Because for the first time in his life, Jake was confident that success was truly within his grasp. He’d only been working at the base for a week, but he already loved the job, and he saw some real promise in the trainees he was working with. Didn’t hurt that they all had a serious case of hero-worship. His ego was liable to inflate if they kept up with all that reverent yes sir-ing.
Jake slowed the pickup in front of the rambling Victorian a few blocks from the heart of town. The house had been converted into four apartments, and Austin was staying in the flat Maddie had once occupied before she and Owen got married.
As he climbed the front stoop, he took a deep breath, hoping Austin would at least be civil when he found him on the doorstep. He was tired of his little brother’s behavior, but like he’d told Owen, he didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye. Jake wasn’t sure when he’d be back in Paradise, so this might very well be his last chance to see Austin. Now that Nate was back to run the pub, Austin would probably take off again.
When his brother didn’t answer the door, he got the sinking suspicion that Austin was already gone.
He briefly closed his eyes, then reached for the doorknob. Unlocked. Smothering a curse, he stepped inside and took a quick look around the apartment. Five minutes later, his suspicions were confirmed. No sign of Austin, and an examination of the bedroom showed a perfectly made bed and an empty closet.
“Damn it, Austin,” he mumbled to the empty room.
Shaking his head, Jake strode into the kitchen, where he found a note tacked onto the fridge with a pink, heart-shaped magnet.
Short and not so sweet.
I need more time. Gonna do some traveling and take some pics. I’ll be in touch. –A
Goddammit.
Disappointment coursed through him, along with a rush of sorrow. His mom wasn’t gonna like this. He didn’t like this. But at the moment, there was nothing he could do about it. Austin was an adult—if he chose to run away from his troubles rather than face them, so be it.
Jake, on the other hand, was done running.
As he headed for the door, he pulled out his cell phone and shot a quick text to his brothers, informing them of Austin’s latest disappearing act.
Ten minutes later, he was on the highway, making his way to Denver.
“Ms. Lockhart? There’s a man in the lobby demanding to see you.”
Sighing, Bree glanced up from the stack of files on her desk. Her assistant, Hailey, lingered in the office doorway, fidgeting up a storm. The young woman had only been working at the firm for a month, constantly jumped at her own shadow, and no matter how many times Bree told her to call her by her first name, Hailey refused to cut the formalities.
“Who is it?” Bree asked absently.
“He said his name is Jake Bishop.”
Shock slammed into her.
Jake was here? In Denver? In the lobby of her law firm?
“Should I tell the front desk to send him up?”
Bree faltered. Her heart lurched at the thought of seeing Jake again, especially now, with dark circles under eyes from all the sleepless nights she’d endured this past month. She knew her insomnia was more than just the stress from her current court battle. She’d spent far too much time tossing and turning and wondering if she’d made a mistake by ending things with Jake.
She’d been so tempted to call him the day after that awful dinner. Her parents hadn’t shown the slightest bit of remorse over the way they’d acted, and Bree had ended up getting into a very loud, very frustrating argument with them. She’d left town angry, which only added to her stress levels. She hated fighting with her family, but she refused to be the one to cave first. Although she’d spoken to her parents since, neither had apologized for their behavior, and Bree was determined to treat them with chilly politeness until they did. No matter how Jake had reacted, her parents didn’t have the right to treat him the way they had.
“Ms. Lockhart?”
She lifted her head.
“Should I send him up?”
Letting out a breath, she nodded. “Yes, send him up.”
After Hailey hurried off, Bree quickly rolled her chair back and stumbled to her feet. She smoothed out her hair, then looked at the clutter on her desk, wondering if she ought to straighten up.
She quickly berated herself for the thought. Jake was the one who’d screwed up, and she’d be damned if she cleaned up for him. She didn’t owe him a thing, least of all a tidy desk.
Despite her determination to be cool, her heart did a little flip when she heard footsteps.
A moment later, Jake appeared in the doorway, with Hailey hot on his heels.
When his familiar gray eyes locked with hers, Bree’s pulse kicked up a notch.
In a strained voice, she thanked Hailey and dismissed her, then said, “Come in.”
Jake stepped into the office. He closed the door behind him, but didn’t say a word as he approached her. His gaze took in the wood paneled walls, her big disorderly desk, the burgundy carpet beneath their feet. When he studied the framed diplomas lining her walls, she saw a flicker of pride in his eyes.
“You didn’t refuse to see me,” he finally said.
She moistened her dry lips. “You thought I would?”