Page 66 of Camilla & Dallas
He’d gone over his options in painstaking detail. Leaving would be akin to putting the nail in the coffin. Dallas wanted tobelieve that Camilla was still interested in him. If he could show her that he would be there for her, then he knew he’d be able to win her back.
Buzzing drew his attention from the laptop in front of him. He glanced to the side of the table where he’d tossed his phone after the last call he’d made. When he picked it up, he frowned. It felt like ages since he’d spoken to her.
“Sonya?” he answered.
“Dallas! How are you?”
He leaned back in his seat and stared at the computer where several tabs were open. There were articles about getting out of contractual working obligations and legal ramifications for leaving said contracts, along with a couple tabs for job openings in Colorado.
His life was a mess.
“Been better,” he muttered with a sigh.
“I heard.”
He sat up straighter. Sonya had been his supervisor once upon a time at a smaller company—the one before he’d started working for his current employer. She’d been great, and she’d helped him get the better-paying job. “What have you heard?” He pushed away from the table and paced. If she’d heard something that could compromise him at his job, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to handle the legal storm that would rain down on him while trying to stay afloat with Camilla.
“Oh, just that you’re looking to break your contract with one of the top companies in the Midwest. You know they won’t go down without a fight—not unless you have leverage.”
He raked his hand down his face with a groan. Yeah, he knew. He knew all about how the folks he worked for liked to keep their assets caged and locked in. Contracts weren’t typical in his line of work, but he hadn’t been planning on leaving any time soon.
Oh, how things had changed.
“It’s bad, isn’t it?”
“I was surprised, to say the least. I didn’t peg you as the type of guy to walk away from what you love to do. The people you work for are tools, but you’ve been happy working for them, right?” Her genuine concern warmed him. Sonya had always had his back from the moment he’d met her.
“Yeah, it’s a great gig. I’ve been lucky.”
“It begs the question, why do you want out? Did something happen? Do you want me to talk to Damian about anything?”
“You don’t need to get your hotshot lawyer husband involved,” Dallas chuckled despite himself. “I doubt there’s anything he can do. No one has done anything wrong.Yet.”
There was silence on the other line for a beat, and then Sonya said, “Don’t do anything rash.”
“What would you do if you found out you might have a chance with the love of your life?”
Another moment of heavy silence before Sonya spoke again. “Camilla?”
Chills. The way she said Camilla’s name and the way he reacted said it all. Camilla was endgame. He needed her. “Yeah,” he croaked. “Camilla. This job doesn’t work for me unless I can stay close. I can’t leave her again.” Emotion clogged his throat, and he would have been embarrassed if they weren’t such great friends.
“I might have an option for you.” Her voice was so quiet he wasn’t sure if he heard her correctly. “There’s an opening at the state level in Colorado. It’s a big state, though, so there’s no guarantee they’d give you a permanent location, but I’m sure you could make a case for it. The pay is less than desirable compared to what you’re making, but I’ve seen the contracts your company writes up. In the fine print, it does say that taking a governmentposition will void the agreement. Apparently, they don’t want to step on any toes.”
Dallas had stopped his pacing. Only someone like Sonya would have caught that condition—or rather, someone like her husband. “So, if I get a government gig, then they will let me out free and clear?”
“That’s how we understand it.”
He dashed to his computer and pulled up a new page, only to settle back in his seat with disappointment. “I don’t see any listings in my field.” He’d muttered it more to himself than Sonya, but she responded anyway.
“I’m going to send you a number. He’s a friend who works for the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Department. There may not be any job openings currently, but he owes Damian a favor. Maybe they can get you something part-time until you can find something else. It’s worth a shot.” His phone pinged at an incoming message.
Dallas didn’t want to allow himself any modicum of hope. If this didn’t work, then he’d be leaving soon, and when that happened, he’d lose everything that mattered to him. “Thanks, Sonya. I owe you.”
She laughed quietly. “You don’t owe me anything. What are friends for?”
Dallas waited outsideof Camilla’s house. According to Isabelle, Camilla wasn’t home, but she would be soon. If he could catch her off guard, she might be willing to hear him out. The last time they’d spoken, she hadn’t given him much of a chance to explain himself. He didn’t expect her to accept what he needed to say, but he did need her to hear it.
The moment the headlights turned toward the house, he rose from his position on the bottom step of the porch. He waited, watching and praying that Camilla wouldn’t reverse her truck and get out of there.
