Jerry wasn't sure exactly why he was doing this either, but getting Sarah coffee after each job interview had become his current purpose.
"I mean, it's not that I don't appreciate it," she said, holding her styrofoam cup with both hands, "but don't you have other things to do?"
He shrugged. "I like having coffee with you."
Her smile was enough to justify every little second he spent waiting for her in front of various office buildings. But then it faltered and she leaned her elbows on the table and put her hands on her head.
"I just wish I didn't suck so much so I could come out with good news for once." She looked at the glass and steel monster she'd just come out of, one of many that lined the gravel square filled with cafes and cantinas.
Jerry found the place a little off putting, too. A tiny circle of solace in what was otherwise a busy corporate hotspot in the city.
"I guess I'm just not made for corporate life," Sarah mumbled, picking up her coffee again and taking a sip.
The way she closed her eyes and hummed after each mouthful made him want to lean over and kiss the coffee off her lips.
He never did that. After she'd showed up at his place, they hadn't kissed again. Sober Sarah wasn't pushy, but did give him a lingering hug each time they saw each other. He loved that, loved having her body so close, feeling her heat against him.
But today, it was different. Both because he'd waited a little longer than usual and because she looked so dejected. And he just felt like kissing her without any logic involved.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked.
"Like what?" He pulled back a little because he'd been unconsciously leaning in too close.
She hesitated for a second, as if judging if she wanted to get into that conversation. "So cute," she finally said. Then she glanced up at the building she'd come out of and sighed again.
The finality in it broke Jerry's heart. "Why do you keep applying for office jobs if you can't stomach them?"
"They pay okay, and it's not like I can start my own practice with no money. Don't say it." She raised her hand before he could open his mouth. "Kyle wanted to loan me money too, but I can't take it. Not from him and especially not from you."
He didn't fully understand why, but he accepted her decision. "Bank loan?"
"You're really too cute," she said with a sad laugh and a pat of his cheek. "I have no collateral. How would I guarantee any loan?"
By too cute, she obviously meant a naive idiot who'd always had money and had no idea how the banking system worked.
"Couldn't you find real counseling work in other places? Like a school."
Sarah winced. "I don't want to be around children."
Her answer made his stomach uncomfortable for a reason. Maybe because not liking children was strange. Or because he was already concerned that she wouldn't want to have children of her own. And why on God's green Earth was that any of his business? It wasn't like he would be the father or anything. He flinched at his own stupid thought.
"Are you okay?" Her voice sounded so distant and he made efforts to stop being a monumental imbecile.
"Yeah, sure." He focused on the traffic, trying not to go into overanalyze mode. "I just wish I could come up with a viable solution for you."
She smiled, and this time it was honest and bright. "It's not your job to save me." Her hand rested on his cheek and turned his head to completely face her. "You're already doing so much for me."
YOU ARE READING
Lose Control (The Jewel Project #5)
Adventure"It's never going to end, is it? The rivalry, the hatred, the madness. Not even now. Not even after so many years." It has been three years since the last jewel was recovered, and the Agency seems to have put the project to rest. They have a new tar...
