Healing Haven - Book 2 in Haven Series [Complete]

30| May the odds be ever in your favour

Cold rushed under Alyssa's skin that had nothing to do with the slight ambient chill of the winter air, pressing around the spreading warmth from the flaming brazier. Fingers skimming the side of her mug, she masked her unease with a smile.

"Well, I'll be back at some point to visit. But that probably won't happen until closer to summer—when things calm down with work."

"Work?" The shock of confusion in his voice chilled her further and it took every ounce of strength she had to drag her eyes from that full, bright sun and up to his seeking gaze.

"I got a call the other day, from the company I used to work for."

"The one that fired you." His abrupt tone scored down her spine, bringing her own frustration to the surface.

"Yes, the one that fired me," she said, no longer too intimidated to meet his piercing eyes. "They saw the news coverage about the recent re-launch of the gallery and were impressed. The Board feels they made a mistake and have asked I come back to both a promotion and a sizeable salary increase."

"And you said yes?" he demanded, incredulous.

"Not yet. I'm flying out on Tuesday to meet with them to discuss the details."

His mouth flopped open and the whites around his eyes expanded. For a second he gaped at her before his voice stuttered out in halting breaths. "Why didn't you say something? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm telling you now."

"Jesus Christ!" Whirling away from her, Ethan's hands dove in his hair, biceps bunching from the movement. Pacing, he dragged them back down his face and held there a second before letting them fall away, eyes burning. "You're going back?"

"That was always the plan," she said. "You knew that. I've spent too much time entrenched in the past—I need to go back, get my life sorted out. Figure out what I need."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I need to do this. I need to work. I need to be challenged and pushed. I've stayed idle long enough. My career is important to me. And if things don't go well on Tuesday with Schulman's, worst case I have more than a few contacts and client references to nudge open doors wherever I want. Toronto, New York—hell, even Paris. I can go anywhere."

"So why not here?" he seethed, advancing on her. "What about Eva's Initiative?"

"Eva's. Keyword." She said, drumming a finger against the varnished banister she leaned against. "Not Alyssa's. Alyssa's initiative has always been about getting her life back."

"I can't believe that—that you'd put in all that time, energy and effort to walk away like it didn't mean a goddamn thing?"

            No, they weren't talking about the gallery or the work she'd put into it anymore. They'd blown past that a long time ago.

            "Ethan," she said, setting down her mug so she could reach for him, looping her arms around his waist. "You know I care about you. I do."

            "But not enough," he finished for her. "Not enough to stay." He peeled her hands off of him, stepped away.

            "Come on. Please. Don't make this harder than it needs to be. We were clear from the beginning—this wasn't supposed to be anything."

"Well too bad because it is fucking something—to me!" Furious he snatched her mug, hurled it against the wall. Ceramic shattered, raining white fragments and coffee. Chest heaving he glared at her, grief and fury clashing with his features, making him breathtaking in the ferocity of his emotion. "Can't you see they're using you? You're hitched to a massive overnight success." His hands caught her shoulders and he rattled her with a deft shake. "Of course they want you now."