Page 18 of Liberating Bells
And Josie turns out to be a great friend. And a great business partner. I hired her on as a private contractor right after we defined our relationship. She is proving to be an incredible resource for some of my projects. Josie brings a lot more to the table than I can offer on my own. I can see our teamwork morphing into a highly successful partnership.
Her primary focus right now is to head up the Stevenson project. A project that I wouldn’t entrust to anyone else. I’m supposed to meet her for lunch in about an hour to go over some sketches and ideas. I appreciate her being willing to meet me on a Saturday. This past week was stupidly busy, leaving me with noopenings. The Stevenson Project has to start getting underway, as I’ve been sitting on it for over a month.
My fingers fly over my keyboard as I type out an email to another client and hit send. Then I sit back in my chair and take a deep breath. What a crazy few months it’s been. It’s hard for me to believe that I was still living in Germany and working for Bates only three months ago. Now I’m home, getting a chance, and so far, succeeding at building my own business.
I’ve been so busy with everything that I haven’t had time to breathe. Though I wouldn’t have it any other way. The insane schedule has thankfully kept my mind off other things. Namely, a blue-eyed beauty who haunts my every waking moment. I haven’t crossed paths with Izabel since she visited my office last month. Which may be a blessing in disguise.
I’ve divulged my entire depressing history to Josie, who, as usual, didn't beat around the bush with her assessment. She looked me dead in the eye and said, “You need to make a decision. Either you’re all in, or you’re not. If you want her, go get her. Or don’t."
"I don't know if it's that easy," I said, shaking my head.
"If you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it belongs to you. If it doesn’t, it was never meant to be yours in the first place.”
And so, I put all my energy into work and family. And I reluctantly let her go.
Izabel will always be a part of me; I’ll always have a place for her in my heart. I’ll always love her. But she’s engaged to be married to someone else. There are some lines that I won’t cross, and that’s one of them. I will not put myself into a situation where I’m not wanted. We put ourselves through too much pain and heartbreak already once before. I’m not sure it’s worth traveling down that road again.
I check the clock and determine I can start heading to the restaurant where I’m supposed to meet Josie. I shut down the computer and turn off the office lights before heading that way. We’re meeting at a small café just a few blocks down. It’s a beautiful day, so I decide to walk.
My feet tread down the sidewalk, scraping against the concrete. Saturday morning has brought out a bunch of people who are window shopping or walking their dogs. The weather today is warmer than it has been. A hint of summer is in the air, giving hope that the winter months are behind us.
I make a mental note to get in touch with Todd over the next week to discuss tryouts and training schedules for the Bennett soccer team that I volunteered to coach. That would be another busy commitment, but hopefully, one that I would enjoy.
Todd seemed to be in a bind when the school’s soccer coach backed out last minute. I offered to step in for the next season. Tryouts weren’t for another few months, but he and I had to get together to talk schedules and the finer details of me joining the payroll as a new coach.
As I come up to the café, I see Josie already settled in at a table outside. Her long brown hair is curled in her usual style, falling past the back of the chair and swaying slightly in the breeze. She’s hunched over the table, scrolling through her phone, facing away from me. I smirk as I quietly walk up behind her and clasp my hands on her shoulders, giving her muscles a slight squeeze.
Josie yelps, startled, and whips around to glare at me. Her hazel eyes cut into mine, and I can see the fire blazing behind them. She extends a hand and whacks me in the gut, causing me to double over and grunt. “Ryan! You could have given me a heart attack, you jackass.” I chuckle as I straighten up and walk around the table to sit opposite her.
“Sorry, babe, couldn’t resist,” I respond.
She rolls her eyes and puts her phone down as her arms cross on top of the table. “How’s your day been?”
“Busy,” I tell her as I grab the water she’s already ordered and take a sip. “Lots to do. The projects keep rolling in, and I’m not sure what to do with all of them.”
“That’s a good problem to have, Ryan,” she says with a smile. “I’d be happy to take over more if you want me to.”
“I might just take you up on that. If you can impress me with what you’ve got for the Stevenson Project.”
“Oh, don’t you worry. You’ll love it.” Josie reaches into the tube that’s slung across the back of her chair for the blueprints.
She lays them across the table and goes over all the fine details with me. The layout is exactly what I was envisioning, and I’m honestly impressed. I knew Josie was up for the challenge, but she nailed it on the head.
“These are perfect, Jos,” I say, not even attempting to keep the awe out of my tone.
She looks at me smugly. “I know. I told you I’d take care of it.”
Josie rolls up the blueprints as the waiter comes and takes our orders. Then Josie opens up her notebook and begins going over other construction matters with me. I listen, nod along, and make my own notes, offering corrections or different ideas. When our food comes, we put the business away for a minute while we eat.
Josie is telling me a hilarious story about a nightmare client of hers, when my attention is pulled away. I hear my name whispered by someone a few feet to my right.
“Ryan?”
The sound of that familiar voice has me whipping my head around to meet Izabel’s gaze. She’s standing a few feet away, hand-in-hand with her fiancé. My throat thickens as my eyes roam over her. Wearing a sundress, she’s taking full advantageof the almost-summer weather we’re experiencing today. Her hair is swept back from her face in a high ponytail, blue eyes widening as she stares right at me.
Beautiful. Like always.
My heart skips a beat. I dart my attention back to Josie and reach for her hand before I know what I’m doing, lacing her fingers with mine. Her fingers wrap around my own as she watches in amusement.
