AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It all looks great,” she murmured. Her eyes lifted to meet his, and once again, he got that feeling that something bad was about to happen.
His brows furrowed as he picked up his fork. “Is everything okay?”
Constance pressed her lips together. She moved her food around her plate with the fork and didn’t meet his gaze.
“Did your test go okay?”
She nodded but still didn’t say anything.
“There was something I wanted to talk to you about,” he hedged, now not quite sure whether he should mention his feelings anymore. Then again, if she had a tough day, perhaps it would make things better.
“I think there’s something I should talk to you about, too,” she murmured softly.
She didn’t sound nearly as excited as he did. Maybe she didn’t want to work with him anymore? That would be fine. He’d manage, and she wouldn’t have to worry about ending their contract a little early. James nodded and let out a slow breath. Here went nothing. “I love you.”
“I think we should break up,” she murmured at the same time. James wasn’t even sure she heard what he said. But now he wasn’t so sure he wanted her to.
His mouth dropped open and the blood in his face drained, causing him to feel lightheaded. James placed his fork down as they stared at each other. Then he let out a soft chuckle. “I’m sorry, what? It sounded like you want to break up.”
She looked away, putting her fork aside and placing her hands in her lap. “I do.”
He blinked, feeling cold and hot all at once. This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be. There had to be a reasonable explanation for what she was saying, but all he could do was stare at her blankly, praying she would tell him where he’d gone wrong.
22
Constance
Constance had repeated everything she was going to say in her head a thousand times. She knew this was the right choice—for now. She just hoped that James would see it that way, too. After having that talk with Sarah and knowing exactly where Brielle stood on the subject, Constance could see no other way.
Even if she left home and started working for James, she didn’t know what her father might do to sabotage James’s business or his reputation.
She took in a deep, heart-wrenching breath and forced herself to look at him. “Before you say anything, this isn’t about you.”
He huffed out a sharp indignant sound. His mouth opened then shut and he shook his head. James slumped back against his chair and just stared at her. He didn’t utter a word, and the silence hurt more than anything he might have said to her. She almost wanted to shout at him to say something even though she’d already cut him off from doing just that.
Constance’s eyes dropped to her plate; her appetite completely gone. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot. And I’ve realized you were right.”
She could sense more than see him stiffen. The air had grown thin and cold. All she wanted to do was stand up and escape from his apartment. This was exactly what she’d been worried about. Agreeing to date him when he was also her boss was a bad idea, and she’d known it from the start.
When she lifted her gaze, she froze. His eyes had darkened and swirled with a pain that she felt internally, as if just by looking at him he could shift all his emotions to her. Constance swallowed hard. “That is to say, you were right when you said our relationship couldn’t work if I wasn’t upfront with my father about it.”
His brow lifted, but that was the only reaction she could see.
“I can’t,” she murmured.
James leaned forward in his seat and his eyes narrowed. “You can’twhat?”
“I can’t tell my father that I want to date you.”
His frown deepened. “Can I ask why?”
She let out a shaky breath. “Because I know it will hurt him. And I don’t want to do that. We’ll have to wait until Brielle finds someone. It’ll be easier that way.”
He pressed his lips together tightly and breathed out slowly through his nose. “You realize this isn’t about your father, right?”
She stared at him dumbfounded. Of course it was about her father. “He lost my mother. He doesn’t want to lose me—”
James snorted derisively. “How exactly is he losing you? It’s not like I’m asking you to move across the country. Getting married would actually mean you would have a higher likelihood of staying in town for the rest of our lives.”
