Page 70 of Isabelle & Jason
It felt strange standing here and wishing he could stay.
Mateo leaned back in his chair and rubbed his jaw. “I have to say, this is coming out of left field.”
Jason shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “You can drop all pretenses, sir. We both know that you saw this coming.” Even if everything worked out between him and Isabelle, Jason would have decided to find a different local job. Mateo had to know that.
The man before him tilted his head. “So, this is about my sister.”
Jason’s jaw tightened hard enough that he wouldn’t have been surprised if he did some damage to his teeth. He couldn’t bring himself to confirm his boss’s suspicions. He didn’t want to appear weak. Or worse, guilty. Surely, Mateo had noticed the issues his younger sister had been dealing with. It had been a surprise that he hadn’t sought Jason out to discuss it.
But then, he was married to Nikki, and she might have vouched for him.
Jason lifted his chin and straightened his shoulders. “I don’t think my reasons matter. What does matter is that I feel it’s the right time to move on. Consider this my two-week notice.”
Mateo pressed his lips together into a thin line. “Are you sure this is what you want?”
Jason nodded. “It is, sir.”
His boss blew out a breath and ran a hand threw his hair. “Well, I can’t say I’m thrilled about this situation, but I can understand it. Of course, I’ll give you the highest recommendation wherever you go.”
Jason’s heart stalled. That wasn’t expected. “Sir?”
Mateo chuckled. “Just because you dated my sister and it didn’t work out, doesn’t mean I hold it against you. Your work ethic has always been above and beyond. And when you were dating Isabelle, I could see that you made her happy. That, combined with the fact that she insisted your breakup was necessary…”
Jason fought to hide his surprise over what she had said.
“Anyway.” Mateo waved a dismissive hand. “Let’s just say, we’ll miss you here.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Two weeks later,Jason tossed his large duffel into the back of his truck. Mark leaned against his own, his hands deep in his pockets. Based on the disgruntled look on his face, he didn’t agree with Jason’s decision.
Well, he would have to deal with it. He could even blame himself a little for what had happened. He’d been the one to set this train in motion.
Jason pushed the tailgate shut and faced his friend. It was time to move on from this place anyhow. He couldn’t stand to catch glimpses of the woman he had come to care for and yet feel as though he wasn’t allowed to be with her.
There was no telling if Isabelle was healing or if she was masking her pain like she had so many years ago.
“I can’t believe you’re leaving,” Mark said, pushing away from his truck. “You don’t have to go. You know that, right?”
“Yeah, I do,” Jason replied. “And you know why.”
His friend rolled his eyes. “No, you don’t. You’re an adult. She’s an adult. It’s not like you have to?—”
Jason clutched at his shirt just over his heart. “I can’t because right here. This hurts. Every single day I can’t be there for her in the way I need to be. It feels like I can’t breathe. It’s torture. Maybe you’ve forgotten what it was like to care for someone so deeply and not have it returned because you’re going to be married soon. But I can’t do this anymore.” His words were said in an anguished whisper so no one would be able to overhear.
“Jason, a word?”
Jason startled and spun to find Mateo and his wife Nikki standing a few feet away. Shoot! If they’d heard any part of that conversation, there was no telling what they’d want to say to him now. Jason gave Mark a warning look, then turned and headed toward his boss. “I was just about to head out.” He forced a smile, but even that seemed to cause him pain.
Nikki glanced at her husband, then stepped forward before Mateo got a chance to speak. “I’ve invested in a small café on the other side of town.”
Jason’s brows lifted. “That sounds like a lot of work. You’re going to be spread pretty thin.” It didn’t really make sense,seeing as Nikki loved working at the ranch so much. “But I suppose congratulations are in order.”
She shook her head. “While we purchased the building and we’ll be overseeing the business side of things, I will not be heading up the food services aspect of it.”
Confusion swirled within Jason, and his eyes flicked to Mateo before dragging back to Nikki.
The woman reached out to him and took both of his hands in her own. “I was actually planning on bringing it up weeks ago, but then you gave your notice, and I wasn’t sure what your plans were. We need someone to be on site daily who knows what they’re doing. But all our interviews aren’t exactly going the way we’d hoped. Admittedly, I keep coming back to the same conclusion. There is only one person who would fit the job perfectly.”
