If the question bothered him, Tony didn’t show it. He simply checked his watch and smoothed down his shirt. “Joel made a mistake. I did, too. We’re going to make it right and get her where she needs to go. We’re going to do everything we can to support her. All you can do is drag her down. I want you to think about that before you try to convince her to let you come along. My daughter can be very loyal, and I’m afraid this time it will cost her dearly. If you care about her, you should let her go. Now, I’ve said my piece and I’ll have to leave it up to you. I’m going back to the party and I’m going to hope Roxanne is reasonable about all of this. It would hurt her mother to have a scene at a party she planned so carefully.”
He stepped away and Zep got the point. Don’t mess this up. Go away quietly.
“Hey, you okay?” Remy passed Tony as he strode down the path.
He should have known his brother would show up. His brother was usually around for the humiliations of his life.
He took a deep breath. It was time to put his mask back on. “She’s getting a big job offer.”
Remy glanced back to the patio, where the party seemed to have started up again. “Yeah, I wondered if that wasn’t the case. Armie wouldn’t talk about it, but I can tell he’s upset. Lila told Lisa he’d gotten a call about Roxanne earlier today.”
And Roxie hadn’t mentioned it to him at all. When they’d gotten home, they’d taken Daisy for a walk, then hopped in the shower to get ready. He’d made love to her there and not once had she talked about the possibility of a job offer.
“Good for her. This is what she wanted.” He put a smile on his face.
“I would assume this job would take her to New York.”
“Yes, but she’s wanted to go back for a long time.” She’d made a home here. She’d found a life here, but he couldn’t force her to see it. Who was he to keep her from her dreams? He’d lost enough chances to not want to be the reason she lost hers.
He loved her. Didn’t that mean he should do everything he could to ensure she got what she needed? Even if that meant letting her go?
Remy’s eyes narrowed. “I thought you would be upset.”
“I don’t want her to go, but I also have to be reasonable. Why would she let a dream job go to hang out with a guy she’s basically only been dating for a week?”
“I understand that the formal relationship hasn’t been long, but there’s been something between you since the moment you met. Don’t play this down, brother.”
“What am I supposed to do? Ask her to stay? She never meant to stay, and it doesn’t make sense for me to go.” He had to find a way to get through this without breaking down. He couldn’t. Not now. If she stayed for him, she would likely come to resent him, and that would be worse than never having her at all. If he found a way to let her go, at least she would have fond thoughts of him. He would spend the rest of his life loving her, but at least she wouldn’t hate him. “Hey, we’re borrowing trouble here. We don’t know she’ll even take the job, and she’ll have to put in some notice, so there’s still plenty of time.”
It was a lie. His time had run out.
Remy nodded but managed to look unconvinced. “You’re right about that. But you need to talk to her.”
He started to walk back toward the party, where he would do what he did best. Put a smile on his face and shove every feeling he had down deep. For her.* * ** * *
She’d hated the look in Zep’s eyes when she’d told him she needed to talk to Joel alone.
Had he thought she wanted to be alone with her ex? That there were feelings still between them? That was the furthest thing from the truth. Well, not any good, happy feelings.
“You said you wanted a drink.” Joel looked his normal, elegant self. Every inch the bureaucrat who believed looking good made him good.
She shook her head. “That was an excuse to do this in private. I think I’ll stay sober for the moment. What are you doing here?”
He frowned, a sure sign that he was displeased with her abruptness, but she didn’t care. She didn’t have to please him anymore, and honestly, she was embarrassed that she’d ever tried. It was odd. Now that she was in a relationship with a man who accepted her on pretty much every level, it was easy to see how much of herself she’d shoved down for her ex.