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“No,” I bit out. “I’m going to study.”
“All right,” he said, just as irritated as I was.
I could see the frustration roiling through him. That I wouldn’t tell him what this was all about.
But it wasn’t that I wouldn’t.
I just…couldn’t.
No part of me was ready for that conversation, and I certainly wasn’t going to have it here.
So, I turned on my heel and left. Left behind all the unanswered questions and expectations. We weren’t dating, and I didn’t owe him anything.
15
Jordan
Well, what the fuck was that about?
I slammed the door shut behind Annie. So much for friends with benefits not being complicated. Things had been going so well. And now…whatever that was.
My anger simmered in my gut, threatening to boil over if I didn’t give it an outlet. I’d always had a short temper. Courtesy of my asshole father. But I’d learned to rein it in when I had to in business. In my personal life, it was my weakest link, and I didn’t want to let it loose here. Even though I was frustrated and wanted to.
I threw on running clothes and forced myself to go for that run anyway. Annie didn’t want to go, but now, I needed to go. The first few steps were too fast. I knew it wasn’t a sustainable mile, but I didn’t care. I just ran and let the anger out on the pavement.
My breath frosted in front of me, but I wasn’t cold. And for the first time in a long while, I missed Vancouver. Missed the run along the Stanley Park Seawall, the way the sun shimmered along the waterfront in the winter, the eclectic food options, the vibrancy of my home. I even missed the rain. Fuck, who knew I’d ever miss the rain? But I was used to it raining what felt like half of the year, and now, it never rained in Lubbock’s arid climate.
A few miles in, I slowed my pace. The nostalgia of Vancouver had brought my temper back to normal. Whatever had upset Annie wasn’t my concern. If she didn’t want to tell me and she didn’t want to run, then fine. I’d run without her.
Six miles later, I returned to my house and took another shower. I found my phone where I’d left it charging. I had a missed call from Larissa.
My heart skipped. I’d been so occupied with Annie that I forgot we’d hear from the winery seller today. She’d kept me so thoroughly fixated that I forgot business. Who the hell was I?
I called Larissa back. “Hey, Larissa. Sorry about that. I was out for a run.”
“Jordan, good to hear from you.”
“Do you have news?”
“I do. I wanted to call to deliver this: you got the winery!”
I released a relieved breath. “That’s great news, Larissa. Really great news.”
“I’ll let you deliver it to Julian and Hollin.”
“Of course.”
“I’m sending the contract your way right now. Everything looks good to me, but look it over and tell me if there’s anything you want to change.”
“Will do. Did you hear anything else from the other people who offered?”
She sighed. “I didn’t. I know that they went back to them to ask if they’d go over our asking price, and they said no. So, it’s yours!”
I nodded in relief. It was still strange to me. Usually, I knew who I was going up against in business. I didn’t particularly like thinking that my opponent was a ghost.
Larissa congratulated me again and then got off the phone. I read the entire contract before calling Julian and Hollin and asking them to meet me at Walkers.
I staked out an oversized booth at the coffee shop and bar and ordered a latte from the barista. Walkers was actually the first place I’d ever met Annie. She’d been standing against the bar at a medical school orientation happy hour. She’d been shockingly aggressive, and I’d been into it. I still thought about her when I walked into the darkened interior with all of its hardwood booths and glossy bar. During the day, it was a coffee bar, and as the sun set, it turned into a real bar, serving all sorts of libations. I came here frequently enough that I had other memories layered over my first one with Annie.
Julian and Hollin showed up together, finding my table immediately and heading toward me. Hollin in jeans and a button-up, belt buckle, and boots and all. Julian in crisp maroon pants, a white polo, and gray cardigan. They were a mismatched pair and still had turned into the closest of friends. It was one of Julian’s specialties.
“What’s all this about?” Julian asked, shaking my hand when I slid out of the booth to meet them.
I grinned. “We got the winery.”
“What?” Julian gasped.
Hollin’s eyes widened. “We did?”
“I wanted to tell you in person.”
