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“You don’t mean that.” Her voice is soft. “There’s a part of you that still cares for Jameson.”
I start to shake my head to disagree, but I stop. “I don’t wish him harm or anything, but he hurt me, Molly.”
“People hurt each other all the time,” she points out. “That doesn’t mean they can’t apologize and make up for that hurt.”
“I’m pretty sure Jameson thinks I owe him an apology.” I laugh. “For the record, I don’t.”
Molly’s hand moves to grab mine. “Maybe you both deserve an apology and a second chance to set your friendship straight.”
Just as I’m about to argue with her, a phone starts ringing.
“That’s mine.” She darts to her feet. “I already know it’s my boss. She must be looking for me. I need to run, Sin. Please think about what I said.”
“I will,” I say, even though I have no intention of entertaining the idea of apologizing to Jameson.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Jameson
I walk through the open doorway of Kalon’s office. “I’m here.”
He glances up from where he’s sitting behind his steel desk. “So?”
I bark out a laugh. “Nice way to greet your best friend, Kalon.”
“Nice heads-up that you were on your way over, James.” He points to one of the three visitor chairs that face his desk. “Sit. Talk. I have a meeting in five.”
This Kalon Beaumont is a far cry from the guy I knew in high school. That Kalon was determined to make it in the NFL, but a knee injury on summer break before our senior year shattered that dream.
Kalon jumped into a pond during a fishing trip in upstate New York with two of his brothers. He landed on a rock. His knee took the brunt of the hit, and the surgery that followed put all the fractured pieces back together again.
Even though he spent months in rehab, his chance to wow the college scouts had passed.
It was then that he switched his focus to a business degree so he could join his older brothers in running the family empire.
Beaumont International is a conglomerate of a multitude of enterprises. Currently, Kalon is heading up their hotel division. It’s a new undertaking for the Beaumont brothers, but it’s proving to be lucrative.
Kalon leans back in his chair. “If you’re here to talk about plans, leave.”
Holding up my hands as if I’m surrendering, I laugh. “I admit that I may have overreacted a bit when Sinclair mentioned that she had plans tonight.”
He smirks. “The first step is admitting it, James.”
I shake my head.
“So I take it, since you realize that you flipped the fuck out for nothing, that you won’t be trailing her tonight?”
“I will be,” I joke. “Want to come with me?”
He shoots me a look. “Stalker isn’t something I need on my resume.”
“Like you need a resume.” I glance around his spacious office. “You’re stuck here until the day you die.”
He stands. “You say it like it’s a bad thing.”
Even though Kalon complains non-stop about all five of his older brothers, I envy the relationship he has with each of them.
I haven’t been on good terms with Holden in years. I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
“I’d offer to hang out with you tonight, but I have plans.” He tosses air quotes around the last word. “And yes, it involves a lovely young woman and my dick.”
I bark out a laugh. “You’re an asshole.”
“That’s not the first time someone called me that today,” he quips. “Before you ask, you don’t know the woman. You never will. We have fun when we both need it. No strings and all that.”
I move to stand too. “Understood.”
He motions to the doorway of his office. “You can get lost now, but when it comes to Sinclair, don’t let your ego get in the way of what’s always been there between you two.”
I start toward the doorway. “The only thing between us is hatred.”
His hand moves to grab my shoulder, to stop me from leaving. “You don’t hate her.”
He’s right. I don’t.
I was annoyed with her for a long time. I felt a sense of disappointment that I’ve never felt before, but hating Sinclair isn’t in my DNA.
“Don’t trail her tonight,” he warns. “If she wants you to know about her plans, she’ll tell you. In other words, don’t be a dick.”
“Don’t be a dick,” I mutter. “Got it.”
“Duty calls.” He nudges me toward the door. “I’ll catch up with you later, James.”
“Later,” I repeat as I watch him stroll down a long corridor toward one of the many conference rooms on this floor.
I didn’t intend to stop here, but I passed the building on my lunch break, and I’m glad I made the detour.
Kalon’s right. Whatever the fuck Sinclair is doing tonight is none of my business. I need to shake this off and get on with my day because a month from now, I’ll be alone, and Sinclair will once again be part of my past.
