I had so many thoughts to share, but I needed to start at the beginning. “Did I tell you why I started the business in California?”
He shook his head.
“That guy,” I said euphemistically, refusing to use my ex-business partner’s name, “pushed the idea of setting up the company there, but that was because he knew I wanted to move to the other side of my country. I was twenty-four years old and finally had my degree, and I needed to get away from my mom, from her pain.”
I didn’t need to explain that to Ben. The summer we’d dated, when we had hung out at my mom’s house pretending to be friends, he’d witnessed the way she’d still grieved, even ten years after my dad’s death. She never stopped until the day she died.
He kissed my fingertips. “Are you saying you ran away from home?”
“Sound familiar?”
“Little bit.”
“It was probably crazy,” I continued, “given the cost of real estate and commercial rental property. But we had seed investors—who thankfully were paid back before this recent debacle—and enough capital to make it work. When things really started humming, I bought my condo with my profit-sharing. It was scary, the amount of money I paid for it at the time. But now, it’s worth nearly twice that much.”
He made a low whistle.
“There’s enough to put a good chunk of my own money into settling the company’s debts and buying outthat guyif I need to.”
“Wait.” His hands went still. “You love that condo. And your shoe closet. And where will you live?”
“I think what I really love is what the condo represents. That I have a place in the world. Maybe I don’t need it for that anymore. As for my shoes, they’ll come with me wherever I land. The California office is so well established, and I have a great second-in-command there who could take over the top spot. But the office here.” I shook my head. “I let the staff down by leaving and neglecting them.”
“Cut yourself some slack. You were grieving.”
“Still, I owe it to them to do better by them. And my aunt’s family is here, and Mai’s home base.”
“What about your other friends? The mastermind group.”
I smiled. “Are you making fun of us?”
“Never. It does seem like a very intense way to have friendships, though.”
“We like it. We already have regular meet-ups online, and I’d fly out to the California office pretty frequently, so I’d see them then. And best of all,” I leaned forward and kissed his neck, “I’d be much, much closer to Chicago. It’s less than a two-hour flight from here.”
“Funny you should mention Chicago.” He reached under the surface of the water and twined his fingers with mine. “My sister is annoying, but she occasionally makes a good point, like the fact that there are a lot of jobs in the DC metro area. Jobs I could take if I didn’t feel the need to stay far away to avoid my family.”
I didn’t mention that he already had a job in the area that was the perfect fit. He would have to realize that for himself.
“And like you said, Mai’s here, and my mom would be thrilled,” he continued. “Michael plans to get a job in Baltimorewhen he finishes his MBA.” He sighed. “And who knows, maybe things will improve with my dad.”
“Do I understand this correctly? Are the two runners running home?”
“Not home like to the apartment above my parents’ garage, despite the smokin’-hot memories I have of it. But home to Maryland. There’s a condo for sale in Mai’s building. And when you said you’re ready to sell your place in California”—he pulled my hand out of the water and kissed the back of it—“I started thinking…” He kissed the pulse point on the inside of my wrist. “We could buy it.” He kissed my inner elbow.
“You mean move in together?”
“Just think about it,” he whispered as he nuzzled my neck. “Run it by your mastermind group if you want. Workshop the issue.”
I splashed water at him. “Now I know you’re making fun of me.”
“Wouldn’t think of it,” he repeated. “And even if I were, I’m going to make up for it now by letting you live out your Ranger-in-a-tub fantasy.”
“Mmm. That could put me in a very forgiving mood.”
He rubbed my shoulders and plied my neck with butterfly kisses. Tracing circles on my skin, he moved over my throat, then lower, stroking each nipple in turn until I groaned with pleasure.
“Your skin feels like silk,” he murmured against my neck. He sank a gentle bite into the sensitive spot between my throat and shoulder.
