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But I bite my tongue. Resist once again.Not the time.
“It’s only a few days.” She inches forward and steps between my legs. Drops my hand and snakes her arms around my waist. Hugs the breath from my lungs and rests her head on my shoulder. “A few more days,” she whisper-repeats.
My arms around her tighten as I press my lips to her crown. “Spend some time with Mags and Lena while I’m gone. Have a girls’ night in. Weekdays are tougher but don’t sit in the office and dwell. It won’t solve anything.” More than ever, Alessandra needs distractions. Any activity to take her mind off the negative.
Her arms give a quick squeeze then release as she leans back. I sweep the hair off her cheek and tuck it behind her ear.
“I’ll text them in a bit.”
“I’d stay longer if I didn’t have meetings in the city.”
Hell, I’d considered calling Dad several times in the past hour to ask if he was okay with me working remotely. But I didn’t want to assume Alessandra would be okay with me doing so. Staying in town would be my choice, but my being in her space is her decision to make. I won’t take away her right to decide. I don’t know if what I want is what she wants.
The corner of her mouth tips up. “I know you would.” Her fingers trace the line of my jaw before she presses her lips to mine. “But we both have jobs to do, and yours isn’t here.”
A pang forms beneath my sternum at her words, at the truth spoken aloud. Less than a hundred miles separate us when I return to the city, but each one of those miles feels like a barrier. Another roadblock to navigate. Another hurdle to jump.
“Wish it was,” I mutter
She peers over her shoulder at the back door. “I should get back inside. The lunch rush starts soon.”
I reach for her hand and pull her flush against my chest. Drop my lips to hers and kiss her with equal parts strength and tenderness. Let the kiss tell her what my voice keeps at bay.
I love you. I’m here for you. I will do anything for you.
We are breathless when I break the kiss. Speechless when I stroke the apple of her cheek. Lost to the world around us as we soak each other in one last time before I go.
“Drive safe,” she rasps out before taking a step back.
Immediately, I miss her warmth. Miss her body close to mine. Miss the way my heart hammers in my chest when she is in my arms.
“Always.” My feet drag as I walk to the car door. “Call you when I get home.”
Her arms wrap around her middle. “See you Friday.” She takes a few steps backward and stops beside the door.
I hop in my SUV, crank the engine, and tug on my seat belt. Throwing the car in reverse, I back out of the space then pop the gear in drive. When I look up, ready to wave goodbye, Alessandra is nowhere to be seen.
I’d stolen quite a bit of her time this morning. Her heading inside before I drive off shouldn’t form a knot in my gut. She has several things to do before the next rush and I’d monopolized every precious minute for the past two hours.
Alessandra heading inside before I said one final goodbye shouldn’t bother me, but it does. Because that is what happens when one person loves more than the other. They feel the hurt first.
CHAPTER31
ALESSANDRA
“This doesn’t add up.”
Willow perks up on the opposite side of the desk. “One of the tills off?”
My brows pinch together as I look up from the figures on the screen. “What?” I shake my head. “No, it’s not that.” My eyes drop back to the sales numbers over the past week. I narrow my eyes as if squinting will change the figures. “We’ve been packed every day since the start of the season. Not an empty table for hours at a time.”
Willow stops filling out the bank deposit slip. Her gaze hot on my profile. “Yeah, this year is our busiest yet.”
I spin the laptop and show her the screen. Lean in and peer around the side. Point to the figures at the bottom—the comparison of this week and the same week last year.
Willow is right, this year has been our busiest yet. But it isn’t reflected in the sales, by a lot.
“How the heck are we down? Not possible.”
