with trembling fingers. She slipped the stiff white card out and read the two words printed on it:
Sorry· Again·
Her fingers clenched on the card. Sorry for what? Sorry for the kiss? Sorry for—
‘Well, well.’
Eleanor turned around, the card still clutched in her fingers. Lily stood in the doorway, as sharp and freshly pressed as ever, the expression on her thin face impossible to read.
‘Good morning, Lily.’
‘I’d say from those flowers that Zervas was pleased with the party.’
‘I hope so.’
‘I know he was pleased because he called me Saturday morning to tell me so. I knew we could do it,’ Lily told her in a smug voice that made Eleanor wonder if her boss was taking credit for pulling off the event.
‘That’s… wonderful?’ she said numbly.
Lily narrowed her eyes. ‘It is, isn’t it? You don’t sound too thrilled, though. And you look terrible.’
Leave it to Lily not to sugarcoat it, Eleanor thought sourly. She moved the flowers to a side table. ‘I’m just exhausted. Organising a party like that in just a week takes it out of even me.’
‘You’re right,’ Lily conceded grudgingly. ‘You can take a half-day, if you like.’
Eleanor shook her head. She didn’t need more time to think, to dwell, to wonder. Nor did she need people like Jill or Laura eager to keep her clients or steal more while she was away. She needed to be here, at work, where she was needed and useful and busy. ‘No, thanks. I’m fine. I need to catch up on all my other accounts anyway.’
Yet even as Eleanor worked solidly throughout the day, she found it still gave her mind plenty of time to wonder. To remember. She relived every second of that kiss with Jace, how unbearably good it had felt to be held by him again. How she realised her body had been waiting to be held again?by him—for ten long years.
How infuriated and frustrated and
scared
it made her feel. She didn’t want to want him.
She was just about to leave for the day when her phone rang. Thinking it was a callback from a client, she reached for the phone quickly, her voice brisk and professional.
‘Eleanor Langley.’
‘Hello, Ellie.’ A pause, and she heard a wry note of laughter in his voice as he corrected himself. ‘Sorry. Eleanor.’
Her fingers clenched on the phone. Blood drained from her face, raced to other parts of her body. ‘Hello, Jace.’
‘I’m leaving for Greece tomorrow.’ He spoke quietly, almost sadly. ‘I just wanted to say I’m sorry. For the other night. I know me kissing you wasn’t on either of our agendas.’
Agendas.
She pictured herself pencilling in
kiss Jace.
No, that had definitely not been on her agenda. And obviously not on Jace’s either, Eleanor acknowledged bleakly. ‘The flowers did the job admirably,’ she said after a moment, her voice sounding constricted.
‘I’m glad you liked them.’
Eleanor didn’t answer, couldn’t, because her throat had tightened so terribly. The silence ticked on between them, punctuated only by the soft sound of their breathing.
Finally Jace spoke again. ‘So I suppose this is goodbye. I don’t intend to return to New York.’
‘Not even to manage Atrikides Holdings?’
‘I’ve appointed a CEO,’ Jace said. ‘Leandro Atrikides’s nephew. That was the plan all along.’
‘Whose plan?’
‘Leandro’s.’ He sounded weary, and Eleanor realised with a jolt that the corporate takeover might not have been quite as ruthless as she’d thought.
Jace
wasn’t as ruthless as she had thought.
But it didn’t matter, because he was leaving New York. And there could be—would be—nothing between them anyway, which was how she wanted it. How it had to be. The past could be forgiven, maybe, but not forgotten. Not undone.
‘I see,’ she managed. Her voice sounded distant and polite despite the ache in her throat and even in her heart. ‘Well, goodbye, then.’
Jace was silent, long enough for Eleanor to wonder what he was thinking. What he
Sorry· Again·
Her fingers clenched on the card. Sorry for what? Sorry for the kiss? Sorry for—
‘Well, well.’
Eleanor turned around, the card still clutched in her fingers. Lily stood in the doorway, as sharp and freshly pressed as ever, the expression on her thin face impossible to read.
‘Good morning, Lily.’
‘I’d say from those flowers that Zervas was pleased with the party.’
‘I hope so.’
‘I know he was pleased because he called me Saturday morning to tell me so. I knew we could do it,’ Lily told her in a smug voice that made Eleanor wonder if her boss was taking credit for pulling off the event.
‘That’s… wonderful?’ she said numbly.
Lily narrowed her eyes. ‘It is, isn’t it? You don’t sound too thrilled, though. And you look terrible.’
Leave it to Lily not to sugarcoat it, Eleanor thought sourly. She moved the flowers to a side table. ‘I’m just exhausted. Organising a party like that in just a week takes it out of even me.’
‘You’re right,’ Lily conceded grudgingly. ‘You can take a half-day, if you like.’
Eleanor shook her head. She didn’t need more time to think, to dwell, to wonder. Nor did she need people like Jill or Laura eager to keep her clients or steal more while she was away. She needed to be here, at work, where she was needed and useful and busy. ‘No, thanks. I’m fine. I need to catch up on all my other accounts anyway.’
Yet even as Eleanor worked solidly throughout the day, she found it still gave her mind plenty of time to wonder. To remember. She relived every second of that kiss with Jace, how unbearably good it had felt to be held by him again. How she realised her body had been waiting to be held again?by him—for ten long years.
How infuriated and frustrated and
scared
it made her feel. She didn’t want to want him.
She was just about to leave for the day when her phone rang. Thinking it was a callback from a client, she reached for the phone quickly, her voice brisk and professional.
‘Eleanor Langley.’
‘Hello, Ellie.’ A pause, and she heard a wry note of laughter in his voice as he corrected himself. ‘Sorry. Eleanor.’
Her fingers clenched on the phone. Blood drained from her face, raced to other parts of her body. ‘Hello, Jace.’
‘I’m leaving for Greece tomorrow.’ He spoke quietly, almost sadly. ‘I just wanted to say I’m sorry. For the other night. I know me kissing you wasn’t on either of our agendas.’
Agendas.
She pictured herself pencilling in
kiss Jace.
No, that had definitely not been on her agenda. And obviously not on Jace’s either, Eleanor acknowledged bleakly. ‘The flowers did the job admirably,’ she said after a moment, her voice sounding constricted.
‘I’m glad you liked them.’
Eleanor didn’t answer, couldn’t, because her throat had tightened so terribly. The silence ticked on between them, punctuated only by the soft sound of their breathing.
Finally Jace spoke again. ‘So I suppose this is goodbye. I don’t intend to return to New York.’
‘Not even to manage Atrikides Holdings?’
‘I’ve appointed a CEO,’ Jace said. ‘Leandro Atrikides’s nephew. That was the plan all along.’
‘Whose plan?’
‘Leandro’s.’ He sounded weary, and Eleanor realised with a jolt that the corporate takeover might not have been quite as ruthless as she’d thought.
Jace
wasn’t as ruthless as she had thought.
But it didn’t matter, because he was leaving New York. And there could be—would be—nothing between them anyway, which was how she wanted it. How it had to be. The past could be forgiven, maybe, but not forgotten. Not undone.
‘I see,’ she managed. Her voice sounded distant and polite despite the ache in her throat and even in her heart. ‘Well, goodbye, then.’
Jace was silent, long enough for Eleanor to wonder what he was thinking. What he
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