Page 21 of Jilted Jock
“You’re right.” He nodded and ran a hand through his hair. He dropped a kiss to my nose and then stepped back. “I’m gonna shower.”
“Good idea,” I responded, already looking for a clip to pin my hair up so I could join him. But the offer didn’t come, and Richard disappeared into my bathroom with his rolling bag and a tired look in his eyes.
Adele
After dinner, we sat around the old wooden dining room table that had once been my mother’s. CJ had passed out an hour ago leaving the four of us to talk. My brother and Richard didn’t have a lot in common, but they both tried for me – something I greatly appreciated.
Richard had on his adorable frowny thinking face as Chance explained plans to continue the landscaping in the back yard.
“Almost have it finished and then we can start in on the front.”
“Doesn’t look like I’m going to have to worry about landscaping anytime soon,” Richard said. “The opening of the New York office has already been delayed six months due to some conflicts with the building manager and the contractor.” He squeezed my shoulder with the arm that was wrapped around me. “It’s city living for the foreseeable future for me.”
“It got extended again?” He hadn’t mentioned another extension. I knew this job was important to him and that it would likely cement his advancement to partner, but it felt like we’d never be able to move on with our lives while we were living across the country from one another.
He shot me a rueful grin. “Yeah, I meant to tell you earlier.”
“Six more months isn’t so bad,” Aubrey piped up. “You can still visit each other on weekends. New York has so much to see.”
Seeing more of New York did excite me. It was just that the few times I’d gone, Richard had been stuck in the office and wandering the city by myself was a bit… overwhelming.
“Actually, I was thinking maybe it could be more than weekend visits.”
“How do you mean?” Chance asked.
The air was heavy as Richard took his time answering. “I was hoping you’d move with me.”
“To New York?” I asked though it was obvious.
“For six months? What about her job?” Bless Aubrey for asking because I couldn’t work through the shock to form a single coherent thought.
Finally, somewhere the answer clicked. “They’ve offered you the job to run the office.”
He nodded. “Just found out yesterday. I’ll finally be a partner.”
“That’s great,” I gushed because it really was. I knew this was his dream. Maybe not New York exactly, but location had never really mattered to Richard. He didn’t hold ties to cities and people that way. He’d moved all over as a kid and hadn’t lived anywhere near his family since college.
It was one of the things I’d found endearing about him – his ability to travel and tackle new cities without feeling lost or homesick. Home was just wherever he was at the moment. I felt braver somehow just by association.
“Congratulations, mate.” Chance clapped him on the shoulder, but I didn’t miss the worried glance he shot at Aubrey.
My brother was the worst when it came to coddling and protecting me. Yes, I’d given him very good reasons to worry about me, but I was doing good. Great even. But I knew he wouldn’t like me moving somewhere he couldn’t check after me so easily.
“Well, it’s just an offer,” Richard said, and his brown eyes checked my reaction carefully. He dropped his arm from my shoulder and scooted his chair closer to the table. “We can talk about it more later.”
Aubrey, bless her twice, carried the conversation after that, asking Richard about New York, what it was like to travel, if he was sick of airports yet.
“No, I kind of like it. Up in the air where no one can distract me for a few hours. Work has gotten so chaotic, I don’t get that kind of silence anywhere else.”
“What about you, Adele?”
“Do I like flying?”
She nodded.
“Well it’s certainly less exciting than a road trip across the country, but far more efficient for a long weekend.”
Richard chuckled. “Remember that flight we were on together where you were stuck in between that family that had four kids under the age of five?”
