Chapter Two

SAM

Sitting in the most boring meeting in life, I glance across the table, forcing myself to sit as straight as possible despite my strong desire to slouch and fall asleep. I’ve been at NSK’s offices for the past three days, working out logistical issues with their dedicated team for Jerry Ellis Distribution.

Jamie actually secured this client, and as far as business goes they’re great. Together with the use of their factories and trucking facilities, we’ve been able to increase our market share by 13%. NSK covers our distribution, which means they’re responsible for getting us on shelves around the country.

Although she was hired to work on the non-profit side, Jamie proved herself to be extremely useful when she identified a problem in our supply chain. We weren’t allowing ourselves to win because we’d drastically limited our presence in the southern region due to our previous supplier’s resources.

It was an old partnership set up when my father was still alive, and I think we all just overlooked how elementary their services were. When I let them go, the CEO wasn’t even shocked or disappointed. He actually thanked me for keeping him on for so long, because he knew we had outgrown them years ago.

I was thoroughly impressed by Jamie, but I tried not to let her know because I didn’t want her getting a big head, or thinking I was only complimenting her because I liked her. I try to keep everything professional in the office, especially after what happened to Amy and me.

It only complicates things when you date someone in the workplace, but there was no way I could continue to ignore my feelings for Jamie after her accident, and the value she added to the company was undeniable. My only option was to have my cake and eat it too, I just make sure to only eat at home. When we’re at work, it’s strictly professional.

This is usually our time to spend together since the weekends are our days off, but here I am stuck across the country in a boring meeting, while she probably prepares to head home for the evening. My thoughts are racing with memories of her when my phone buzzes in my pocket.

Glancing around, I dig my smartphone out of my pocket as discreetly as possible, careful not to look disrespectful with the blabbering NSK executive as I check the alert. It’s a message from Jamie, which makes me smirk.

I was just leaving work, and almost drove to your house on autopilot! Lol

It’s her way of telling me she misses me, even though she would never actually say that. I’m not sure if she does it for me, but Jamie tries to play independent all the time like she’s not at all wrapped up in our relationship. She worries about appearing clingy to me because I’ve told her how girls being all over me drives me away.

When I told her that, I was talking more about the clinger on the type of groupie girls that only care to be around me because of my last name. Sutton Hill is like one big high school. No one wants to date outside of the zip code, and so the options are limited when it comes to picking a partner.

The order of life is set in stone, so me not being married makes me about the only single person in my age bracket. Typically, you graduate college, get married, then have kids. There’s little room for alternative plans, and my mother reminds me this at every family function.

As the youngest of four, all of my siblings are married, and all but one have children. It’s just the way you do things, which makes women very determined to settle down and make something serious, even if it’s nothing but a fling.

Jamie and I are nothing like that. I like her and have since I saw her at the dojo. That’s not usually how I begin interactions with women. Jamie made me chase her a bit, and I liked that, so I would never look at her as clingy, but I can tell she makes an effort to remind me she’s not that type of girl.

I’m in a meeting at NSK, babe. I’ll talk to you later.

I type beneath the table so the other executives can’t see me. The NSK exec is rambling so fast, I don’t think he’s even noticed there are other people in the room. He’s been talking about improving supply chains in the south, and the implementation of drone surveillance over inventory for the past hour.

Really? I’m heading out to the bar and won’t get home until the middle of the night your time.

Jamie texts back and I feel like a dick. We’ve already discussed my need to shuffle my priorities so I can make room for her in my life, mainly when I’m out of town. I just wish she could understand how much I’d rather be face timing her than looking across the table at this geek, pretending to care about product supply chains.

This is work, and she claims to like how hands-on I am with both businesses, yet she sometimes complains about how much of my time they take. I tell her all the time, she can’t have it both ways, but I still understand her frustration.

I’m sorry, babe. I’ll be home tomorrow, and we can try to see each other if you’re free.

Pressing send, I hope that’s enough to hold her over because the last thing I need is an upset girlfriend when I get back to Sutton Hill. Whoa. Did I just call her my girlfriend? That is a bit strange, even to say in my head. I haven’t had a girlfriend since college unless you count my career because we’ve been going steady for almost twenty years.

ILY

She finally texts back, and my stomach flutters a little. She refuses to spell out the words, but when we’re together, she can’t tell me enough. She’s funny that way. I think she’s afraid that if I read it, it will be too much for me. She’s always so scared about how I will react to her expresses her feelings, like I’m emotionally handicapped or something.

Love you too. Have fun, babe.

I send before scrolling over to my calendar to see when I can fit some time to hang with Jamie. I don’t know how I missed it, but my entire next week in Sutton Hills is blacked out, which means I won’t have any time to take her out or really do anything special.

My heart sinks imagining how that conversation will go. Jamie has been on me about working with my assistant to leave some blank space, reminding me I don’t have to tell her what it’s for. She’s right. I schedule everything else, I can easily make time to spend with her if it was as important as I claim it to be.

At least she’ll have a fun night wither her friends. She’s probably going out with Lisa, and those two never fail to have a ball together. Honestly, if it weren’t for Lisa, Jamie would have probably broken up with me by now, because her social life would be completely empty. Instead, she gets to have fun with her friends and then hang with me whenever I can squeeze her in.

I shake my head realizing how shitty of a partner I am to her. I guess we can at least see each other at work, although there won’t be much hanging out. In addition to being discreet about our relationship, we both have so much work to complete for a new acquisition we’re working on.

There won’t be any time for her to slide in my office for a little midday play, even if she was open to it, although she never would approve. Jamie was nothing like the previous women in my life who would do any and everything I say without question, and that’s why I like her.

She’s her own person, with her own life, simply asking me to meet her in the middle, and I think that’s fair, though my actions don’t align with my intentions too well. I have to make a point to show her how special she is to me, because I don’t want to lose her, but I know I’m not giving her enough to satisfy her emotionally.

Even when I am in the same city, I’m working. Over the next week, I have to plan something big, some sort of a grand gesture to show her I’m not all talk and do value everything she brings into my life. Jamie is my breath of fresh air, and I need her to know that.