AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Henry held his hands up as several of my friends shifted, almost as if they were bodyguards. “Not here to cause trouble. Daniel told me I could find you here when I asked him. He made me swear to be kind and not upset you further.”
“Thank you, Daniel,” I replied, sounding colder than I’d expected. I folded my arms, not sure what Henry could have to say.
“It’s a personal thing. I’ve been talking to Sarai. She said you’re heading back to England and don’t want to take on any more jobs. I know it’s your choice, but I also know that my bossis part of the reason you might be turning down other work. All I wanted to come and say was, please don’t let what happened between you and him stop you from being happy and living your best life.”
Although I opened my mouth to respond to Henry, I closed it again with a snap. I didn’t know what to say. I hadn’t expected anything so caring from him. More than once it had seemed as if he didn’t like me.
“I know friends mean a lot and yours are in England. But you have the chance to do some great things too. At least take some time to consider the offers you’ve been made. And if there’s anything I can do to keep a certain person out of your way, or to help ease your mind about the future—anything, really—I want you to feel like you can ask that of me.” Henry reached out with his business card, and it looked like it was his personal one, not his work one.
“Thank you,” I said as I took it. Right now, I had no intention of ever using it, but I would have been lying if I said I didn’t appreciate the gesture.
Henry backed off.
“I hope I’ll see you again sometime, but if not, good luck with whatever happens in your life. You deserve a lot of success.” With that, Henry left. Daniel lingered while I stared at the business card, struggling to process everything.
I wanted nothing more than to walk away from Lukas and everything associated with him, but the universe didn’t plan on letting me out that easily, or so it seemed.
Daniel coughed and looked a little sheepish when I finally looked up at him. “Is there any way I could add a similar sentiment?”
“Did Sarai send you both?” I asked, my eyes narrowing.
“Not really. She did ask me to show Henry where you were, but only under the promise that neither of us would tell Lukas.”He shrugged as if it was the best apology he had. My friends chuckled.
“So you all want Kit to stay here in the US and work with you lot some more?” Stacy asked, taking the focus off me for a moment. I had been adamant I didn’t want something like this to stop me going home. But having so many of them tell me they thought it was wrong was having an impact.
“Do you all think I should stay as well?” I asked, figuring Daniel might as well stay to hear their opinions. I already knew exactly what Sarai thought about it, but everyone else had been more conservative with sharing their thoughts.
None of them spoke, all of them looking between each other like they wanted to nominate someone else to give their verdict. I exhaled, pretty sure it meant they agreed with Daniel, Henry and Sarai, even if they weren’t going to say it.
“If I accepted a job here again, it would have to be one I’d be sure to love. I loved this one, but mostly because Sarai understood me and trusted me. I couldn’t work for anyone who didn’t give me that freedom.”
Daniel’s face lit up. “And if that kind of job was guaranteed? One with the right boss, a good budget and plenty of freedom?”
I let out a wry chuckle, not sure I knew what to say in the face of such perseverance. “I’d consider it. But I make no promises of any kind. Is this the point where you tell me you already have the perfect plan in place and that’s why you’re here?”
Thankfully Daniel shook his head. “A project in place, no. I can do one thing well, and it involves a football, not miracles. But do I think someone like Sarai might be able to find the perfect project to fit that bill if you give her, say…a week? Yes.”
“A week, huh?” I asked, knowing full well that was exactly how long my road trip was. I glanced over at my friends, all sorts of suspicions growing in my mind. Stacy looked down,her cheeks a little redder than usual. It seemed she had been scheming.
“If you have something to pitch to me before I fly away, or Sarai does, then I will consider it. Is that enough?”
Daniel came forward and took my hand before giving the back of it a kiss. “Perfect, my dear. I’ll leave you be. I have to get back to the team. But I’ll see you in a week’s time.”
I watched him hurry away, not sure what to say or do next. My world didn’t seem to ever remain static, and I was beginning to feel like I wasn’t in control. When I thought someone else was in control and worthy of that, I’d loved it. Now, I felt adrift and as if I was having to fight just to stay sane.
CHAPTER NINETY-ONE
Lukas
I paced the floor of the hut, hoping the back-and-forth wouldn’t wear a permanent groove in the soft new carpet. I was alone, and I wasn’t coping very well with it.
Sarai had been the first to leave, needing to go back to her showcase whether she wanted to help me or not. And it made sense. If she was going to help me, then this showcase needed to be everything she hoped it would be. I still didn’t have a firm plan.
Unless Kit could be talked around into considering another project at all, there was nothing I could do, but I was willing to take it one step at a time. The first step was getting her to agree to hear a pitch of some kind and actually consider it.
Daniel was determined to get that much out of her, and Sarai promised to do everything she could to at least get us that far. She’d made it clear the rest was almost entirely on my shoulders.
If Kit showed a willingness to listen, I needed to be the one to make sure what was said to her was worth her time—and an actual reward.
