Free Fall into Him by Evelyn Harper Page A

anything,” Brad turned towards her with a strange look
on his face. It took Jennifer a moment to place it because she'd never seen it
on him before. He was apologetic. “I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for the
way I behaved earlier today.”
     
    “Oh, um, thank you,” Jennifer was flustered. She'd expected angry Brad,
defensive Brad, cruel Brad. She didn't know what to do with this previously
unseen version of her ex. “Please, sit.”
     
    Brad sat on the couch and Jennifer chose the chair across from him.
     
    “So, a promotion?” Brad's question was hesitant.
     
    Jennifer nodded, waiting for the insult. When it didn't come, she
expounded, still wary. “Because of my degree and years of experience, Mr. Haas
decided that I'd be better suited to assist him and learn all of the ins and
outs of running a hotel.” Brad nodded and Jennifer continued, a sliver of hope
growing inside her. Was he really interested in what she had to say?
“Eventually, I could move from being his personal assistant to managing one of
the hotels.”
     
    “That's amazing, Jen,” Brad sounded sincere. “You deserve it.”
     
    Jennifer knew that her jaw had dropped and that she probably looked
like an idiot, but she couldn't seem to do anything about it.
     
    “Look, I've had a lot of time to think about things. About our
relationship and the way I saw things. The way I treated you. I took some time
off, traveled. All of the places I went, the people I saw, everything showed me
what an asshole I'd been to you. I've changed, Jen, and for the better. I'm far
from perfect, but I'm working on it. I wanted to talk to you because I wanted
to tell you that I'm sorry for all of that. I was an awful person and I know I
don't deserve it, but I'm here to ask for your forgiveness,” Brad leaned
forward, his tone imploring. “And to tell you that I want you back. I want us
to try again.”
     
    Jennifer hadn't thought that anything would shock her more than the
apology. She'd been wrong. All of the ways she'd played this conversation out
in her brain while she'd been waiting for him to arrive, not a single one of
the scenarios had involved an apology and a request to give their relationship
another go.
     
    She should've said 'no,' she knew. It was the first word to pop into
her head, shortly followed by 'when hell freezes over.' The months that had
followed their break-up had been horrible and it had taken her a long time to
put herself back together again. Their years together had done a number on her
self-esteem, she knew, but the break-up had been almost as bad. The fragile
self-worth she'd retained by them staying together had shattered. She'd spent
the first week barely leaving her bed.
     
    But, now, he said he was different. He'd actually admitted that he'd
treated her badly and said that he was sorry. Things wouldn't be the same if
they tried again.
     
    Philip's face popped into her head. That complicated things. She was
falling for Philip, she knew, but what she didn't know was how he felt about
her. The sex was amazing, that much was undeniable, but was that all there was
to them? All right, today, he'd been sweet while they'd been fucking in the
stairwell, but she still thought of it as fucking and not making love. He'd
told her that she was beautiful and how much he loved hearing her, but was it
just 'pillow talk'? He'd seemed concerned about her being distracted during
their meeting, had deliberately intervened with Jodie, and had even given her
the day off, but he hadn't called her today to check in. She wasn't sure what
he'd meant by 'when he needed her' either. Had he just meant for work and his
lack of communication just meant that he hadn't needed assistance after his
meeting? Or, had it been something else? An innuendo that meant he might need
her for a more personal need? No matter what he'd meant, he hadn't called, so
he hadn't needed her.
     
    Brad, on the other hand, was looking at her expectantly, a hopeful
expression