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“You have a big heart. You want to believe that. But if you really care about me, you’ll let me go. It’s self-preservation. I can’t go through it again.”
“You won’t.”
She moved toward him and put her hands on his cheeks. “This is not your fault. But there is also nothing you can do to fix it. And I know how crushing that must be for you. You have to make peace with that.”
“I don’t know how to do that. I can’t just accept that—”
She leaned in and kissed his lips gently. “You have to.”
Stepping back, she turned and brushed by him, heading to the hotel. To her own room. Then eventually to the airport. She knew she was leaving him in the middle of an unfinished job. But the idea of staying would cause him far more pain and problems in the long run. Going now was actually merciful. The only real gift she could give him was her absence. It had proven to be what her own family needed from her too.
CHAPTEREIGHTEEN
Nick
The wind was knocked out of him. But that had happened a hundred times in his life. Street hockey with his big brothers. Bar brawls with some local punks. The time he tried sledding off the roof of the house. He knew one thing to be true about this feeling. It was scary, but it ended. Eventually, that shock and pain of being without air faded, and his senses would rebound.
It would take some work. Strategy. He had a much clearer picture now of what Cleo was going through. The details were still vague, but there was something to work with. He just needed time. Something only one person could grant him.
“Hi Layla,” Nick said, knowing he sounded a bit uncomfortable. Frankly, he was. This was not something he planned to do.
“Nick, how are things going? I heard you are in Georgia.”
“We are.”
“It’s beautiful there. Make sure you go down to the coast for a day or so. It’s worth it. Is Cleo with you?”
“Not at the moment.”
“She is really something. I’ve been watching her work come through for weeks now, and she doesn’t miss a beat. Every legal document is impeccable, and Ronnie says she’s been an incredible asset. Do you agree?”
“Cleo is hands-down the most impressive woman I’ve ever met. Nothing we accomplished in the last month would have happened if not for her hard work and leadership.”
“Shit,” Layla said, drawing the word out.
“What?”
“You fell in love with her already?”
“I didn’t say that. You asked my opinion on her work.”
“You’ve got it bad, don’t you?”
He chuckled. “It’s been a good month. But we’ve hit a bit of a snag.”
“With work or otherwise?”
“Otherwise.”
“Oh,” Layla said, sounding somber for him. “I’m sorry to hear that. Were you acting like an idiot? It happens to run in the family for the O’Malley boys.”
“It wasn’t me, actually. I can’t really overshare. It’s not my story to tell, but I need something that only you can do.”
“I’m not going into her personnel file and telling you anything that we found while we vetted her for the hiring process.”
“I wouldn’t ask for that,” Nick said. “Well, actually, I didn’t think to ask for that, but now I’m definitely not going to.”
“Short of that, I’m happy to help in any way I can.”
