Page 113 of RomeAntically Challenged
“You shouldn’t have to,” Gray said. “If I’d had any idea Emmitt was coming back, I never would have offered you his place. And when he did come home, I should have found you different housing.” He looked up at her. “I haven’t been as attentive to details lately, and that’s going to change.”
“I’m a grown woman, Gray. If I needed a new place, I would have found one on my own or come to you. Honestly, I didn’t want to move. I think, subconsciously, I knew that first night that I wanted to stay there. With him.”
“He cares for you, Annie. I’ve never seen him care so much for anyone except Paisley.”
“I’ve been on the receiving end of some pretty shitty variations of caring, but a complete disappearing act kind of takes the cake.” She didn’t get into the details. If Emmitt wanted to share that with his friends, it was his prerogative.
His gaze darted briefly away. “He’s going to kill me for telling you this, but he knows about Les’s cancer.”
Annie felt herself nod, as if her head were no longer connected to her body. “That’s good, for both of them. I’m glad Les came clean.”
“Oh, he didn’t come clean. Emmitt happened to stumble across him at the hospital and learned about it in a pretty sucky way. Les told me he also let it slip that you knew. That you’d known for a while.”
It’s been REAL.
“Oh my God.” Annie’s hands flew to her mouth to stop the guttural sound building up, but it slipped through her fingers. She’d done this. She’d set the ball in motion, and it had built so much momentum by the time it hit Emmitt, there was no going back.
“No wonder he left without a word. And no wonder he hates me so much that...” That he’d end things the way he had. “I’d hate me too.”
“He doesn’t hate you. In fact I’m pretty sure it’s the opposite. And before you go defending him, understand that you found yourself between two stubborn men who have been battling for over twenty years. He’s choosing to blame you because it’s easier than blaming himself, which is pretty shitty in itself. But then to act like an idiot, tearing out of here without thinking of how it would affect the people he left behind. That’s all on him.”
“What did Paisley say? Is she upset?”
“She won’t admit it, but I can tell she’s devastated. I’ll give him credit for coming to the house and talking with her. Explaining that he had an assignment that couldn’t wait and no one else could handle. He assured her that if she didn’t want him to go, he’d tell his editor it wasn’t happening.”
“Paisley told him to go,” she guessed, wondering just how hard that must have been for her.
“She said she could just move the party to my place.”
“Wow, I bet that hurt.”
“Yeah, he brought her an adult problem so she gave an adult answer, but I know it wasn’t the answer either of them was hoping for.” He looked at her. “I’ve been so busy dealing with Paisley’s emotions, I didn’t think to come and check on you sooner.”
Annie placed a hand on his shoulder. “Really, it’s okay. You have enough on your plate without having to worry about your employees’ dating lives.”
“You aren’t just an employee, Annie. You have become an important person in my life and Paisley’s, one who would be impossible to replace. Which is why I’m hoping you’ll stay on full time.”
“You’re offering me a job?”
“I hadn’t planned on offering it like this, but yes.” He laughed. “I was going to sit you down when your contract was coming up for renewal. In my office, where it would be professional. But when Emmitt left and you called in sick, I began to worry that if I waited any longer, we’d lose you.”
“I don’t know. I was thinking about moving on to San Francisco,” she said. “One of my friends from medical school works at UCSF Medical Center and has been trying to get me to move there for years.”
“They’d be lucky to have you,” he said. “And if that’s what you choose, I’ll write you a stellar recommendation letter. But I hope you’ll consider us when making your final decision. Maybe find it in your heart to give us a second chance.”
“I’ll think about it,” she said, and he kissed her on the cheek and stood. “And Gray, they did so much work on the backyard for her party, I’d hate to see the party moved. My offer to chaperone still stands, that is, if Paisley’s okay with it.”
“She would love that,” Gray said. “But you don’t have to do this.”
“I know, but I want to. I made her a promise and I’d like to see it through,” she said. “Plus, I think I need to see it through.”
Annie needed to spend one last night in the house, and she was too afraid to do it alone. It might be her only chance to find some sense of closure, and she desperately needed to find a way to close the door on her time in Rome.
* * *
Emmitt sat in a back office at the American embassy in India, waiting to interview a source who had proof that the Chinese concrete company had knowingly purchased faulty suspension preheaters that had the potential to explode if air quality caused overheating. The company was suspected of installing them at all seventeen of their plants, three of which were located in India.
The source made it clear that he’d speak only with Emmitt, and only in a specific room located in the underbelly of the embassy that didn’t have windows, to eliminate the chance of being photographed speaking with a journalist.
