Both of us nearly jump out of our skin. I’m glad David has my coffee cup. Or I’d now be wearing it. Instead, its contents splash over the back of his hand. He curses and shakes it out, sending brown drips over the balcony.
I lean around David’s bulky shape and look down and over the railing.
Jace is standing in the street below, hands on hips and a hand raised to shield his eyes against the sunlight. He then cups it around his mouth to call out to me.
“You coming to work today?”
Confused, I reach for my phone in the back pocket of my jeans and stare in horror at the illuminated time. I’m already fifteen minutes late.
“Shit! Sorry, Jace! Gimme two minutes and I’ll be right there!”
Jace blows his lips in a raspberry noise. At least he’s not upset.
“No problem!” he calls up. “Must have been a really good night.”
But I’ve already left the balcony, leaving David in his underwear, waving awkwardly at my curious boss.
I rush downstairs, skid into the dining hall and scramble to grab my shoes.
I’d heard of girls losing their heads when they fell in love, but I didn’t think it would be quite this literal!
Ugh. Love. I lament my bad luck while pulling on my boot.
Being in love is one thing. Being in love with someone mega ticked off at you, who thinks you’re a flighty bird of passage, is something else entirely.
But I’m a girl who learns from her mistakes. I decide I’m going to take the advice I’ve been offered. I’ll give Caleb a few days, focus on other things and then approach the issue from scratch. At that point, Caleb and I are going to have a talk. I will be making it abundantly clear that I’m going nowhere. That, if I can’t stay by his side, I’m at least going to be staying in town. So, one way or another, he’s going to have to get used to the idea that I’m not returning to New York.
Hereis where my happiness is. And whether it takes me weeks or years to convince him of that fact, I’m sticking it out.
Caleb Walker, I’m not giving up on us. Even if you are an insensitive jackass.
I look up from my shoes and find David watching me from the doorway. His eyes shine like he can read my mind. I have no doubt there’s some serious boneheaded-ness written all over my face. He winks.
“You’ve got this,” he says.
I take a deep breath and grab my keys. Please let that be true.