I had no idea if she’d actually entertained the idea. For all I knew, it was a nonstarter. Brooke had a lucrative job offer in the city. Not to mention a life there. Maybe she couldn’t wait to get back.
Except, if that were true, it meant I’d completely misjudged her these past few weeks. Brooke didn’t love the city. But she did love Grado Valley. I knew it in my bones, which scared the hell out of me.
“I think the reason I actually went along with Tina’s crazy plan in the first place,” she said hesitantly, “was because I knew, in my heart, city living wasn’t for me. A few mornings on the front porch of our rental home was all it really took for me to fall in love with this area. And that was even before I came to Grado Valley.”
The resignation, and determination in her voice, put me on edge.
“If you stay and work for Grado permanently,” I said, steeling myself, “we can’t keep doing this.”
Brooke never flinched. She raised her chin, looked me in the eyes and said, “I know.”
Was this really happening?
“You didn’t even ask about the salary,” I said stupidly, unable to find any other words.
“I already know you’ll pay me what I’m worth.”
We’d planned on it, of course. But that was beside the point. “So that’s it? Just like that you’re going to leave the city and move to Grado Valley?”
“At least two of my job offers were too good to pass up. There was nothing stopping me from taking them except...”
“Except what? Grado Valley? Or me?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It does matter, Brooke.” Why was I angry that she was taking it all so calmly? I couldn’t help being irrational.
“You’re upset with me because I want to stay?”
I wanted to go to her. Pull her into my arms. Kiss her and make love to her on this very same desk as that first glorious night. Unfortunately, that was the last thing in the world I could do right now. “I’m upset because you don’t seem to care about us.”
“Don’t care?” Now she was mad. Good. That made two of us. “Are you kidding me? These last few weeks have been some of the best of my life. I told you that. Did you think I was lying?”
“I don’t know,” I lashed out. “You just seem remarkably calm about all this.”
How could I possibly work with her?
“You won’t have any problem being here, working at Grado, and seeing me? But not being together?”
“Of course I will. It’ll kill me.”
We were at an impasse. “It’ll kill me too,” I admitted. “Which is why I didn’t want to ask. I think I knew you would say yes. But I also knew what that meant for us.”
“I don’t think I can go back, Cos.”
I knew it. Brooke had thrived out here. “Maybe another job will come up.”
“I thought about that too,” she said. “I’ve looked.”
It was my turn to be surprised. “You looked for jobs out here?”
She nodded. “There’s nothing in marketing or even remotely related.”
I hated to admit it. “I doubt there’d be a more perfect fit than Grado.”
“Agreed.”
So that was it. No more Brooke and me.You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.