Page 41 of If You Loved Me

Remembering the dream that always tugged at the back of my mind, I squared my shoulders and sat up a little straighter. If Jones thought I was attractive, I could lean into that.

“Tell me more about yourself, Jones. Where did you go to college?”

“I went to Hightower University in downtown Atlanta. Some of the best years of my life were at that university.”

“I’ve actually never been to the city before.”

“Is that right?”

I nodded.

“Why is that?”

I paused as the waiter approached us with our sweet teas and took our orders. Shifting a little in my seat I finally said, “I think I knew what I wanted to do with my life from a young age. The minute I turned eighteen, I took some of the allowance my parents had given me throughout the years and started learning how to bake and decorate cakes.” I giggled to myself thinking of that time. “It quickly grew from a hobby to an obsession. When I moved out of my parents’ house, I started an online business in my kitchen. Baking cupcakes mostly until I had enough saved up that I could rent the storefront I have now.”

“A self-made woman,” Jones said.

“I guess I had to be. My parents took away my trust fund when they discovered I was on a path for destruction as they like to put it.”

“They didn’t help you at all?”

The pang in my chest was still almost as strong as the day they had both sat me down and told me that they couldn’t support my ‘crazy’ idea. That the only thing they could think to do was discipline me by taking my trust fund away and dangling it over my head every chance they got for when I might decide to make better decisions for myself.

Little did they know, their discipline would only drive me further away from them and closer to accomplishing my dreams. Even if I had to do it on my own.

“Not in the way I would have hoped. I guess you can say they helped me because they gave me a pretty lofty allowance growing up and I was able to buy everything I needed to learn the craft. But no. They didn’t help me once I moved out and started the business.”

His hand was warm as he reached across the table and covered mine, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Sarah, I’m sorry you didn’t have the support you wanted from them. I can imagine how difficult that would be.”

I blinked away the tears that stung my eyes as his words hit me right where the wound was still sore. I hated feeling this way. I absolutely hated that I didn’t have parents whom I could be close with. Most of the time I was able to keep the anger and sadness at bay. I could focus on everything I was trying to build for myself. But the moments like this, when I was reminded of just how messed up our relationship was, I found myself drowning in the sorrow.

The tightening of my throat was hard to speak through, but I had to change the direction of this conversation. Therewere prying eyes everywhere in this place and the last thing I needed was for one of the town’s busybodies to report to my parents that I was grovelling with tears streaming down my face on my first date with Jones.

I cleared my throat. “Did you always want to go into real estate?”

Thankfully, Jones rolled with the abrupt transition without pause. “I’ve always been good with people. I have a knack for knowing what people want to hear and what they need. Real estate seemed like a good fit since you’re helping people convince themselves that making the single largest purchase of their life will be worth it.”

Jones continued talking about his journey into real estate when a woman with long black hair caught my eye. She was slowly walking past the large picture windows of the restaurant on the sidewalk. It took me a moment to recognize her as Callie Rose—Ranger’s younger sister. I’d seen her quite a few times at the farmer’s market, selling a variety of seasonal harvest vegetables.

She was always the quiet one in school, mostly keeping to herself. I’d never paid her much attention. I never thought that maybe I should go out of my way to say hi or be friendly with her. As she turned the corner, out of sight, I realized there were so many questions I wanted to ask her about her brother.

What was he like when he was a kid? Was he always so broody or was there a time when he enjoyed laughing? How did he have the strength to fight every single day for tenyears, knowing that he’d been the one to do the right thing and was paying the price for someone else’s actions?

“Sarah?” Jones’s voice broke through my thoughts and I shifted my gaze back to him, blinking away the thoughts I was just having.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered, leaning back against the velvet cushion of the chair. Jones had been talking this entire time and I’d drowned out his voice, letting my thoughts roam to another man and his family.

“Are you alright?” His gaze narrowed on me and I could tell he was frustrated but was also trying to be polite.

“Yes. I…I just saw someone I know walk by outside and I got distracted.”

His lips tilted downward. “Would you rather go be with them?”

Alarm bells rang in my head at his sharp tone. “No.” I shook my head, startled by his response.

“Okay,” was all he said as the waiter finally brought us our meals.

I stared at the plate of pasta in front of me, not sure what to say or do after that exchange. The insecure girl who had always been reprimanded for making the smallest of mistakes had me rounding my shoulders and zipping my mouth closed.

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