsure what she’d just said. “Wait, what about the play? What about us?”
“There is no us, Jordan.” She got the courage to look him straight in the eye. A storm was building inside her head, bursting to get out. “There never was. You were only going to stick around for a couple weeks. This was never meant to last.”
The muscles in his jaw strained as he stared quietly at her. Something like hurt seemed to pass over his face, but in a flash, it was gone.
Chloe crossed her arms over her chest and breathed slowly to keep in the tears. “Don’t worry about our deal. You’ll still get that interview. I don’t break my promises.”
There was no mistaking the pointed meaning of her statement. Jordan cocked his head to one side, his lips parting slightly. “I don’t want to back out on our deal. And I don’t want to leave you.”
“It’s fine,” she muttered. “I resolve you of your debt.” Turning to wipe the tear that had fallen down her cheek, she stepped back into the house. She couldn’t take another minute of this. Goodbyes were her least favorite things in the world. “Have a safe trip home.”
The door swung shut, the Christmas wreath that hung from it swinging dangerously. Jordan stared at it for nearly a whole minute before he turned to leave. Chloe watched him go through the living room curtains, her arms wrapped around a throw pillow for comfort.
Chapter Thirteen
Jordan dropped the last of his files into the box and stood back from the empty desk. He couldn’t help looking over at Chloe’s empty spot, just a few feet from his. They’d never work together again. He was going to miss watching her throughout the day; enjoying the way her nose crinkled as she concentrated and the pout of her mouth when she was working through some exceptionally difficult accounting.
There was no doubt that she was one of a kind. He’d never find someone like her outside of New Hope. The thought made him want to dump his belongings back into his desk and stay - another month, week, or heck, he’d even take a day. Funny, when he’d been so dead set against coming here in the first place.
“Where are you going?”
Jordan whipped around, nearly throwing the box at the owner of the voice. His heart felt like it was going to fall right out of his chest. He gasped for breath, willing the adrenaline spike to go away. “You about gave me a heart attack, Laurie. What’d you do that for?”
“Sorry.” The redhead gave him a small amused smile and dropped her purse on her desk. “I didn’t think anyone would be in here on a Saturday. I left my sunglasses in my desk. Didn’t think we were going to get such a beautiful day.” Her gaze drifted to the box in his hands. “Are you moving out?”
He nodded. “Boss wants me back at eight a.m. sharp.”
“Does Chloe know?” She tilted her head slightly to the right. “Have you told her?”
Sighing, Jordan dropped into the nearest chair. “I went to talk to her about it this morning. She about had a cow and slammed the door in my face. Didn’t even give me a chance to talk. It’s not like I want to leave or skip out on the play. It’s not my call.”
Laurie’s eyebrows came together as she frowned and leaned her right hip on her desk. She gazed at him with sympathy, a knowing sorrow filling her eyes. “She was probably upset about her sister and took your news doubly hard. I’m so sorry. We all love Chloe for being such a spitfire, but sometimes she can rush to judgment.”
Jordan looked up from his hands. “Sister? What happened to Brianna?”
“She and Aaron broke up. I guess Chloe caught him making out with Ashley Lynn. Awful thing.”
A grim frown slid on his face. “At least I know why she reacted so harshly. Poor Brianna.”