Love Captures the Heart (Sully Point, Book 3) (19 page)

"Jason," she said into the phone when he picked
up. "We need to discuss a few things."

"What's up?" he asked, in what Marla thought was
an inordinately pleased voice. She took a deep breath and pushed aside her
irritation.

"The Sullivan Group wants to meet with you about a
possible job. They're a mid-sized group, but they're solid. They want to meet
in the next day or so."

"Sure, have them come on out."

"Jason--they're not going to come to Sully Point to
meet with you. They expect to meet with you here in the city, in your
office."

"I thought I explained, Marla. I'm not going
back."

"And you expect to find all the work you need right
there in Sully Point?" Marla asked.

There was silence on the phone for a minute.

"All right, no, I guess that I wasn't really expecting
that. If I'm going to keep the business in the city, I'd need to be there, at
least part of the time. Maybe the answer is to just close the business."

"Look, I'm going to try and put The Sullivan Group off
for a week. I'll tell them you're sick or something. That will give you time to
really think about your decision. There are people's livelihoods you are
talking about. Good employees. Be sure not to forget them in your
consideration."

She hung up the phone without waiting for a response.
Something had to be done. This idea to close the business--somebody had to
bring him to his senses. But who? That was the question. Then a smile spread
across her face. Of course.

* * * *

Rob had stayed one more night in Sully Point and planned to
leave within the hour to head back to the city, but then he'd gotten the call
from Marla. Now he was on his way to the loft to meet with Jason. He wasn't
sure how much he could do about the situation, but he agreed that maybe it was
time for a man-to-man talk.

Jason greeted him at the door, with an offer of fresh
coffee. Rob accepted it and sat down across from Jason in the living room.

"I'm going to come right out with it, Jason."

"That's usually the best way," Jason said, looking
puzzled.

"Marla called me. She was concerned, very concerned,
about your business. She said you're considering closing it down. I came to
find out why."

"Why? How is this any of your business?"

"I care about this whole family that you're going to be
connected to through Holly. And I've come to know you and like you. What I
don't understand is how a man like you could be running scared like you appear
to be."

Jason sat up straighter and looked at him angrily.
"Scared? Is that what everyone thinks? That I'm scared to go back?"

Rob shrugged.

"Well, that's just nuts. I'm not scared."

"It wouldn't be all that surprising if you were. You
had a firestorm come down on you over the building materials problem. Shouldn't
have been on all on you, but that was how it fell out. Going back would seem
like putting your head back in the lion's mouth, I can see that. But if you
give up now, give up your business that you've worked so hard to build, you're
letting them win."

"Give up?" Jason jumped to his feet. "I'm not
giving up. I'm just changing my focus."

Rob watched as he began to pace the living room floor.
"Seems to me that you could change your focus and still keep your
business. A man puts in a lot of years and ton of hard work to create something
like you have. He should keep it and work with it, not just walk out on
it."

Jason whirled around. "I'm not walking out on it--not
exactly." He frowned. "I hadn't really thought about it much yet. I
know I'll be needed here for the Sully Point project and--"

"That's not exactly true. Once we've started there will
surely be times when we'll need for you to come down here about the project.
But most of the time you'd be free to pursue other jobs."

"Plus, the city doesn't want me. They made that
perfectly clear when all my contracts were cancelled."

"Again, not entirely correct. Marla said The Sullivan
Group is interested?"

"Well, yes. They want a meeting."

"I see. So perhaps the city has moved on?"

"Perhaps. But..."

Rob shook his head and said, "Son, you got whacked
hard. It has had you reeling. But you've got to get up off the mat."

Jason looked at him intently. "And what if--what if I
fail again?"

"Fail? You didn't fail! The guy who--"

"But I hired that guy. I trusted him when I shouldn't
have, and it led to everything going bad."

"If you think you can get through, in your business or
your personal life, without making mistakes then you are delusional. I've made
mistakes--big ones--in every area of my life. Once you get past the shock, or
hurt, or damage, you learn from the mistake. You recognize that you're only
human. And then you keep going. Shutting doors in your life, hiding away, that
is not the answer. Instead, you use what you've learned and you move forward.
You take chances and you work hard, you have faith to take risks, and you don't
let the bastards keep you down."

Jason pulled his gaze from Rob and sat down on the couch.
Rob sat back in his chair and watched the young man as he thought.

Finally, Jason said, "I guess a part of me has been
running away. It felt like I'd failed. That I'd failed my parents' memory and
failed myself. But I think now that maybe the only failure would be to let what
happened stop me. To let it keep me from doing what I love, in the city I've
always loved."

Rob smiled at him. "Now you're talking."

"Thank you, Rob, thank you very much. I'm not sure how
long it would have taken me to see this without you pointing it out to
me."

"You'd have found your way eventually. This way, it's
just a bit faster."

"I think I have some phone calls to return now, and
lots of plans to make."

Rob nodded and headed for the door. "Then I'll be out
of your way. Time for me to head back to the city anyway. We'll have dinner
once you're back and settled in."

Jason stopped him at the door and reached out and shook his
hand. "Thanks for everything, Rob."

"No problem. See you soon."

As Rob headed down the stairs to his car, he suddenly
understood the reason Marla liked matchmaking. There was a definite
satisfaction to be felt when one interfered in someone's life and it worked out
well. He chuckled and headed back to his city.

* * * *

Holly had a day full of meetings, new clients and current
ones, all wanting to see her in person. In the back of her mind, during the
entire day, was a bubble of discomfort at the thought of going home after work.
There would be no Jason coming over, no great sex, no feeling of belonging as
he held her in his arms.

She tried to ignore her anxieties and focus on the job, but
she was relieved when the day was finally over. She was tired of feeling so
distracted. Somehow, she and Jason had to figure out how they were going to
live in two places and still be together.

As she gathered up her bag, and computer, and switched to a
comfortable pair of walking shoes, Lana poked her head into the office.

"Are you all set for the night?"

"Yes, thanks. I'm going to stop somewhere and pick up
some soup. Then I'm going to try and relax. It's been a long day."

Lana nodded and Holly wondered what was going on with her.
She was all smiles. Holly said, "You must be having a special night with
that husband of yours. You look all bubbly."

Lana gave a laugh and said, "Yes, it is a special
night. I'll see you tomorrow."

Holly watched her leave, and then locked up the office with
a sigh, trying not to feel sorry for herself. She'd talked to Jason early in the
morning, and they'd agreed she would call him once she was home for the night.
At least she had that to look forward to, even if she wished for more.

She picked up tomato tortellini soup at the deli and went
home, more glum by the moment. She knew she needed to perk up before she called
Jason, but couldn't wait any longer. She dumped her office things on a chair,
took out her cell phone, and called him.

"Jason?"

"Hey, how was your day?"

"Long. Tiring. And I miss you."

"Ah, well I can't fix the long and tiring part but...I
sent a surprise to you. Open your door."

"What--did you order me food? I picked up soup,"
she said as she walked to the door and opened it.

"I sent myself," he said, reaching out and pulling
her to him.

"Jason! You're here!" He hugged her and it felt
like her world came back into focus. "How are you here? What are you doing
here?"

Jason hugged her again and then moved into the apartment and
closed the door. "I have to talk to you. I've done a lot of major thinking
today."

"You still love me, right?" Holly said, with only
a slight tremble in her voice. She was staring into his eyes.

"Yes, absolutely, always, forever. I love you."

"Okay then," she said, the little sigh of relief
escaping. "Whatever it is, we can deal with it."

They sat on the couch next to each other, Holly having
kicked off her shoes. She was curled up next to him. "Let's have it then.
What's the problem?"

Jason's laugh rumbled in his chest where her head was, and
the feel of it was delicious.

"I have a question for you. How would you feel about
living in the city, but keeping a weekend house in Sully Point?"

She jerked upright and stared at him in astonishment.
"Live here? In the city? Both of us? Are you serious?"

"Yes, I am. I'm coming back to my business. But I don't
want to give up Sully Point. So I'm going to build that house we talked about, there
on the cliff, but we'll use it for vacations and weekends when we can get away.
I've realized that I'm not ready to give up my work here. So I'm going to fight
to get back my reputation. I have a meeting set up for tomorrow with a
potential new client."

Holly stared at him for a moment longer, and then threw her
arms around his neck, kissing his face all over until he put his hands on
either side of her face and pulled her to his lips. Finally, she drew back and
said, "Does that answer your question? Yes! I love this idea."

He smiled at her. "Thanks for being so patient and not
freaking out over all of it. I needed the time away--and also a rousing talk
with Rob today--to help me realize what I wanted."

"Rob talked to you?"

"Yes, after Marla talked to him. You know, those two
seem to get on remarkably well together."

"So, you're back? Officially? Now?"

"I am, so we are left we with one question. Where do we
live? Your place or mine? Because I'm not prepared to live apart from you one
second longer."

Holly grinned at him. "My place has the closet."

"My address is ritzier."

"And my apartment has the bedroom that's a
closet."

He laughed. "We need a three-bedroom. I need an office
at home. Sometimes an idea strikes and I want to work on it right away."

"In that case," she said, running a finger down
his chest and back up, starting to undo his top button. "Let's get a three
bedroom in your building. You designed it. You have pull there. But not
tonight."

"No," he said, in a deep rough voice. "Not
tonight. I want you in my arms, all warm and naked in your lovely bed."

He pulled her to her feet and kissed her deeply. They walked
into the bedroom, and Holly said, "We're going to get hungry later. I'll
just go put that soup in the fridge."

He shook his head. "Get naked, woman. I'll put away the
soup."

She shivered at the look in his eye and quickly undressed,
so that she was standing by the bed when he returned.

"Wow," he said.

She smiled and knew that, no matter where they lived, she
was home.

Chapter 10

They ended up taking a penthouse apartment in The Helix
building that Holly had been living in. It turned out that Jason did still have
some pull and they got the place at a good discount. Plus, there had been
tenants who left because of worry about all the Earlington structures. Jason
told Holly he expected that the building would fill up again, now that the
story had died down, and that their living there was a testament to his belief
in the building's composition.

The penthouse provided them with tons of room, so Holly was
able to have her room-sized closet once again, and Jason had his office. They
spent time shopping together for the new place, ending up with an eclectic mix
of modern, yet homey, furnishings.

One day Jason arrived at home with a big smile on his face.
"Got another one today," he said to Holly. He lifted her up and swung
her around in a circle while she laughed. "It's really happening. The
clients are coming back. Or, at least, new clients have taken the place of the
old ones. Today I can finally say that I'm going to make it."

"Let's go out to dinner to celebrate," Holly
suggested.

"I did have a better way to celebrate in mind,"
Jason said. "But if we put off dinner to eight o'clock or so, we could
invite Rob and Marla to join us."

"And between now and eight?"

He leaned in and whispered into her ear, "Between now
and then, I'm going to make wild passionate love to you."

She shivered. "How can you do that to me with just your
voice?" she wondered aloud. He laughed softly in her ear and she pushed
him away with a smile. "Stop that. Call Rob, and then, I'm yours."

Later, at a dinner of steaks, baked potatoes, and asparagus,
Rob listened to the news and gave Jason a big smile.

"I knew you could do it. It's a good feeling isn't it,
to come back from a defeat?"

"Yes," Jason said, emphatically. "It really
is. And I have to give a ton of credit to Marla here, the best assistant anyone
could have."