Page 91 of Falling for You Again

“Attempting to.”

“Heidi quit on Friday,” Emi says. “I need someone to stand in who knows AutoCAD, so she’s starting a week early. She’ll pick up Kitchen CAD pretty quick.”

“I’m surprised you aren’t taking time off,” Shae says. “You should go on vacation.”

“I can’t afford to.” I’m not getting the money from the shop’s sale that Uncle Bear would have put in trust for me since the Savant House never acquired Artisant, and I won’t receive a single dollar from the property sale. What I currently have in savings I would like to keep there. “The work will keep me busy.” And from moping around my apartment.

“What would you rather be doing if you weren’t coming to work with us?”

“She wants to launch her own woodshop but needs to work up the courage to strike out on her own first,” Emi answers for me when I hedge. I glare at her. She glares back.

“How cool is that?” Shae’s excited for me. “What are you waiting for?”

“She doesn’t know if she wants to open her own shop or go into business with Aaron.”

“Oh my God, Emi, would you stop?” I glare at her again, and she gives me a smug, close-lipped grin.

“I haven’t decided if I want to open my own shop or partner with Aaron,” I repeat flatly.

The three of them laugh.

Stuffed, Tam pushes her plate away. “Does Aaron know you want to partner with him?”

“I haven’t decided yet if I’m going to partner with him. And no, he doesn’t know.” Not after the way I left him. But before I dive into anything, I need to decide if I can live with just being his business partner and nothing more.

“Stone & Bloom is lucky to have you however long you’ll give us,” Shae says.

“Thank you.”

It’s late afternoon when we leave Emi’s apartment, buzzed and overly full. I flop onto the couch in my apartment with Blueberry snuggled in the crook of my arm and turn on the TV. An episode ofBridgertonis cued up. I groan. I can’t watch anything remotely romantic right now.

I turn off the TV and pick up my phone. I stare at the screen, then give in. I text Aaron.

I still miss you.

I wait for the bubbles, for his reply to come as quick as I sent mine the other night, but his response doesn’t come. He doesn’t even read the text.

When I wake the next morning, my text is still unread.

It’s too late to unsend my message, but just as well he hasn’t read it. We shouldn’t be texting that we miss each other when I was the one who left so abruptly. I have no business flirting with him or even missing him after hurting him the way I did.

Before work, I meet Emi in the hallway like usual. This time I’m styling with a slim-fit navy vest, coordinating wide-leg trousers, and off-white mules.

“You look fantastic,” Emi compliments. She has on a cozy sleeveless khaki one-piece jumpsuit with white platform sneakers.

“You look amazing, as usual,” I say, feeling more anxious than I usually do in the morning. I haven’t worked anywhere but Artisant Designs. I haven’t worked with anyone other than my family and the occasional intern like Kidder. As we walk to Bean There, Done That, I ask Emi what I should expect from working at Stone & Bloom. What will her team expect of me?

“They are going to love you, Meli, so stop worrying. You’re good at what you do, and you have a keen, creative eye. Lots of people say they’re artsy and just aren’t. That’s not you.”

“Tell me about the people I’ll be working with,” I ask to keep her talking and me from worrying.

“There’s Piper; she’s amazing. She’s our project coordinator. If you need to reschedule appointments, she’s your gal. She manages all client communications. Then there’s Arlo, our procurement specialist. He orders our materials and tracks inventory. He also taps every countertop he encounters. He says he’s judging its solidity, but it’s super annoying. Max is the guy who ...”

I can’t help it; my mind wanders. Emi loves her job. She’s stellar at it. But even knowing my position is temporary, I’m realizing it’s not where I want to be right now. Stone & Bloom is not where I want to go.

I grow more antsy as we enter Bean There, Done That and place our orders. As we wait, Emi keeps chatting away. The couple waiting beside us catches my attention, and I feel a jolt of recognition. It’s Aaron’s dad. He’s with a young woman who must be his wife. Oriana, the twat, as Kaye Borland called her.

“Excuse me for a second.” I interrupt Emi midsentence and approach Graham. “Mr. Borland,” I introduce myself. “I’m Melissa Hynes. We met at the Savant House’s gala a couple of months back.”

---