his hands in hers, sighing. "I know it's hard, but we have to. Chase, we can't be together if I work for you, we both know that. Don't make this any harder than it has to be."
"What if you didn't work for me anymore? Would you want to be with me then? Or would your answer still be the same?"
He'd made the decision not to ask her to quit her job for him, but damn it, he had to. Quitting was the only way they would ever have a chance to be together, and he couldn't pass up the opportunity to be with her. But now that he'd made the suggestion, what would she say?
Julia sighed and folded her arms across her chest. "I don't know if I can quit. A big part of me wants to, but I'm worried about what will happen after I do."
"What do you mean? What are you afraid of?"
"I've been down this path before. I've changed before. Hell, I even moved for my last boyfriend and all that effort got me was my ass sitting on the curb two weeks later."
His pulse picked up its pace in his veins at her words. How could someone treat her so poorly, throwing her out on the street like yesterday's garbage? "I'm sorry. I didn't realize."
He touched her cheek, forcing her to look him in the eye. "I can't promise you the future yet. I wish I could. I can promise you the only way we have any chance at a future is if I'm not your boss. I can't sell my store, Julia, so that leaves us one other option."
"I know. This is awful."
"I can't promise you the future, but I can assure you I have never wanted to be with someone as much as I want to be with you. I want a chance to date you, to learn everything I can about you. I know you need this job, but I was thinking about this earlier and I may have a solution to our employment problem."
"Well tell me already." Her eyes pleaded with him—begged him for a real solution.
"I have buddies who own businesses all over the Meadow. I'll get you a new job, one you like even better than here. I'll make a couple of calls and tomorrow you'll have a new job somewhere else, without the hassle of a job hunt and you won't even miss any pay."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm not asking for your charity. I found this job on my own, I'm sure I'm capable of finding another."
He smiled at her feistiness, the fire inside her just another thing he really liked about her. "There's not a doubt in my mind you'd be able to find another job. I just want to make the process easy for you. I don't want you to have to suffer so we can have a chance together."
He laughed despite the seriousness of their conversation. "But I also really want you to quit."
She laughed too, finally smiling back at him. "You make a tempting offer."
He waited, barely breathing while she made her decision. He'd said everything he could. Now she just had to decide what she wanted. "I promise I won't kick your ass to the curb in two weeks."
"That would be tricky since I have my own place." She laughed again. "Okay."
"Okay what?"
"Okay, you can call your buddies. I quit."
Chase wanted to jump up and down like a kid on Christmas morning, but instead he scooped her into his arms and held her tight. Her body molded to his as she wrapped her arms around his waist. She felt so right with him, and he knew they'd made the right decision.
"When you started talking about Paris," he said, "I couldn't help but imagine being there with you. Riding to the top of the tower, looking out over the city as lights twinkle in the distance around us, holding you close so you're not afraid. Kissing you with the whole world disappearing below us."
He leaned down, his mouth hovering above hers, so close he could smell the chocolate chip cookie still lingering on her breath. "I know we haven't known each other long, but there's something indescribable between us. Do you feel it, too?"
"I—I do. Feel it, I mean."
"I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since the moment I first saw you standing at the bar that night in the club and I'd like nothing more than to kiss
"What if you didn't work for me anymore? Would you want to be with me then? Or would your answer still be the same?"
He'd made the decision not to ask her to quit her job for him, but damn it, he had to. Quitting was the only way they would ever have a chance to be together, and he couldn't pass up the opportunity to be with her. But now that he'd made the suggestion, what would she say?
Julia sighed and folded her arms across her chest. "I don't know if I can quit. A big part of me wants to, but I'm worried about what will happen after I do."
"What do you mean? What are you afraid of?"
"I've been down this path before. I've changed before. Hell, I even moved for my last boyfriend and all that effort got me was my ass sitting on the curb two weeks later."
His pulse picked up its pace in his veins at her words. How could someone treat her so poorly, throwing her out on the street like yesterday's garbage? "I'm sorry. I didn't realize."
He touched her cheek, forcing her to look him in the eye. "I can't promise you the future yet. I wish I could. I can promise you the only way we have any chance at a future is if I'm not your boss. I can't sell my store, Julia, so that leaves us one other option."
"I know. This is awful."
"I can't promise you the future, but I can assure you I have never wanted to be with someone as much as I want to be with you. I want a chance to date you, to learn everything I can about you. I know you need this job, but I was thinking about this earlier and I may have a solution to our employment problem."
"Well tell me already." Her eyes pleaded with him—begged him for a real solution.
"I have buddies who own businesses all over the Meadow. I'll get you a new job, one you like even better than here. I'll make a couple of calls and tomorrow you'll have a new job somewhere else, without the hassle of a job hunt and you won't even miss any pay."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm not asking for your charity. I found this job on my own, I'm sure I'm capable of finding another."
He smiled at her feistiness, the fire inside her just another thing he really liked about her. "There's not a doubt in my mind you'd be able to find another job. I just want to make the process easy for you. I don't want you to have to suffer so we can have a chance together."
He laughed despite the seriousness of their conversation. "But I also really want you to quit."
She laughed too, finally smiling back at him. "You make a tempting offer."
He waited, barely breathing while she made her decision. He'd said everything he could. Now she just had to decide what she wanted. "I promise I won't kick your ass to the curb in two weeks."
"That would be tricky since I have my own place." She laughed again. "Okay."
"Okay what?"
"Okay, you can call your buddies. I quit."
Chase wanted to jump up and down like a kid on Christmas morning, but instead he scooped her into his arms and held her tight. Her body molded to his as she wrapped her arms around his waist. She felt so right with him, and he knew they'd made the right decision.
"When you started talking about Paris," he said, "I couldn't help but imagine being there with you. Riding to the top of the tower, looking out over the city as lights twinkle in the distance around us, holding you close so you're not afraid. Kissing you with the whole world disappearing below us."
He leaned down, his mouth hovering above hers, so close he could smell the chocolate chip cookie still lingering on her breath. "I know we haven't known each other long, but there's something indescribable between us. Do you feel it, too?"
"I—I do. Feel it, I mean."
"I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since the moment I first saw you standing at the bar that night in the club and I'd like nothing more than to kiss
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