Unexpected Arrivals(27)

“He’s considering me for a new office, James.” She squealed with delight.

“Drake?”

The way she rolled her eyes reminded me of a child who thought I’d said something dumb. “Of course. Who else?”

“That’s awesome. How soon is he talking?”

“I’m not sure. I mean, I haven’t even finished my degree.”

“Yeah, but that’s only a few months away. Is he thinking right after graduation, or does he have a plan to groom you into a position.”

Cora continued folding laundry while she talked, and I put them away as she went. Luckily, it provided me the opportunity to shield my expression.

“Oh, there would be other people in the office. But it would be a huge stepping stone.”

“I’m sure it can’t be as great as having the legendary Drake Halifax mentoring you.” I was sure he was a great asset to her career, though something about him bothered me. It might have been the green-eyed monster that lingered on my shoulder, constantly telling me to watch my back.

I lurched forward when a pillow hit me from behind.

“What was that for?” I turned sharply to see a smile on her face and the glimmer in her eyes.

“You’re jealous.”

“Am not. If he can further your career, that’s great.” I didn’t believe a word of any of that.

“He’s taking me to a benefit with him next weekend. James, do you have any idea how big this could all be for me? This man produces greats. And for whatever reason, he chose me.”

It made me a dick to think he’d chosen her for her physical assets and not those that could benefit his company. Drake was notoriously single, and while he didn’t do it often, when he did take a female under his care, he took them all the way under. I’d read the stories and seen the reports. I’d even listened to the female who’d accused him of inappropriate behavior in exchange for that one-on-one attention—right before she’d agreed to a hefty out-of-court settlement along with an air-tight non-disclosure.

This guy was trouble in my world whether Cora saw it or not. He took far too much interest in her for it to be so casual. Picking her up, escorting her places, taking her to fancy dinners in the name of charity. It was all great, but in my opinion, he should have been taking a date, not my girlfriend.

In my mental tirade, I’d slid right over the fact that she’d said next weekend. “Cora, we’re supposed to go with Hannah and Neil to see Elton John next weekend.”

She stopped what she was doing and came back to me. Putting her hands on my hips, she stared up with her neck craned. “James, I can’t turn my boss down.”

Normally, I would have caved, but I’d spent a fortune on these tickets and had been looking forward to an actual date with my girlfriend. Penciling time onto the calendar had gotten old. “Yes, you absolutely can. I can’t believe you didn’t realize you already had plans.”

Her lips met the side of my neck, the one that made me weak with her touch. Although, this time, I pulled away. I wasn’t letting this one go so easily.

“Don’t be that way. We can go see Elton John another time.”

“Oh yeah? Like when? It’s not like he tours annually, Cora.”

I hated fighting with her, but I was holding firm. She was going to have to pick. I wasn’t giving her an out and letting it go. I’d done it countless times since she’d gotten back from Paris. At some point, I had to stand up and hold my ground.

“James, it’s a concert. This is my future.”

“I remember when I was your future,” I grumbled the words under my breath as I turned away, not realizing I’d said them loudly enough to be heard.

Her hand snagged my belt loop. “What?”

“Nothing, Cora. If that’s what you want to do then so be it. I realized months ago how little you care about how your decisions affect us.” It was a low blow—one I shouldn’t have taken.

Her face dropped and what had been excitement that lifted her cheeks earlier now weighed heavy in her expression. “That’s not fair.”

“The truth’s not always nice, but the truth is still the truth.” I just couldn’t stop myself. Even though I was saying things that would elicit an argument, the filter on my mouth seemed to be on sabbatical. And it dawned on me that not only was I trying to goad her into a fight, it felt good to have her direct any emotion toward me—even if it were negative. We’d been on autopilot for so long, I’d forgotten what passion felt like.

“How about this for the truth? I’ve never been with anyone else, James. No one. You’re it. And when we met, I was in a vulnerable place that you happened to land right in the middle of. Losing my parents wasn’t all I lost that year…I lost myself.”

I stared at her taking deep breaths as my heart thundered in my chest, and the air I sucked in whistled past my slightly parted lips. My eyes narrowed while I wondered where she was going with this.

Her hands dropped to her sides in tightly balled fists that turned her knuckles white, and her jaw clenched just before she swallowed hard, and then she opened her mouth to speak. “I lost the fire I had inside me, the do or die, the stop at nothing, the leap-and-soar mentality—all of which were who I was at the core before I left that concert. Never would I have followed some guy to college, much less back to New York—”