Page 20 of A Gift of Time
Once Gage left, I looked back at Logan. He was smiling.
“What?”
“You’re really good at your job,” he answered. “Yeah, you were a workaholic and an asshole at times, but you deserve to be where you are. Are you sure you’re ready to give it all up and go back to how things were?”
“I don’t see it as giving it up.” After sitting back down, I looked at my computer and clicked on a document I needed to read over. I had another presentation to a different client that afternoon about their clothing line. “When I’m back in my old life, this is still something I can achieve, I’ll just go about it a different way.”
“And what way is that?” Logan asked as he stood up.
“To be honest, I don’t know. But I’ll figure it out.”
I loved having my ideas heard. As director of marketing, I had control over so many aspects of advertising—something I hadn’t had before.
In my old life, my ideas had been ignored or only taken into consideration when nothing else had worked. Going back to that level of invisibility would suck, but after seeing this life, I knew it was possible to achieve my goals. With resilience and determination, I could have my voice heard.
However, if the only way to have that position was to lose Caden in the process, I didn’t want it.
***
Later that evening, I decided to take a walk. My apartment was in the center of the city, so basically everywhere was in walking distance—well, the places worth going anyway.
The cold, crisp air bit into me, but I’d layered up so it wasn’t too bad. I didn’t have a set direction in mind; I’d just needed to move. Sitting still was out of the question with how my mind was racing. And each second I spent at home doing nothing was another second lost.
Snow was in the forecast, and I could already smell it in the air. The old me would’ve snarled at such a thing, but I had a new attitude about it.
Main Street was lit up like a Christmas tree. Literally. Each lamppost had a string of lights wrapped around it and some of them had large ornaments hanging off the ends. Every store window had some sort of Christmas or winter scene.
Even though the sun had sunk below the horizon and night had taken its place, all the lights and bustle of people lit the place up.
A group of carolers stood in front of a shop, singingO, Christmas Treein perfect harmony.
Caden would love this.
Without hesitation, I pulled out my phone and called him.
“Hello?”
“Hey, it’s Jack. How are you?”
Only two days had passed since I’d last seen him, but it felt like more. And it wasn’t as if I hadn’t tried seeing him the day before. He’d told me he was busy helping another client decorate her new restaurant, so I’d had no choice but to leave him alone.
“I’m okay,” he answered in an off-tone. “Just ate dinner and now I’m sitting at home. How are you?”
I knew him way too damn well to believe he was okay, but I didn’t want to freak him out by going all protective, caveman on him. I needed to be cautious with how I handled things.
“I’m great,” I answered, stopping on the sidewalk and leaning against one of the lampposts. “I was restless, so I took a walk. If you aren’t busy, maybe you can join me? It’s sorta amazing out here. Everything is lit up and there are even some carolers.”
Caden didn’t answer right away, and the hope in my chest plummeted.
“Thanks for the invite, but I can’t,” Caden said, still in that off-tone. A tone that didn’t fit his usual happy attitude. The urge to go to his house struck, but not knowing where he lived put an end to that plan. “I’m tired.”
“Oh. Then maybe I can come see you,” I suggested.
He sighed. “Jack… I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
What the hell?
That was the second time he’d said something like that. First, when I’d offered to buy him lunch the other day, and now.
