Heidi gave a little shake of her head. She must’ve heard wrong. She could’ve sworn Jem had just said he wasn’t coming back.
‘I’m a city boy at heart. The only reason I stuck it out so long in Acacia Haven is because I saw how much Karly loved the place. She has good friends here and I wanted to give her a sense of belonging she never had thanks to her flaky parents. I’d planned on coming back with Karly living here, but with the agency closing and Karly now moving to Melbourne too, I’m looking forward to living in the city again. It’s in my blood.’
He shrugged like it was a fait accompli, and in that moment clarity struck.
Jem wanted her as a travel companion, nothing more. Someone to share his adventures with and bid goodbye to at the end.
He didn’t want a relationship.
He wanted a short-term fling.
She’d never felt so worthless.
‘I’m sorry, Heidi, I thought—’
‘You didn’t think.’ She leapt to her feet, wishing she could thump him over the head with the champagne bottle. ‘I’ve made no secret of liking you, Jeremiah Vogel, and the fact I’m willing to walk away from my shop for half a year should give you some indication of exactly how much. But I’m not some plaything to be used and discarded. I’m worth a lot more than that.’
Stricken, he rose to his feet and reached for her, but she warded him off. ‘Don’t. Go on your precious bloody trip. Take a flying leap off Cape York for all I care. Move to Melbourne. Just leave me the hell alone.’
Heidi managed to stave off tears until she reached her car, where she broke down.
It spoke volumes that Jem didn’t come after her.
CHAPTER
55
Hudson alternated between bemusement and disappointment all the way back to the office. He’d expected Karly to be a little resentful he hadn’t told her about buying into the agency until now, but for her to react that way … it defied belief.
He wasn’t the bad guy here. He’d tried to help her. Why couldn’t she see that? He knew she had pride but to assume he’d done this because she thought he pitied her … He’d actually been excited about co-owning the agency with her, because that put them on equal footing business-wise, giving them the freedom to explore a relationship without an imbalance of power that would complicate things.
But now, the way she’d looked at him—like something nasty she’d stepped in—they might not come back from this.
Normally, it wouldn’t bother him. They weren’t technically dating anyway and his stint in Acacia Haven had come to an end. So why was he feeling this crap?
He knew: developing real feelings for a woman who thought so little of him made him stupid or a gullible fool, and he was neither of those.
All the agents were out on showings when he made it into the agency. Just as well, considering his foul mood. As he strode into his office, a faint aroma tickled his nostrils. Familiar … cinnamon and sugar … that’s when he spied the box of donuts sitting in the middle of his desk and for a horrifying moment he thought he might burst into tears.
He touched the outside of the box—still warm—and when he opened it, the sight of those six plump donuts dusted in sugar and cinnamon did bring tears to his eyes. He picked one up, bit into it, and sighed. So good. He demolished one, then another, remembering how he used to haggle over the last one with his dad every time.
Rowan must’ve dropped these off as a thank you and before he could second-guess the impulse of calling his dad when he was feeling a tad fragile, he hit the number to dial. Rowan picked up fast.
‘Hey, son.’
Surprisingly, being called ‘son’ didn’t rankle so much today. ‘Thanks for the donuts.’
‘You’re welcome. Least I could do. Though I’m hoping you left me one.’
‘Where are you?’
‘In the café across the street.’
In the mood he was in, Hudson shouldn’t invite his father over. But as he glanced at the four remaining donuts, he knew he would. ‘I may have left a few for you.’
‘Good man. I’ll be there shortly.’
Hudson hung up, wondering whether the donuts or the sound of his father’s voice had sparked the warmth in his chest. He stared unseeingly at the tempting circles of dough, wondering when he’d turned into this person, someone who gave a damn.