Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 83461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
“So, Cannon’s complicated, huh?” she asks when we’re alone again.
One might think it nosy on her part, but I don’t mind. Shelley seems to be easy to talk to and she took such a chance on me, I don’t mind taking a chance on her.
“He can be complicated at times,” I say, a mild defense of the weeks of great times we’ve had so far. “But he’s also wonderful.”
She smiles. “I imagine he’s got to be incredibly busy with a job like his.”
I nod, my fingers playing with the handle of the butter knife. “We make it work. Stolen moments are what we get, but we make it work.”
Except it didn’t work tonight, not because his schedule wouldn’t allow it, but because he wanted to set that boundary firmly back in place.
The waiter arrives with our wine. He pours Shelley a glass. She tastes, deems it excellent, and both our glasses are filled.
When he moves away from the table, I’m shocked when I blurt out, “I’m mad he’s not here. He was supposed to come and dumped it on me this morning that he couldn’t.”
Shelley’s expression says she understands. She lifts her glass, and I do the same. Tapping it against mine, she says, “Let’s drink to feelings.”
“Mine are ugly right now,” I mutter, then take a sip. I hold the wine on my tongue and let it slide down my throat. “Oh, wow… that’s good.”
“It is,” she says, setting her glass on the table. “Why are you mad he’s not here? Is it not legitimate he had to work?”
I shrug. “Maybe. But deep down, I don’t think so.”
Shelley’s eyes widen. “You’re not saying he’s cheating.”
“God, no,” I exclaim, and then laugh. “No, Cannon is as solid as they come. Truly a good man, and while I’m mad at him, it’s the only time he’s ever given me reason to be.”
“Yet you are upset,” she muses.
“It’s just…” I stop a moment to choose my words. It’s one thing to huff out frustrations to my boss—who has opened the door by asking—but I’m not about to divulge personal stuff about Cannon. “Let’s just say he’s had a prior experience that sort of skews his idea of what he’s able to give in a relationship.”
“And his accepting the invitation to come to dinner tonight was perhaps him giving more of himself than what he thought he could, but then, for whatever reason, he decided he couldn’t do it.”
“Pretty much,” I say, but I know the reason. It was Connie’s visit and the guilt she laid on him.
“Well, I can tell you this… there’s nothing easy in love. It takes work, communication, and concession. You let up on any one of those things, you’re headed for disaster.”
“Is that how you’ve stayed happily married for so long?” I ask because my feelings run very deep where Cannon’s concerned. I learned from Darcy during training that Shelley’s been married for twenty-two years and has two children, ages fifteen and eleven, so surely she has some sage wisdom.
Shelley snorts. “It’s definitely how I’ve stayed married for so long. Has all of it been happy? No. But have I worked through those issues with Bill? Yes.”
“Sounds like I need to talk to Cannon about this. At the very least, get it off my chest.”
Lifting her glass, she smiles. “That’s exactly what you need to do.”
I take another sip of wine and then say, “I don’t want to waste your time with my personal problems.”
Shelley laughs and taps her finger on the table. “First, my employees’ personal problems are important to me because I want my people happy and fulfilled. So this conversation was not a waste. But one of the things I wanted to talk to you about was if you would consider moving to Charlotte.”
The air seems sucked from my lungs, and I immediately want to tell her that’s not an option. But I know it has to be an option because I love this job already and I have the potential to grow. I have to consider it. “Is it a requirement for me to move to Charlotte to keep my job?”
Shelley shakes her head. “Not at all. I hired you with the promise you could work remotely if you travel to Charlotte once a quarter. I’m just saying that I would love to have you with us as you’ll learn more and learn it faster.”
“Oh.” This is huge. An offer that would put me in a better position, but I’d have to leave Pittsburgh. And on top of that, I might have reason to go. Or rather, no reason to stay. “That’s really something for me to think about.”
“That’s all I want you to do,” she assures me. “Just think about it.”
♦
It’s almost eleven p.m. by the time I get to my apartment. Cannon expected me to come to his place, because I said I’d stay there up through Thanksgiving, but even that offer sounds like he’s making all the rules and reinforcing boundaries.