The way James had practically pushed her out of the car the other day had made her feel so sick to her stomach she couldn’t get much sleep. All morning, she tried to study for her classes and ended up wasting hours staring at blurred pages.
This wasn’t how her life was supposed to be going. She’d resigned herself to not getting James’s attention, but lately it didn’t even appear as though he was interested in Brielle anymore. Anytime her sister wandered through the property, James practically ignored her.
It had gotten to the point that Constance thought he might actually want to ask her out. She’d caught him staring a few times. But then again, that could have been when he was making sure she was listening.
She sat in her truck, and her head flopped back on the seat as she stared up at the big sign over the veterinary clinic’s building. There was a car and a truck in the parking lot. One was James’s, but she couldn’t be sure who the other one belonged to. Probably his assistant.
The fact that they were both here late didn’t sit well with Constance at all. What if she walked in on them and they were having an intimate moment? She hadn’t thought that they were interested in one another, but then again, she hadn’t been paying much attention to Chloe the few times she interacted with their boss.
Constance groaned. She really shouldn’t be here at all. What did she think she was going to do? Just walk in there and lay everything out on the table? That sounded utterly terrifying. Of course James didn’t seem like the type to laugh in her face, but even if he let her down easy, she didn’t want an audience for that.
She tossed her phone aside and gripped the steering wheel before pressing her forehead on top of her hands. What had happened to her resolve? She’dfinallymanaged to convince herself that she didn’t need to act on her crush. They could just be friends.
Well, that resolve was broken, shattered and splintered on the side of the road where he’d opened the car door and insisted that she leave. If there was even a chance that James was interested, she had to find out.
Constance straightened, pushed open the door and climbed out. Her steps were slow at first, but as her heart rate quickened, so did her movements. She tightened her hands into fists to help distract her from her rapid breathing and the way her body felt like it was going to explode.
Through the glass door, she could see Chloe hunched over the reception desk, but James was nowhere in sight. Constance hovered outside the door. She gripped the handle, but it was as if her resolve had withered and died. If she went inside and told James that she’d rather be on a date with him, there were only two possible outcomes.
He might tell her he felt the same and she could rejoice that she’d made the right decision.
Or he would tell her he had no interest in her and firmly shut the door to any relationship they might have been able to have.
Did she really want to go inside and find out which path she would now follow? Could she continue working with him if it was the latter?
As if against her will, Constance pulled open the door and entered the clinic. A little bell tingled overhead. Without looking up, Chloe murmured, “We’re closed, but you can make an appointment…” She finally lifted her gaze and her eyes locked on Constance. A fleeting smile was replaced with shock. Then she glanced over her shoulder in the direction of the office before turning her head back around to look at Constance. “Hey, Connie. What are you doing here?”
Constance cleared her throat, her hands now clasped behind her back as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “I was wondering if James was here.”
Once more, Chloe shot a look over her shoulder then a wide smile filled her face as she thumbed in that direction. “He’s in his office. You can go on back.” She got to her feet and tapped the stack of paperwork on her desk. “You’ll let him know I left for the evening, won’t you? I’m meeting my brother for dinner.”
“Of course.”
Chloe grabbed a jacket and edged around the reception desk, brushing past her before exiting out the front door.
Constance stared back toward the office, now full of the trepidation she’d experienced outside. This was it. If she turned back now emptyhanded, she’d have no one to blame but herself.
She moved toward the door that was only open a crack, blocking her view from anyone who might be inside. Each step she took made the walk feel so much longer than it actually was. She just had to bite the bullet and tell him how she felt.
Simple.
Slowly, she pushed the door open. The metal hinges creaked, but other than that, the only sound she heard was the rustling of papers. James’s back was toward her as he sat in his chair facing the wall.
“Enough pushing, Chloe. I told you it isn’t Br—” He’d spun around and his words died. His eyes widened as they swept over her form and he scrambled to his feet. He leaned to the left, his focus shifting behind her. “Is Chloe—”
“She said she had dinner plans with her brother.”
James gave her a short nod. His cheek twitched and he brought up his hand to rub it. “Aren’t you supposed to be on your date?”
She fought the need to flinch. Instead, she lifted her chin and moved into the room. “You weren’t very nice yesterday.”
He opened his mouth, but she held up a hand to stop him from speaking.
“I don’t understand you sometimes. It’s like one second, you’re really pleasant and we’re getting along, and then there are these brief moments when you act like I’m this person you can’t stand to be around.”
“Constance, I—”
“Let me finish,please.” She shut her eyes briefly and pushed aside all the fear and anxiety that attempted to consume her. She’d come this far and she wasn’t going to just walk away. Constance opened her eyes and peered at him. “I need to tell you something and I don’t want you to interrupt. Can you agree to that?”