"No, Ben, I can't. You are the owner. You are the one who sets the policies and procedures into place. You are also the one who adopted most of Dad's practices when we opened. Bottom line is she is still a client and still deserves the best we offer."
I squeezed my hand into a fist and clenched my teeth. "You know you always were a pain in my ass," I bit out.
"Yeah, well, pain in the ass or not, you know I am right. I will call her and let her know it's finished and that you will meet her there tomorrow to sign off on everything."
Chapter 20
Jessica
I hadn't expected to hear from Sunset Builders so soon, but felt relieved to know that they finished the project. I glanced at my watch as I stepped into my apartment and set my bags down while I toed off my shoes. I was a little late and was surprised Ben wasn't already there. The message I had received from Jules had said that he would be here bright and early this morning. I glanced around, noticing that everything was back in place, and I was excited to see everything, but first, I picked up my bags and took them down to my bedroom, quickly emptying them into the laundry hamper.
I'd had a chance while staying with Kate to look up a few realtors in the area, and I had found one that specialized in this building. She was supposed to be here this afternoon to take down all the details of the listing. She had asked that everything be tidy so she could also do some photos.
After quickly throwing in a load of laundry, I stepped into the washroom, taking a quick look at everything that had been completed, then I made my way into the kitchen. The last time I had been in the apartment, almost the entire kitchen had been removed. Now, one look at the brand new kitchen and it took my breath away. The colors we had chosen complimented one another better than I thought they would, and as I looked around, a feeling of home surrounded me. It was the first time in years thatI felt the meaning of the word.
I ran my hand over the smooth, cold marble countertops and smiled to myself. That was when I noticed a bouquet of red roses that sat in a vase on my counter. I was just about to look at the little card that was tucked inside the roses when a knock on the door pulled my attention away.
"Coming," I called as I made my way to the door, opening it. Ben stood on the other side carrying a file in his hands. There was no smile, no words. He nodded and stepped inside, slipping his shoes off. I could sense the tension running off him and frowned as he made his way down to the first washroom. He stood outside the door and opened up the file he carried, turning to look at me. "Let's get to it, shall we? I have another appointment in thirty minutes."
He quickly rambled off a checklist of the items completed for the spare washroom, checking each off as he pointed them out, and then made his way down to the en suite, doing the same thing. As soon as he had gone over everything inthat room, he practically ran out of the bedroom, to the kitchen, leaving me trailing behind.
I blew out a breath. His actions weren't helping anything at this point. I already he was upset over the entire situation, but acting like this was not helping anything. Instead of saying anything, I followed him out to the kitchen where he placed the file on the counter.
"All right, so, replacement of cupboards, backsplash, countertops, light fixtures, change to pot lights, and accent upper cabinets with lighting. Replacement of plumbing fixtures and flooring, paint. Everything looks good in here, right," he said, tapping his pen against the countertop, creating a sense of urgency for me to say yes.
I bit my lip. "Yeah."
"All right, then. Great,sign here then," he said, shoving the paperwork at me along with his pen.
I took the pen from his hand, checking to see if he looked at me, but he kept his eyes averted. I let out a breath and signed the contract in front of me and set the pen back down.
"Here you go," he said, sliding the bill in front of me. "All that leaves is the final twenty-five percent. A check or e-transfer will be fine."
I looked at Ben, who still refused to look my way, and walked over to my purse, pulling out my phone. I quickly entered the email address thatwas on the bill and sent the last payment through to him. "There you go. It's sent."
"Great." He reached into his pocket and pulled the key I had given him from out, setting it on the counter. "Well, I hope you enjoy the place for whatever little time you have left here."
Ben gathered the documents, picked up the folder, and walked to the door as quickly as he could. He slipped his shoes on and had one hand on the door handle, about to open it, when I touched his shoulder, stopping him.
"You did an amazing job, Ben. It will be hard for me to let go of something so beautiful."
"Yeah, I know all about it," he mumbled.
"How would you know?" I questioned.
"How would I know? Because I did it once," he said, finally turning and meeting my eyes.
I knew instantly he wasn't talking about anything material. He was talking about me, about us, and that comment combined with the hurt in his voice stung more than I expected.
"Ben..."
"No, I vowed I would never make the same mistake again, that I would never fall in love again, and I didn't. I was doing so well until you showed up here. Seeing you again made me realize that I have been in love with one woman my entire life. A woman who never did and never will love me back."
"Ben, please," I said, covering my mouth with my hand.
I met his eyes, those piercing eyes that I had never thought I would look into ever again. I didn't know what to say.
"Please, Jessica, just let yourself fall in love with me. Don't make me lose you again."