Page 102 of But For You

“Just—goodbye.”

“What about your art auction?”

“I talked to Fallon. You saw the money, right?”

I had. I didn’t check the business account every day like I did my personal one, but I had seen the transfer. “Yeah, but don’t you want to look at what we⁠—”

“No, you know I trust you. Just do it.”

He did not sound like himself.

“You normally try to come on to me, you know.”

Nothing.

“Not that this isn’t better, and Sam will certainly be thrilled, but … I actually thought I was doing you a favor and not making your life shitty. I’m sorry you and Duncan didn’t⁠—”

“What?” he snapped, sounding irritated.

Wait now …

He was being very defensive about Duncan Stiel.

“Aaron, do you like Duncan? Does he like you? Tell me now.”

He coughed, but there was no great outpouring of information.

“You’re really starting to⁠—”

“He’s different from what I thought.”

“And you’re different right now than you’ve ever been,” I let him know because, really, I had never met this man before.

For as long as I’d known Aaron, he’d been arrogant and conceited and brash. There were quiet times, yes; there were times he tried to get me to move in and see the life he could provide. There were times he’d tried to change me, make me dependent, make me love him, body and soul. But the man on the phone was unsure, and that was simply not Aaron Sutter.

“Jory.”

It was my fault. I broke him, and now I was worried. He had a lot of people depending on him for their livelihood. I had to fix him.

“What can I do?”

“I … I want to go to New York.”

Oh. Well now. “You do?” I could not hide my surprise.

“I do.”

“And what’s stopping you?” I wanted to know.

“I don’t want to push if I shouldn’t,” he murmured.

“Wouldn’t going show interest?”

“Or compulsive tendencies.” He sighed deeply.

“So, you’re worried about looking too eager?”

“I don’t want to look like I want more than there is,” he explained. “That’s no good.”