The Forgotten Path

by Marci Bolden

  “What look?”

  “The one that melts my heart. And scares small children.”

  She laughed as he backed out of his parking spot. “You’re an ass.”

  “You’ve told me that so often, I’m starting to believe it.”

  Her smile softened. “What would you like for dinner, Marcus?”

  He pulled out of the parking lot and headed toward the town square. “I think I’d like to go to my sister’s café, Annie. We haven’t seen Jenna in about twenty-four hours. I’m sure she’s quite concerned about us.”

  She smirked at his sarcasm. “We should support her. It isn’t easy making a business successful.”

  “Well, we’ve certainly given her the best chance possible. If we ever stopped eating there, she’d go under in a week.”

  Annie rolled her eyes and shook her head, though he wasn’t completely off the mark. Annie felt obligated to eat at Jenna’s place as much as she could stand.

  She both loved and hated how contentment filled her. She couldn’t remember before Marcus ever feeling so at ease with herself or her life. He seemed to have filled a void that she hadn’t known existed. And she hated that. Hated that she’d had a void. Hated that he filled it. Even more than that, she hated that she had noticed.

  But she loved that he did that for her when no one else could.

  He stopped for a red light and glanced at her. “Where does your mind keep going lately?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Your wheels. They are a-turnin’.”

  “Actually, I was trying to figure out what to order.”

  “Liar.”

  “I went through the paperwork for the Portman deal today. How did you get them to finally accept an offer?”

  “I threatened to turn their sale over to you.”

  “Oh, you monster.”

  He chuckled as the light turned green. “What were you thinking about?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Back to that, huh?”

  They were quiet until he parked in front of the restaurant. She released her seat belt and dropped her head against the headrest, looking at him looking at her. He had that look again—the one that clearly told her all she had to do was say yes and he’d make her forget every workplace boundary she’d ever used as an excuse not to let him love her. “Feed me, Marcus.”

  “Be honest with me, Annie. Where has your mind been going?”

  “Fine. I was thinking how much I enjoy this.”

  “This?”

  She bit her lip for a moment. “Us. Bantering. Teasing. Unwinding after a long day.”

  He nodded. “I enjoy it, too.”

  “I don’t want to lose this, but…”

  “I know,” he breathed. He smiled sadly. “Things are complicated now.”

  “To say the least.”

  He looked out the windshield for a few moments. “If they weren’t complicated?”

  “They are.”

  “But if they weren’t?” he asked, meeting her gaze again. “Would you still come up with reasons not to be with me?”

  She swallowed hard. This was the type of situation she always did her best to avoid. This kind of open, honest conversation about how messed up she was always made her uncomfortable. “I’m not good at this, Marcus.”

  “At what?”

  She sighed as she did what he’d just done—diverted her gaze out the window. “Whenever I get too close to someone, I tend to shut down. I panic. I get scared. Then I push them away. Not because I don’t care but because I do. Does that make sense?”

  He nodded. “You’re scared of getting hurt.”

  “No. I’m scared of hurting you because I’m incapable of being what you need me to be.” She climbed from the car and started for the restaurant. She was almost to the door when he dropped his hand to her shoulder and fell in step with her. “You’re in my bubble,” she said teasingly, hoping he’d let the more serious side of their conversation drop.

  “I know. I can’t help myself. Blame it on that skirt.”

  She smiled, pleased that he’d followed her lead into more comfortable, though equally inappropriate, territory. “Blatant sexual harassment, Mr. Callison.”

  “Apologies, Ms. O’Connell. Sometimes I forget myself.” He reached around her and opened the door to the café.

  “Jen,” he called as if he hadn’t seen his little sister for years. “How are you?”

  She looked beyond him to Annie. “What’s wrong with him?”

  “He was trying to tell me we eat here too often and should broaden our horizons.”

  Jenna’s brown eyes widened. “Marcus. I am offended.”

  He put his hand to his heart. “I was just trying to get the old girl out of a rut.”

  Annie gasped. “What?”

  Jenna laughed. “You two sit wherever. I’ll be with you in a minute.”

  They took a table by the door, and Annie immediately wadded up a napkin and threw it at him. “Old girl?”

  She joined in as he laughed heartily, and again silently thanked him for not pushing her. “You’re a royal pain in my ass, Marcus. You know that, right?”

  “That’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever said to me, Annie.”

  One of the perks of applying for a job with an acquaintance was the quick response. One of the downsides? The quick response. Jenna had just slid plates onto the table when Marcus’s phone rang.

  Since they both received evening phone calls from clients, Marcus didn’t think it would be inappropriate to check the caller ID and answer.

  “Marcus Callison.”

  “Marcus. This is Harrison Canton. From the Canton Company.”

  Marcus’s mouth fell open as he looked at his dinner companion. “Wow, you’re fast.”

  “Well, I’m impressed with your résumé, and Dianna speaks very highly of you. If you have time tomorrow, can you swing by the office?”

  Marcus forced a smile as his heart skipped a few beats. Annie creased her brow, clearly sensing something off with the call.

  “That shouldn’t be a problem. I don’t have my schedule right in front of me. Can I call you back in the morning and set up a time?”

  “Of course. You have my number?”

  “Yes, I do. Thanks for the call.”

  “Thank you. I’m looking forward to meeting with you.”

  Marcus returned the sentiment and hung up.

  “What was that?” Annie asked, a forkful of chicken inches from her mouth.

  He sighed as he looked at her. The moment of truth. Did he love her enough to leave her? Or should he stay and hope that eventually they’d find a way to be together despite the unethical aspect of their relationship?

  “Marcus?” She put the fork down. “What is it?”

  “I don’t want you to get upset.”

  She stared at him, and he wavered for a moment.

  “I’ve applied for a job elsewhere.”

  “Marcus—”

  “Hey,” he said firmly enough that she stopped before she could object. “It’s not right of me to expect you to put your business on the line for a relationship that may or may not work, and I think we both know that this thing between us isn’t going to just go away.”

  She was shaking her head before he finished speaking. “You can’t do this. I need you.”

  “And I need you. Just not the same way. I’ve been thinking about this a lot. Weighing my options—our options. This is the only one that makes sense.”

  She sagged back in her seat, no longer smiling at him. She looked upset. Frustrated. “I just told you—”

  “That you’re going to push me away. I heard you.” He nudged his plate away and sighed. “I never thought for a moment that being with you would be easy. You don’t know how to make things easy, Annie. But you’re worth it. To me you’re worth it.”

  Her lip trembled for the briefest of moments before she clenched her jaw and pursed her lips together. Reaching into her purse, she pulled out some cash an
d dropped it on the table.

  “Annie,” he called as she slid from the booth.

  He started to follow her, but she turned and glared at him. He sat back and lifted his hands. “At least take my car back to the office.”

  “I’d rather walk.”

  As expected, the lights were shining from Annie’s office when Marcus pulled into the parking lot. He’d explained the situation to his sister, sat through her unwanted advice, then had what was left of their dinner packed into to-go containers. He grabbed a bottle of wine—a gift from a client—from his office and braced himself for the impending confrontation. He hadn’t expected Annie to march out on him like that, but he didn’t know why he was surprised. He knew she would feel betrayed by his decision to apply elsewhere and cornered by his declaration that he intended to pursue her.

  If he got the job at the marketing firm and she still opted not to date him, then he’d know that she didn’t care about him nearly as much as he wanted her to. That would hurt like hell, but it couldn’t be any worse than being so damn close to the woman he wanted to be with while she kept him at arm’s length. Seeing her every day, having dinner several times a week, teasing each other like they did was hell, and he couldn’t stand it anymore.

  He needed more.

  Carrying their dinner and the wine with him, he walked into her office. She was pounding on the keyboard, looking pissed as hell.

  “If you’re typing an e-mail, I’d strongly suggest you let it sit until morning before hitting send.”

  “I appreciate your suggestion,” she muttered before moving the mouse and slamming a button, which he could only assume meant she’d sent it anyway. She pulled her reading glasses off and carelessly tossed them aside. “What do you want, Judas?”

  He winced dramatically for effect. “Oh, that’s a little harsh.” He held up a bag from the café. “You didn’t finish your dinner. Jenna packed it up and added a slice of chocolate cake. She says that will help soften you up so you’ll forgive me.”

  She scoffed. “Go home.”

  “No.” Crossing her office, he put the food on her desk, sat across from her, and went to work twisting the cap off the bottle of wine. “This might be working for you, but it isn’t for me. I want more than just looking at you and thinking about what we could have. I want to actually have it.”

  Other than a slight softening of her hard stare, she didn’t respond.

  He removed the cap and sniffed the wine. Setting the bottle down, he frowned as he looked at her. “Despite our mutual dislike of bullshit and dancing around the truth, we’ve been doing that for far too long. I can’t keep lying to you or myself. I love you, Annie. Despite your bad temperament and lack of tolerance for everyone and everything around you.”

  “Oh, that’s some profession of love, you bastard.”

  “It’s not my fault you’re moody.”

  She scowled, and he looked into her coffee cup. Confident the mug was clean and empty, he filled it with wine.

  “This is the part where you tell me how you feel.”

  “Betrayed.”

  He grinned. “Fair enough. But do you love me?” Her face paled a shade or two, and he chuckled flatly. “You can say no.”

  “Marcus…” She closed her eyes. “Don’t put me on the spot like this.”

  He nodded. “Okay. You don’t love me.”

  She creased her brow and stared at him. “I didn’t say that.”

  “So you do love me. You’re just too scared to admit it because you’re terrified to put yourself out there. Despite the fact that you know I’d never intentionally hurt you, you can’t let go of the past and believe in me even though you know—and you damned well better know—that I’m not your dad, and I’m not that jerk who walked out without a care for you or Mallory.”

  “Stop right there.”

  He took a drink and made a face. “That’s terrible.”

  “Well, look at the label. It practically begs you not to drink it.”

  He turned the bottle and had to agree with her assessment. Pushing the wine aside, he met her gaze. “Every time I look at you, I’m reminded that there is a chasm between us. I don’t want you to be my boss, Annie. I want you to be my…whatever. Girlfriend.”

  “Don’t ever call me your girlfriend.”

  “Significant other?”

  She scrunched up her nose and shook her head.

  “The fact is, it’s getting to me, Annie. I think that became pretty damn clear the other day. I can’t stay here and not be with you.”

  “So you’re leaving me?”

  “No. I’m removing your excuse. If not dating an employee was just that, just an excuse, then at least I’m saving myself some misery. If it was a legitimate reason and you really were concerned that somewhere down the road it will make things too awkward at work, then I’m opening the door for our future. The next move is yours.”

  “Well, I don’t think I’ll have time for any kind of relationship, Marcus. I’m about to lose my best agent.”

  “Don’t let Dianna hear you say that.”

  “I rely on you for more than just sales. You are my right arm around this place, and you know people. You have connections and bring in commercial business that Dianna can’t.”

  “I have to do this. For me. For us. If there’s ever going to be an us.” Focusing on pulling their food from the bag, he set a container in front of her. “I haven’t gotten the job yet, Annie, but if I don’t, I’m going to apply somewhere else. This is the right thing for both of us. You’d know that if you weren’t so scared of what it means.”

  “That you’re ditching me?”

  “That I want to be in a relationship with you. Listen, you have to let go of the past, sweetheart. I’m not your dad, and I’m definitely not Mallory’s dad.”

  “Why do you keep bringing up that jerk?”

  “Which one?”

  “Either. Both.”

  “Because whether you want to admit it or not, I know how your mind works. This isn’t me abandoning you, Annie. This isn’t me walking away and never looking back. This isn’t me dumping my responsibilities, forcing you to pick up my slack.”

  “Sure feels like you’re dumping your responsibilities and leaving me with the slack.”

  “No, I’m taking the lead here. I know I’m putting you in a bit of a bind at the office, but you will find another salesperson. You’ll be fine. It’s time for us to decide what we are to each other. If we’re anything at all. All I want is for you to stop making excuses as to why you can’t love me back.”

  “I hate you,” she said softly and without an ounce of conviction. “How about that as an excuse?”

  “Now if that were true, none of this would be an issue, would it? You don’t have to say that you love me. You don’t even have to love me. I love you, and I can’t be here day in and day out and not have you in my life the way I want you in my life. I’ve done it for too long. I’m at a crossroads, Annie. I have to make a choice. I’m choosing you. It may not feel like it to you, but I am choosing you.”

  She lowered her gaze and shook her head slightly.

  “You’ll find another agent, Annie. You’ll find someone who can fill my shoes. But I’ll never find another woman who makes my heart race and my palms sweat.”

  She looked up at him for a moment but then snorted. “You’re so full of shit.”

  He grinned. “I’m not lying. One look from you turns me into a puddle.”

  Her smile fell a bit as she sighed. “I know that feeling. And I love you, too,” she whispered. “Despite you being egotistical, stubborn as hell, and impossible to deal with most days.”

  The smile that broke on his face was so wide it made his cheeks hurt. She loved him. She’d actually said that she loved him. He knew she meant it. Annie didn’t say things just to appease people. If she said it, she felt it.

  He was tempted to round her desk and kiss her again. This time slowly and sensually so she would feel every ounce of
love he had for her. But she’d probably lose her mind if he tried to cross the lines of decency at work yet again. Instead, he held out a plastic fork to her. “Eat your dinner, darling. Before it gets as cold as your heart.”

  Marcus hadn’t stopped feeling like he was floating on a cloud since Annie had admitted that she felt the same about him, and that feeling intensified when Harrison Canton called to offer him a job. Two weeks. In two weeks, he’d no longer be Annie’s employee. The first thing he was going to do, five p.m. on the dot, was pull her into his arms and kiss her with everything he’d been bottling up.

  “That’s some smile,” Dianna said from his doorway.

  He chuckled. “I just got a job at the Canton Company.”

  Dianna’s face sagged a bit. “Annie said you’d met with Harry. Are you sure you want to leave, Marcus?”

  He nodded.

  She sat across from him, as if waiting for an explanation. Finally, a light went off in her eyes. “She gave in?”

  He chuckled and rapped his knuckles on the desk. “I’ll be escorting her to your wedding, as a friend. But once I’m no longer her employee, Annie and I will… Well, I guess we’ll see where this is going. If anywhere.”

  “Congratulations.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You know she’s going to need a lot of patience.”

  “I’ve been patient for five years, Di. I think I got this.”

  “Good. Are you busy? I have a client who hasn’t been in to fill out the identification forms yet. I’m sure he’s perfectly fine, but you know how Annie is. She’ll have a conniption if I meet him alone before verifying his identity.”

  Marcus would have a conniption, too. Being an agent presented dangers, and Annie’s insistence that every client fill out a form with proof of identity and employment had skirted off more than one person who might or might not have been looking for a target to mug. If a client couldn’t be verified before the first meeting, the agent was to cancel or partner up with a co-worker.

  “Give me five.” When he finished filling out the paperwork for the deal he was negotiating, he set it aside to be signed by the buyer later in the day and called out to Dianna. She met him in the lobby, and they headed out to meet her new client.