All Good Things(16)

"I think I'm going to stay here. I have a few contracts to go over for potential distributors." I felt obligated to give an explanation. "I'm sorry."

Trey shrugged, but his eyes dimmed. "No problem. Maybe another time."

"Yeah, maybe." I forced a smile before looking down at the screen of my laptop again. It was late, but I didn't feel like I could just leave now that I told Trey I was staying to go over contracts.

With a sigh, I rubbed my forehead and focused on the words I already read through a dozen times today. This entire process was enjoyable...but at the same time, it was incredibly complex. My nerves were frayed and I was exhausted. I feared I might make a wrong decision that would in turn have devastating consequences. I had never done anything like this before and I knew with my inexperience, starting up a shop in New York might not have been my smartest move. I was well aware of the fact that I may have bitten off more than I could chew, but that was not going to stop me from trying. I had to get away from my home and New York just sounded like a great place to escape to. Everyone who walked these streets had their own baggage to concentrate on. I was sure, because of that, this was the perfect place to let me forget about mine. I knew I was running, but I hoped I could grow roots here. I hoped I could make this my home. I hoped I could find happiness here.

But, happiness always came with risks. I was smart enough to know if I didn't cross the bridge, I would never get to the other side. So, no matter how terrifying it looked, I would just have to take a deep breath and hope I didn't fall. Because not taking the first step would be a thousand times worse than falling to rock bottom.

With a grumbled sigh of defeat, I closed the screen of my laptop before shoving it into its case. I was tired and I had a date with a book, my bed and a steaming cup of white hot chocolate. The thought of much needed relaxation lit a fire under my butt and I stood from the table, reaching for my cardigan from the back of the chair. It was summer, but since I was almost always cold, I tended to carry some sort of jacket. I slid my arms into the sleeves and winced at the discomfort in my upper back. I was still just a little sore from the accident, but it was not too bad and most certainly not something I couldn't live with. When I'd got over meeting Jace, I started asking real questions about the accident...like, how much was my stay in such an elaborate room going to cost me?

I had been shocked, warmed and just a little annoyed to find Jace had paid for everything. Yes, it had been a kind gesture, but I could have paid the bill. I was not so foolish to think paying that hospital bill for a stay so long would be an easy feat, but I could have taken out a loan and paid monthly installments. I hadn't needed him to drain his bank account because of me. Not that it would have even made a dent in his account. The man was richer than God, I thought wryly.

I wanted to see him again. I had questions that were desperately in need of answers and I knew he was the only one who could give them to me. I had grilled Trisha, endlessly, about Jace. Why had he been in the hospital with me? Why was he showering in my room? Why was he so awfully brooding and, why on earth had he promised to make an appearance in my life without following through? She had responded to all of my questions with a shrug. I knew she was over the hype that was Jace...but, I was not. Not yet. I still had questions and I still wished I would see him walk into my life as though he belonged.

The front door swung open and my heart lurched as I thought of the crazies this brilliant city housed. Why hadn't I thought of locking myself in here when Trey left?

"Hello, Olivia." The deep, musical voice that sounded throughout the space soothed my suddenly wired nerves when it should have had the opposite affect. My palms were moist and my heart thundered as I stared at him in awe. I most certainly had not been expecting my next five minutes to go this way.

"Jace," I stuttered, trying to regain some semblance of professionalism. "Mr. Rush."

His blue eyes glittered in the dimly lit space. The electrical work had not been completed and we were stuck with the light of an industrial lamp generated by a battery. "Jace will do."

"Oh," I swallowed as I nodded. I couldn't think of a thing to say now that he was here. Of all the questions I had run off on Trisha this past week, why were none of them surfacing now? "What are you doing here?"

He grinned as his eyes settled on mine. They were so intense, I felt as though he were stripping away layers of my very soul with just his eyes. It was uncanny, but at the same time, I didn't want him to stop looking at me. Ever. I would take the risk of him exposing my deepest pains and secrets if he just kept staring at me like that.