Worth Waiting For by Delaney Diamond

assistant type it,” Julia said. He hadn’t smiled yet. She needed to see his smile. “I took the liberty of reworking the numbers.” She sidled close to him to point out the changes. She was so nervous she passed her fingers through her loose hair to hide their shaking. She’d never taken the assertive role in her personal relationships before. Being assertive had always been reserved for the business world.
      She purposely let her thigh brush his, but he shifted away from her. She pretended not to notice. “By applying a little more leverage, you allow your assets to remain intact and available for you in case of an emergency. Meanwhile, you use the bank’s money to finance your expansion, and you can pay them back faster if you have the financial means to do it.”
    He nodded his understanding. “Who’s this?” He pointed to the business card clipped to the folder.
    “Oh, that’s a friend of mine over at SunTrust Bank. Whenever we get potential clients we’re not interested in financing, I send them to him if I think they’re viable. He reviewed your plan today and wants you to come in as soon as possible to fill out the application for a business loan.”
    Both eyebrows rose toward his hairline. “You’re kidding.”
    “No.” Julia grinned broadly.
    “Wow. Thank you, Julia. I don’t even know what to say.” He waved his hand aimlessly in the air. “Do I owe you anything? I should pay you for this. I—I can’t believe it.”
    “Believe it, and you don’t owe me anything. Your plan was strong, and you’re a healthy risk.” He still hadn’t smiled. She’d seen shock and appreciation on his face, but no smile.
    “Well, thank you.” He extended his hand to her. She didn’t take it. She didn’t want to shake his hand. She wanted to bury herself in the warmth of his embrace and press her cheek against his hard chest so she could feel the beat of his heart.
    “I don’t understand. That’s it?” she asked.
    He looked puzzled and lowered his hand. “Was there something else?” Did he really not know? Couldn’t he tell she was extending an olive branch?
      Julia ran her palm over the island top before looking Freddie in the eye again. His face was expressionless as he waited for her answer. “This isn’t easy for me, but…um…the night we went dancing, I had a very good time. But when you brought me home, I said some things I shouldn’t have.”
      He quirked a brow. “Go on.”
      He wasn’t going to make this easy. She took two short breaths to calm her nerves. She hated baring her soul. “When we broke up, my ex really let me have it. He said I’d grown cold and was no longer fun, and I didn’t spend enough time thinking about his needs, among other things. He blamed his cheating and the collapse of our relationship on me, and it hurt to hear those words. When I thought about the years we spent together, our relationship turned out to be a bad investment of my time. I evaluate businesses for a living, make recommendations on whether or not to invest in them, and I’d made the worst investment of my life by staying with a man long past the expiration date on our relationship. When I saw him again, it all came flooding back.”
      Freddie’s face softened a fraction. “I saw how upset you were, and I wished I could have fixed it for you. You became a completely different person after you ran into him. Which is understandable. I don’t see him winning the Mr. Congeniality trophy.”
      “So you understand?” Relief flooded her system. “He made me afraid of loving again, and I doubted my own judgment. I took out my anger and hurt on you, and it wasn’t fair. I know it wasn’t, and I feel horrible about it.”
        Freddie nodded, his eyes thoughtful. “I figured as much at the time, but I’ve also had time to think, and we both need to be honest. He’s your type, not me. I don’t shop at high-end stores or get manicures.” He held up his hands for her to see.