Page 35 of When You Were Mine

“Is this a family project?” He seemed too preoccupied to hear her. “Are all the Pullmans in on this?”

In on this?Did he think he was being pranked?This is bizarre.“This is Chris’s project, though his family will handle the renovation. If that’s not going to work for you, you need to tell me now.” His attitude was concerning, and she wouldn’t subject the owner to it. She’d walk him right back out the door if there was even a hint of an issue.

“Yeah.” Shame crept across his features. “That’s fair.” His shoulders pushed back, and he wiped his face clean of broodiness. “I’m interested in the job. You won’t find anyone better.”

She was still uncertain, but he held strong under her scrutiny, so she decided to move forward with him. “Okay, let’s go meet Chris.” She led him down a wide hallway. “So, as I said in our text exchange, they’re hosting a wedding at the end of January, so we’re going to spruce up the original B&B section of the hotel. I’d like you to think outside of the box and see what you can come up with. I’m looking for elegance but also drama that fits the surroundings.”

“I can do that.”

“Great.” She swept into the dining room and approached the table. “Everyone, please welcome Emil Birgisson.”

A bizarre chain reaction unfolded. Chris shot a look of concern to Darby. Darby’s gaze snapped over to Emil. And the landscaper went stock-still.

“Did you do this?” Darby asked her brother in a choked whisper.

“What?” Chris asked. “Of course not. I’ve left everything to Jess.”

Brother and sister turned to her as if she understood the past dynamics of this family. “He’s the most celebrated landscaper in the country,” Jess said. “I’ve seen his work. He’s a true artist. I don’t think we’re going to find anyone better.”And this is why rushing a job is problematic.She didn’t have time to learn about relationships. “I’m sensing we have some personal issues to work out.”

“No, we don’t,” Chris said. “Darby lives in North Carolina, so I don’t see how hiring her ex-boyfriend matters.”

Oh. Now, she understood the pain in Darby’s eyes. The vulnerability pierced Jess’s heart because, so far, this woman had been nothing but confident and strong.

“She won’t even be back until the wedding.” Chris wiped his mouth with a napkin and stood up. “Come on, Emil. Let’s go into my office and talk.”

With every step the landscaper took away from her, Darby grew more anxious. It was like her spirit was tethered to him. She watched him with an almost desperate need for him to acknowledge her, but he just kept going.

While Darby remained silent, her eyes screamed,Look at me. Talk to me.

Jess felt for her so deeply. She could hardly catch her breath with Trevor sitting across the table from her. She couldn’t think. Couldn’t eat. She could barely function.

When Emil was two steps from turning the corner, he paused. His chest expanded as he drew in a breath. Darby’s expression opened, hope burning in her eyes.

The tension was unbearable.

But then, the man continued on. And in two steps, he was gone.

Darby deflated, and Jess wanted to hug her. She wanted to say,It’ll be all right. Whatever this pain is, it’ll fade over time.

But she’d be lying. Because she was living proof it thrashed like a living beast inside her.

“Come on,” Jasper said to Jess, flicking her seat with his napkin to brush away imaginary crumbs. “Take a few bites. You’ve got a busy day.”

She sat back down and picked up her fork, but no one was eating. Everyone was watching Darby.

“You okay?” Trevor asked his fiancée.

That simple question, spoken with such gentle concern, broke something in Jess.

It was so much easier to think he’d become a vain, entitled movie star. But that gentle tone and concerned expression? That was the man she remembered. The way he patiently waited for his fiancée to answer, the way he never turned his attention from her, that was the same kindness he’d always shown her as a teenager.

It hurt worse to know he hadn’t changed.

That someone else got to be the recipient of it.

“I don’t know.” Darby said it with a laugh, but she was clearly upset. “I haven’t seen him in twenty-six years.” She pressed a hand to her heart. “Whoo. I did not expect this reaction.”

Trevor gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

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