Perfect Fit - Brenda Jackson [90]
“You could have moved in with her instead of Rose Woods while we tried to work things out.”
Sage shook her head. She almost reminded him there was never a time when they tried to work things out. That hadn’t been an option she’d given him and, as far as she was concerned, with good reason.
She glanced at her watch, wondering how much longer it would take to reach the restaurant. Already she felt a headache coming on.
The restaurant was exquisite and overlooked a beautiful park in downtown Dallas. After they had eaten dinner and were drinking cups of coffee, Erol leaned back in his chair and looked at her. “I really like the way your hair is styled. I can’t get over how good you look, Sage.”
“Thanks.” She knew it was time for them to talk about why she had come to Dallas. Over dinner they had talked about a lot of things, basically keeping the conversation light. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could get out a single word, Erol started talking again.
“I have something for you,” he said, smiling, reaching into his jacket pocket.
She lifted a brow. “What?”
“This,” he said, handing her a white envelope. His face was actually beaming as though he had some sort of a secret. “Go ahead and open it,” he said, leaning toward her.
Sage peered up at him from beneath lowered lashes as she began opening the envelope. Inside was a cashier’s check for the fifty-two thousand dollars he had taken from her accounts. She looked up at him. He was still smiling.
“That business deal with Herb Rollins went through, and that’s from my first earnings. Already I’ve been awarded contracts for his other locations, so money will be rolling in real good this year. I’m thinking about expanding my work force.”
“That’s good news, Erol, congratulations,” she said, folding up the check and placing it in her purse. “And thanks for returning my money.”
“I guess that means we’re all right.”
She glanced up at him. “All right?”
“Yes, I took the money out of your account, and I just gave it back. All of it.” His smile widened. “That should wipe the slate clean, and we can move on.”
Sage lifted a brow. “Wipe the slate clean? Move on?”
“Yes, reset a date for our wedding.”
“Reset a date for our wedding?” She hated sounding like a broken record, but she was so astounded at what he was saying she couldn’t help repeating it.
“Yes,” he said, grinning proudly. “We can call Reverend Jones from my room later.” After taking a sip of coffee, he added, “And you can believe me when I say that I’ll never do anything like that again.”
Sage shook her head. She wondered if it had even occurred to him that he was doing the same thing now. Without discussing anything with her, he had not only made assumptions, but had also started making plans, plans he didn’t know if she would or would not be okay with. He’d even suggested they call Reverend Jones from his room later.
She leaned back in her chair. “We can’t reset a wedding date, Erol.”
He glanced up at her as if the thought of it were news to him. “Why can’t we?”
“Because nothing has changed between us.”
Surprise filled his face. “Yes, it has. I paid you all your money back.”
“But I told you in the beginning that you can replace money but not trust. I can’t trust you anymore.”
Erol inhaled with frustration. “What you’re saying doesn’t make sense, Sage. The reason you got upset in the first place was about the money.”
Sage shook her head. “Yes, the money was part of it, but the reason I got upset was because you discounted my feelings and did just what you wanted to do, without caring about how I felt or without first discussing it with me. And if you did it once, you’ll do it again.”
“I said I wouldn’t do it again.”
“But that’s just it, Erol. I can’t trust you to believe that you won’t,” she implored, trying to make him understand. “The reason I wanted to meet with you was to make sure that you understood that there could and would never be anything between us again. We’re over, Erol. Finished.”
He looked absolutely stunned. “No, it can’t be finished.