Page 22 of Love.V2
I stared at him as if I’d never seen him before; his declaration more impactful than the coffees and food and everything else from the last week. The Dylan from before would have done anything to keep his job, to get to the next promotion or bonus check. Had he really been serious about giving up his role at Jinx? Maybe even his job at Worther? It didn’t quite compute, but the look on his face told me he meant every word.
“How do I know this will last? What if we get back together and after a while it just goes back to the way it was?” Faced with his sincerity, my own deepest fear came bubbling out to the surface. The real reason I hadn’t given him an answer yet. Because I couldn’t get hurt again. I’d barely survived the first time.
“Give me some time, Tess.” Dylan lifted his hands between us, pleading. “We’re taking a few months to see if I’m a good fit at Jinx. Let me show you I’m still a good fit for you. A few months to prove I can do this, then if you’re still not convinced…”
His hands fell back to his sides. He didn’t need to speak the rest. If I still had doubts, he’d go back to Nashville and stay as far away from me as possible.
I tried to imagine going back to my life the way it had been before he showed up in Chicago. Driving to the office, returning to my shoebox apartment. Going to the gym. Instead, my brain just kept serving me memories.
Thoughts of us from years ago—dancing in the kitchen, getting tipsy and making love on the couch, holding each other under the covers as rain tapped on the bedroom window—melded with the present. I could see us in Chicago, holding hands on the Riverwalk. Exploring the galleries and public art installations. Going to Jinx together in the morning and coming home to cook dinner.
The memories and maybes clashed until my heart didn’t know which was reality. But it lifted at the thought of trying again. I had been so alone before I met him, and lonely ever since I’d left. I missed him, and the feeling that there was someone in the world who knew me better than anyone else and still chose me.
“Okay.”
My answer was a whisper, a scrap of fluttering gossamer hope, swirling in the air around us.
“Yes?” He sounded desperate, eyes wild.
“Yes.” I nodded, cautious even when my heart beat so hard it felt like it would fly right out of my chest. “After this project is over, let’s talk. Let’s…see what happens.”
He shuddered a breath, and his hands lifted again as if he wanted to hold me, but he stopped short, raking them through his hair instead. “Okay. Thank you.Thank you,Tess.”
My name sounded like a prayer in his mouth. It echoed the same, urgent rhythm now flooding my veins, every beat of my racing heart pounding out his name.Dyl-an. Dyl-an. Dyl-an.
It raced faster, and I wasn’t sure if it was from fear or anticipation. Or both.
Chapter 6
Tess
“To the agency strays!” Eric cheered. Our team filled the back of Willy’s, a bar near the office, as we raised our glasses.
In the middle of the peeling, fake leather seats, sticky floor, and dingy dart boards, I was riding on a high. National Canine Rescue had loved our pitch so much, they’d signed a contract on the spot. No next round. No other agencies to consider.
I was floating on a cloud.
“It was all Tess,” Dylan said, beaming. I wondered if anyone else noticed how his eyes turned soft whenever they looked at me, or was it just my imagination?
“You did your fair share of the work,” I told him, tucking my hair behind my ears. Seeing Dylan still sent a lurch of dizzying emotions through me, but it had gotten easier to handle. In reality, working with him over the past week had been fine…more than fine. We were a good team, and every day being around him became just a bit more comfortable.
“Well, you nailed it. I mean, look at Henry!” Noel picked up one of the slides Eric had printed. It featured an image of a Bernese Mountain Dog with a barrel around its neck. Noel read the text. “Henry. Strong, calm, the one you call if your project needs a rescue.”
“It’s true, man!” Aaron, a designer, clapped Henry on the back. “You’re the go-to when it’s crunch time.” Henry blushed.
“I’m dying over Victoria’s,” Meery squealed. Dylan and I traded a glance over the heads of the Jinx team. Icky Vicky’s had been the hardest to come up with, mostly because I’d struggled to find anything nice to say. In the end, we’d landed on a picture of a manicured poodle. “Alert, active, won’t rest until every detail is just right!”
The little seed of my idea—describing Jinx as its own sort of “creative designer rescue”—had flourished once I’d explained it to Dylan. Together, we’d developed a presentation that didn’t just focus on Jinx’s offerings or pricing, but on the heart of the agency: its people. Just like the dogs at NCR, we all had our own backgrounds and talents, just waiting to be picked by the right owner…or in this case, client.
“Glass of red?” a server asked behind me.
“Here.” Dylan reached back to take the wine, setting it in front of me and smoothly swapping it for the beer Eric had poured for me. No one else seemed to notice, but my whole body flushed. It was such a Dylan thing to do. He knew I didn’t like beer, but wouldn’t refuse a drink someone handed me. For most of our relationship, he’d been exceptionally good at taking care of me, and making sure I had what I needed.
I’d forgotten that about him.
“Thank you,” I murmured, looking away. Now that I’d committed to talking about our past, it was like all the anger and resentment inside me had begun to evaporate. My feelings were shifting, unearthing things I’d forgotten. Like how much I wanted him.
Before, I’d been too hurt to feel attracted to him. Now, opening the door to our relationship had unlocked the possibility of other things. Hot, illicit things I hadn’t realized I’d been missing.
