“I need to ask you a favor.”
“Then you’ve come to the right place. What can I do for you? Sub in for a date with your hunky man?”
She shook her head. “I need you to cover me on Wednesday morning.”
“Boring,” Gillian replied. “But easily doable. You two playing hookie?”
“Not everything is about Darian.”
The redhead frowned. “Then what are you doing?”
“I’ve got an interview.” It was the first time she’d said the words aloud, and the reality of them knocked some of the wind from her. She was taking her first concrete step away from Darian. And she knew he wouldn’t forgive her for it.
“Good for you,” Gillian congratulated her. “I didn’t even know you’d started sending out résumés.”
“For a while now,” she replied. “This was the first place I was excited about meeting.”
“What’s it for?”
“It’s a non-profit in the education sector. The money doesn’t compare to here, but I’d be working for a great cause at a much smaller company. I’d have normal hours. I might be able to take the odd half day off here and there.”
“Sounds perfect for you.”
“Which is why I need Wednesday morning off.”
“Good thing you make the schedule then.”
“You know what I mean. I never thought I’d be interviewing while still at this job. I was hoping for some down time before I jumped back into work. At the very least a month off to recharge.”
“Maybe you can work that into your hiring agreement,” Gillian pointed out. “I say take the morning and see if this company is somewhere you’d really want to work. If it is, maybe it’s worth moving quickly to secure it.”
“You’ll cover me then?”
“Whatever you need. Are you going to tell Darian?”
“I don’t know,” she said with a sigh. “Not yet at least. Not until there’s something concrete to tell him.”
“Maybe he’ll understand,” Gillian offered.
It was a nice thought, but she knew wishful thinking when she heard it. Darian cared for a very select few people, and she liked to think she was among their number even if he denied it. He wouldn’t take losing her lightly.
And if she waited too long to tell him, it would make everything worse.
“Well, good luck on Wednesday. They’d be lucky to have you.”
“Thanks, Gil.”
Task accomplished, she headed back to her office and dropped into her desk chair. Turning to her computer, she pulled up a new tab. In seconds she was staring at the website of the non-profit. She’d be working to improve access to education, something her family would be all for. And as a bonus it was a far cry from the corporate rat race she’d spent the last few years in. This was the opportunity she’d been waiting for.
And it was terrifying.
Drawing in a deep breath, she admitted she wasn’t just afraid of telling Darian. She was afraid such a drastic jump could be a decision she regretted forever. The past four years might have been hectic, but she’d built a life here. She had job security, friends, a routine. Leaving seemed disloyal at best. Insane at worst. What if she was giving up the best job she’d ever have?
“Interview first,” she whispered to herself. There was no use borrowing trouble before she even knew if she’d be a good fit for this organization.
Because if she was, then her decision to leave would no longer be a hypothetical she could put off indefinitely.
She’d have to jump.
And lose Darian in the process.
Chapter Fifteen
“You’re sure I have to do this?”
“Only if you don’t want my sister wearing a paper bag on her wedding day,” Darian replied.
“That would be bad.”
“It wouldn’t be my preference, no.”
She sighed, staring up at the display window before her. Happy bridal mannequins smiled out at the world beyond the glass, each corseted into a poufy white dress Allison would see in her nightmares.
“I’ll be with you every step of the way,” he whispered in her ear, his hands curving over her shoulders in a touch that sent a shiver down her spine. “We go in, try on the dress, and leave. Then I’ll treat you to the best steak in the city.”
“That part sounds appealing.”
“I’ll even throw in dessert.”
“Then back to your place?”
She felt him smile against her neck. “Then back to my place.”
Good things lie in my future, she thought. All she had to do was survive an hour of tulle and she was home free.
“Okay, let’s do this.”