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She didn’t believe him. At least, she didn’t believe that was the only reason he behaved the way he did.
“OK,” she acknowledged. “Romance between coworkers can be complicated, so let’s forget the past, forget the attraction or whatever it is between us, and let’s just be friends. Can’t we be two people who work together and find a way to coexist without all this tension? It’s time for you to forgive me for my youthful mistakes. I’ve said I’m sorry for what I did.”
She wasn’t. Not really. Sure, she wouldn’t have kissed him had she’d known he had a girlfriend, but she hadn’t known. The way Jared had looked at her that week, well, his eyes hadn’t mentioned a girlfriend either.
But he had had a girlfriend. One he’d asked to marry him not long thereafter. Only Laura had been killed. Was that why Jared protected his heart so thoroughly? Because he’d lost the only woman he’d ever loved and couldn’t bear to give his heart to another?
“Friends?” He looked duly suspicious. “You want to go to dinner with me as my friend?”
Did she? Yes. It’s all they could ever have anyway.
“Friends have dinner. I have to eat. You have to eat. We need the air cleared between us because I’m tired of walking on eggshells around you.” She shrugged. “Why not?”
“I’m not particularly hungry.” Before he got the words completely out his stomach growled. Loudly. The noise had the impact of a pin popping a balloon, releasing the strain between them. Chelsea bit back a laugh, Jared’s shoulders relaxed.
“So…” A smirk twisted his lips. “I worked through lunch and maybe a drop-in at my favorite sushi bar wouldn’t be so bad.”
Jared scrunched wet sand between his toes, wondering if he was a fool to be walking on the beach with Chelsea as the sun set.
Although he’d refused to completely let his guard down, he’d had a great time at dinner. There had been a couple of occasions when she’d had him laughing so hard his eyes had watered. He hadn’t expected her to be so funny, for him to enjoy her company so much when he knew he could never have her as more than a friend.
The desire for more hadn’t gone away. Unfortunately. But after seeing how nice things could be as friends, he realized she was right.
His avoidance routine wasn’t working anyway and the tension between them was problematic. Besides, avoidance was only feasible up to a certain point when they worked together and would be for the next twenty-plus years.
Twenty years. He glance
d over at where she walked next to him. She held her shoes and the Gulf waters lapped at her toes with each wave that crashed on the shore.
He’d followed her back to her place and somehow they’d ended up going for a walk on the beach. He wasn’t sure how exactly it had come about, but he supposed it didn’t matter. Friends shared walks on the beach so no harm done. He’d just make sure they returned to the house prior to the sun sinking below the horizon to avoid any pretense of anything romantic.
One could easily think the view along the coast near Will’s was romantic, though. Jared had always admired Will’s beach house on a semi-private part of the coast. Prior to Chelsea’s arrival, he’d spent quite a few hours there during various cookouts and beach parties. But that had been last year. This summer Will hadn’t done much entertaining. Hadn’t done any now that Jared thought about it.
Chelsea’s question about her brother hit him.
“Not that I’m agreeing with your assumptions about his reasons, but Will didn’t entertain this summer, like he has in previous years.”
Glancing at him, Chelsea asked, “How so?”
“He usually has several weekend cookouts and a party or two. He didn’t this year.”
Chelsea nodded, turning back toward the sea. “He’s made a few comments that make me think he was seeing someone this summer. I think it was Leslie, and they were keeping it quiet.”
“Will knows better than to become involved with someone from the office. Leslie, too, for that matter.”
“Which might explain why they’d keep it quiet.”
She had a point.
“Regardless, I don’t think they’re an item now. I just hope I’m not the cause of why they’re not.” He could hear the real concern in her voice, that she truly thought her arrival might have driven a wedge between Will and Leslie.
“If your theory is right, and I’m not saying it is, Will probably just ended the relationship before things became sticky.”
“Perhaps,” she admitted. The sigh in her voice caused him to glance at her again. She’d paused and was staring at the multicolor-streaked sky. Jared winced. How had the sun dipped so low without him noticing?
He glanced behind them. They’d walked farther than he’d thought. Will’s house was too far down the beach to be reached before daylight failed them.
Which meant he and Chelsea would be sharing the sunset.
