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“This person is probably thinking training instead of searching is bullshit.”
“It’s a job, dude,” East said. “A good one. One you enjoy and you’re good at. This isn’t a hard choice.”
“I enjoy my job now. This new gig would be less fieldwork and more overseeing, scheduling, planning, and training.”
“Which you’re good at since you’re a tight-ass who always has a plan.”
Gage hit his friend with a hard look, and East held up his hands. “Don’t get your panties in a wad. I’m just telling you what I see. But I’d hate to offend your delicate feelers and get on your shit list.”
“My shit list is color-coded, asshole. And yeah, you’re officially on it now.”
East laughed. “Of course it is. Well then, in the spirit of friendly advice, maybe put down the spreadsheet and think about what you really want.”
“That’s what I’ve been doing.” Gage glanced back at Chloe. But it wasn’t as simple as what he wanted, because what he wanted conflicted with how he operated. He was a man on the move all the time.
“Any epiphanies?” East asked.
Gage shook his head. “No.” What he wanted hadn’t changed, but the way to go about it had. Maybe he needed more time. Staying wasn’t an option, but coming back regularly was. Keeping with his current routine was best. He got to come into town and be with Chloe. Hopefully more often, assuming he could convince her dating wasn’t so bad.
Either way, he could have Chloe, right?
For the first time, he wasn’t sure. This wasn’t a weekend in and out. This was more time, which was creating more of an attachment. It’d be so much more difficult to leave now, and yet staying terrified him.
“There’s a lot I have to consider,” Gage said. “I don’t have enough data yet.”
East shook his head. “So you’re going to continue pursuing Chloe until you gather your data?”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing. I like her, so either way—”
“Either way, this could end badly,” East said.
“Since when do you know about pursuing relationships?”
“I openly admit I know nothing about relationships, and I’m good with that. But I know a lot about the pursuit. And trust me when I say you’re doing it wrong.”
Gage sighed. He wasn’t doing it wrong; he was being smart. Diligent. He was trying not to think with his dick, otherwise he wouldn’t have been blackmailing Chloe the way he was. So what the hell was East talking about?
“You going to tell her about the possibility of staying?” he asked.
“No, because I’m not going to be a trainer. And I don’t want to put that kind of pressure on Chloe.”
She already hated the notion of commitment longer th
an a weekend. If Gage moved here full time? He wasn’t prepared to see the terror on her face with that admission. No, he’d stick to his mission of getting her into a long-distance relationship. If she didn’t tell him to fuck off first…
And we’re back at square one.
“Still something to think about,” East said.
He drank and looked at Chloe again. He could get a grip. Find a balance and deal with this situation. If he used this time wisely, really slaked his need for her, at the end of this stay it’d be easier to leave for both of them. Hopefully she’d want him to come back. Hopefully she’d wait for him.
Or maybe he was insane.
“More data,” Gage repeated. It was all he could cling to. Getting lost in Chloe for a week or two was a hell of a good way to spend his time—and it’d clear things up in the process. At the end of his time here, he’d have a good idea of what Chloe wanted…and whether he could provide it.
Or maybe he’d hit the road for the next mission, and this time, she wouldn’t wait for him to come back.
And if that was the case, could he really blame her? He wanted Chloe to want and miss him, but he couldn’t stay. Which made him a special kind of asshole.
