He glanced around then linked his pinkie finger with mine. It was so subtle no one would’ve noticed, and yet that simple touch lit me up inside. Gave me hope.
“We’ll figure it out. Okay?”
I hesitated a moment, then nodded. I trusted Jasper, and I wanted to have faith in us and our future. I might not see how it would all work out, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t.
It was a big part of the reason why I’d ultimately agreed to this. Because Jasper made me believe that it could. BecauseI wanted to find a way to be with him. He made everything better, brighter.
“Okay.”
His shoulders relaxed. “Also, I know you don’t want me to give the money to Kai, but he earned it. So what if we gave him a small amount each time and put the rest into a bank account for him?”
I considered it a moment. Jasper was right—Kai had earned that money. And giving him some now while putting the bulk aside would teach Kai about delayed gratification and saving. It was an elegant solution.
“Okay.” I nodded. “Thank you. That seems like a good compromise.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, lingering.
“Tomorrow,” I echoed, thinking it sounded so far away.
“You have to go inside,” he whispered. “Or I’ll never be able to leave.”
I laughed, loving that he felt the same struggle to say goodbye as I did. I’d just spent the flight home with him, and I would see him at the office tomorrow, but it wasn’t enough. And it wasn’t the same as spending time alone together outside of work.
“See you,” I whispered.
I opened the door, and when I checked over my shoulder, Jasper was still standing there. Rosie was in his arms, her ears drooping. They both looked sad to say goodbye. It took everything in me to make myself go inside.
I closed the door softly behind me, pressing my back to it with a sigh. This wasn’t like before. This was…so much more. I took a minute to compose myself then headed to the kitchen.
“Come sit by me, Mum! I saved you a seat.” Kai smiled, bouncing in his chair.
“I would love to. Let me just wash my hands first.” I wentto the sink and washed and dried my hands before joining Kai and Craig at the table.
When Kai asked me about the money, I explained the bank account solution. He seemed disappointed at first, but then Craig pointed out how it would allow Kai to save up for a bigger Lego kit he’d been wanting or, even better, a trip to Legoland. That seemed a bit ambitious, but I was more surprised by the fact that Craig had backed me up. In the past, he would’ve offered to buy Kai a Lego kit to get him to calm down.
Conversation moved on to what they’d done while I was gone. And when Kai finished, he popped up and went to his room to grab something, leaving Craig and me alone.
“Mum,” Kai called from down the hall. “Granny’s calling on my tablet. Can I talk to her?”
“Sure,” I called out.
Craig leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “How’s your dad?”
“Hanging in there,” I said, not wanting to get into it. It was nice that Craig had asked, but I didn’t have the desire or the emotional energy to go into detail.
He nodded, seeming to contemplate something. And then he asked, “Does your boss often visit you at home? He and Kai seemed awfully…familiar.”
“Jasper’s not my boss. Sloan is,” I said, feeling that the distinction was more important now than ever.
“Hal,” he scoffed, “Jasper’s the CEO. He’s everyone’s boss.”
I shoved a bite of salad into my mouth to avoid responding. This reminded me of my conversation with Jasper on the jet. The mental gymnastics made my head ache. He wasn’t my boss, but he was the CEO. The only consolation was that I reported to Sloan, though she was out of the office for the foreseeable future.
“Doesn’t it bother you that Jasper can just drop by yoursuite at any time? It seems like he’s encroaching on your personal time.”
“We’re friends,” I said. “Just like I’m friends with his sister, Sloan. They’re a family company, and they like to treat their employees like family.”
“Mm.” He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest.
