Page 85 of The Orchard at Rosevale
‘Go home, Jason,’ she said, her anger abating, replaced by a souldraining exhaustion. ‘The money will be in your bank account by the time you get there.’ Even though Cruz hadn’t paid her yet, she would withdraw the last of her savings to get rid of Jason once and for all.
‘Babe, come on. We’re great together—’
‘Don’t ever contact me again.’
She turned and walked away, vindicated in her suspicion of the reason for his appearance when he muttered, ‘Bitch,’ before slamming his car door, revving the engine and driving away like a maniac.
Shaken by their encounter, she trudged towards the homestead, furious that Jason had ruined her romantic evening with Cruz. She slid her phone from her pocket, tapped on her bank app and transferred the five grand. It left her with a scarily low savings balance, exacerbating the constant niggle of fear she’d been battling since she was a child: having to move yet again. She’d tried to stop blaming her parents, but over the years, whenever her bank account dipped to precarious levels, fear would make her spiral and her anxiety would ratchet up. She’d take on jobs she knew weren’t right or wouldn’t pay enough. She’d hibernate because of her panic attacks. And worst of all, she’d cling to useless men like Jason to feel safe and secure.
No more.
She’d ask Cruz to pay her invoice a few days early, and once she promoted his restaurant, she’d be safely in the black for a few months to come. She would regroup, use the publicity—or notoriety—she’d gained from this job to propel her business further than it had ever been with the new clients she’d quoted. And she’d do it on her own.
Which meant she had to do something else.
She needed to get back to Melbourne and start rebuilding her life, without a man. Accepting Ferne’s job offer had come at the perfect time because she’d yearned to flee the Jason mess, but now that she’d put it behind her—something she should’ve done earlier—she had to move forward. Spending time with Cruz would only delay the inevitable.
But she could have one last night with him.
Entering the kitchen, she found him dicing shallots, garlic, capsicum and bok choy so fast the knife blurred. He glanced up and his lopsided smile made her want to wrap her arms around him, because he didn’t hide his uncertainty. An alpha guy like Cruz showing even the faintest hint of vulnerability made him so appealing.
‘Are you okay?’ he asked, putting the knife down and wiping his hands on a tea towel.
‘Yeah. The only reason that idiot came all the way up here was because I owe him money.’ She waved her arm around. ‘That’s what accepting a job here was about. Clearing my debt to him so I could move on with my life.’
‘I’ll pay your invoice right now if it means you’re free of that prick,’ he said, frowning.
‘Thanks, I’d appreciate it.’ She didn’t want to elaborate about her finances, but she owed him the truth about the rest. ‘I thought Jason’s arrival might be a buzzkill for the night we had planned.’
‘He’s not worth your time or mine.’ Cruz’s eyes narrowed slightly. ‘But there’s more. I can see you’re wrestling with something, because I see that same expression in the mirror every day.’
She wanted to ask what demons he battled, but it wasn’t her place. Not when she’d be ending their budding relationship before it had begun.
‘You’re right,’ she said. ‘I want to give you a heads-up about my plans, but I also don’t want to spoil our evening.’
His frown deepened. ‘I understand your dilemma, but in case you haven’t noticed, I’m an upfront guy with a low tolerance for BS, so why don’t you tell me what’s going on?’
‘I’m leaving in the morning,’ she blurted, unable to sugar-coat the truth. ‘I’ve loved getting to know you and spending time with you, but I need to build my business and staying here is delaying the inevitable.’
Expressionless, he said, ‘Which is?’
‘Me leaving, and what we’ve had being relegated to a fling.’
She heard his sharp intake of breath before he blew it out in a soft whistle.
‘You’re right,’ he said. ‘Makes sense.’
‘Thanks for understanding,’ she said, a small part of her hating that he’d agreed with her so quickly. If he’d put up an argument, tried to convince her to stay, she might’ve wavered. ‘I’ll focus on your restaurant promotion for the next week and set up social media posts for the next month, so you’ll get a good burst of publicity.’
‘You can do that from Melbourne?’
‘That’s the beauty of my job. I can do it from anywhere in the world.’
He nodded, but didn’t ask her to stay, leaving her sadder than she anticipated.
He turned away to rinse his hands under the tap. ‘I’ll drive you back to the motel.’
Of course he wouldn’t want her to spend the night. What had she been thinking? That she’d tell him the truth and he’d wrap her in his arms one last time?
