Page 27 of Thrown Off Balance

“Excuse me! Did you just say you’re not doing anything?” Sophia hisses, trying to keep her voice quiet for Carter, but she’s livid.

“There’s nothing to do, Soph. She’s with Jude because that’s who she wants to be with. It’s stupid of me to think I have any sort of chance to change her mind.”

“But you could! You’re so much better than Jude and you know it. Jeez, she knows it!”

“Ok, but would you really want to date Peck if you thought you had to convince him to be with you? I distinctly remember you hesitating because you thought Colt forced him to take you out for dinner. It doesn’t feel good to spend time with someone who doesn’t want to be with you. I'm not doing it.”

“Yeah, but-”

“When I took Sloan home tonight, I told her I'm not chasing her. I said as long as she was with Jude, I’d consider that a sign that she doesn’t want anything to do with me.”

“What are you going to do if she shows up single on Sunday?” Charlie arches a brow.

“I don’t think she will,” I admit, hating the thought of Jude even stepping foot on Mulberry Lane.

“Maybe she won't show up single, but how amazing would it be if she left single?” Jax smirks like he’s coming up with some sort of diabolical plan. One I want no part in.

If Sloan Weathers doesn’t want me, I'll gracefully stay out of her life the best I can.

Chapter 14

Sloan

I haven’t stopped thinking about Cody since he pulled away from my apartment a few days ago. I feel like my head is spinning when it comes to him. I don’t know what I want or how to handle this… except my heart knows exactly what I should do, I just don’t know if I should listen to it.

“Good morning, Sloan. I spoke to Jude this morning. He said you’ve been having trouble with the Bradford’s account?”

“Oh, um…” I trail off, unsure how to respond to Mr. Carpenter. I can’t believe Jude went to his dad after I specifically asked him not to. “They’ve been difficult, but it’s not too much trouble.”

“That’s not what Jude said. He asked me to take the account from you and give you something different. Can you give Jerry all of the Bradford files? I’d like him to spend the weekend going over things so he can figure out the best way to approach their account on Monday.” Mr. Carpenter smiles.

He’s not upset in the least about Jude coming to him or about me wanting a different account to work on. The Bradfords are known to be extremely difficult and it isn’t rare for them to get passed off to different employees.

Me? I'm livid Jude went behind my back after I specifically asked him not to. I didn’t want to get Mr. Carpenter involved. I was simply venting to my boyfriend about work. Something I should be able to do without any issues.

Cody would’ve listened. He wouldn’t have gone behind your back because he’d know how important your job is to you.

The thoughts rush through my head and have me heaving out a long sigh. I can’t think about Cody like that. He made it clear he wants nothing to do with me.

‘You’re a liar’, my brain singsongs.

I shake my head and try to focus on the man standing in front of me, expecting me to respond with something.

“Mr. Carpenter, I never asked Jude to come to you. In fact, I specifically asked him not to. The Bradfords are difficult to deal with and they can be frustrating at times, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

He watches me for a moment, examining every option he has. He’s a good boss to deal with and one I typically like and respect. He’s always been fair to me, even before I started dating Jude.

“I understand what you’re saying. I think Jude has a hard time separating you as his coworker from you as his girlfriend. When he hears you venting about something, he wants to fix it all right away.” He smiles softly. “Maybe one day he’ll learn to listen and be supportive when his girlfriend talks and realize you don’t always want him to fix things.”

“I'm glad you understand I wasn’t trying to get out of a difficult account.”

He takes a seat in the chair across from my desk and leans back, crossing one ankle across the opposite knee.

“I want you to gather the things for Jerry.” I open my mouth to object, but he holds his hand up, stopping me. “I'm not taking the account from you. I want Jerry to look over everything this weekend and on Monday you two can meet and form a game plan. I think some fresh eyes on this account could be good. We should probably have two people on this account anyway.”

“Ok,” I whisper as my shoulders sag. He doesn’t think I can do this alone. I hate that. I don’t want to seem like an employee who can’t handle anything alone.

“Sloan, you’re a good employee. One of the best I have. I'm not saying you can’t handle them alone, but sometimes a helping hand is nice… There’s something else I wanted to discuss with you.” He fidgets uncomfortably in the chair, making my blood pressure rise. He never fidgets. He’s always laidback and composed.