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Chapter 26
On his way home from the cabin on Friday afternoon, Sam turned into the same gas station where he and Brooke had stopped. He filled the tank of his truck and checked his phone.
He didn’t use his phone often, so the lack of cell service at the cabin had never bothered him before. Now, he was frustrated to discover he’d missed several calls from Brooke.
He tried calling her, but got no response. Checking the clock, he calculated she was probably in the air.
His impatience intensified as he drove. He wanted to tell her about the book, though he didn’t let himself think beyond that.
After getting back to the house, he tried her again. No response. He’d give her time to settle back in, then stop by her apartment.
He emailed his revisedTripwiremanuscript to both his agent and his editor, then went out to pick up a bouquet of daisies and roses. By the time six-thirty rolled around, his impatience was at an all-time high. He drove to Brooke’s duplex apartment and rang the front doorbell. Her apartment door opened, and she came down the stairs.
His heart thumped. She was wearing yoga pants and a T-shirt, and her hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of him through the glass window.
She opened the door. He barely restrained himself from stepping forward and pulling her into his arms.
Something was wrong.
“Hi.” He tightened his grip on the bouquet.
“Hi.” She rubbed a hand over her arm.
“Are you okay?” Faint alarm flicked through him. She was unusually pale, with dark circles under her eyes. “I called a few times, but you didn’t answer.”
Her breath escaped. “My phone was off.”
“Doesn’t matter.” He extended the flowers and raked his gaze over her. “What’s wrong?”
She took the flowers. “Thank you for these, but we need to talk.”
Though Sam wasn’t a romance guy, he did know nothing good ever came after those four words.
He followed her into her apartment, experiencing the sudden, sick feeling that he’d missed the mark. Lost his chance.
“The last time we…I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you.” He closed the door behind him. He couldn’t think of anything else to say. He was desperate to haul her into his arms and kiss her—a week away from her felt like an eternity—but there was a hard set to her shoulders, an invisible “keep away” wall in front of her.
“This isn’t about not being in touch, Sam.” She put the flowers on the coffee table. “I think it was good for us to have some time apart. My trip went very well. I even had an unexpected interview with the senior editor ofClarity. I’d applied for a job there a few weeks ago, but coincidentally she had an opening this morning. In fact, she called me right before I got on the plane and offered me the job.”
“That’s fantastic.” He exhaled in relief. “Congratulations. Not that I’m surprised.”
“You shouldn’t be, considering you were the one who set up the interview behind my back.” She folded her arms, an accusatory glint hardening her eyes.
His blood chilled. “I didn’t set up the interview. I asked my agent to mention you to theClarityeditor, that’s all.”
“You interfered because you couldn’t leave me alone about Michael,” Brooke snapped. “You hated that I was doing something you didn’t agree with, so you tried to stop me another way.”
“I didn’t try to stop you from anything!” He paced away from her, his shoulders tightening. “I didn’t even know the editor would interview you, much less offer you the job. All I did was try and get your resume in front of the right person.”
“And it didn’t occur to you to either tell me what you were doing or ask me if I even wanted your help?”
“Yes, it occurred to me, but I knew you’d say no.”
“Of course I’d have said no!” she retorted. “And you know why. You’re the only one who knows how hard it’s been for me, the only one who knows why I didn’t want to tell my family that I’ve been failing all over again. You’re the only one who knows about Michael, and you didn’t respect the fact that I told you all of that in confidence.”
His blood burned at the sound of the other man’s name. “I didn’t tell anyone what you told me in confidence! I made one phone call on your behalf. Plenty of people get job offers and opportunities that way.”
“You made a call that wasn’t yours to make.” Her mouth tightened. “I didn’t want or need your help.”
