Avenoir

CHAPTER 3 : A Future For Two

Noelle arrived at Jack’s apartment the following evening determined not to assume the worst.She had spent most of the day preparing for her interview but her concentration had been unreliable. Every few hours, her thoughts returned to Jack’s voice on the phone and the strange pauses that followed her questions.She refused to let uncertainty write a story before she knew the facts.

Jack opened the door wearing a white shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. He looked tired but when he saw her, his expression softened.

“You came.”

“You invited me.”

“I wasn’t sure you would.”

She studied him. “Why wouldn’t I?”

He stepped aside to let her in.

“Because I’ve been a terrible boyfriend lately.”

“That depends. Are you confessing to something or are we discussing your inability to reply to messages in under three business days?”

A faint smile appeared on his face.

“I deserve that.”

“You really do.”

She held up the pastries she’d brought.

“I come bearing peace offerings.”

“What did you do?”

“Nothing. I’m trying a new approach to relationships. Apparently, people appreciate snacks.”

He laughed and for a moment, the tension between them eased.The apartment smelled of roasted garlic and rosemary. Two plates sat on the dining table beside a bottle of water and a small vase of white flowers.Noelle stopped when she saw them.

“You cooked?”

“I ordered food and transferred it into serving dishes.”

She turned to him.

“You’re a fraud.”

“An efficient fraud.”

She shook her head, smiling and followed him to the table.

They ate slowly, discussing her interview preparation and the acquisition he had worked so hard to secure. Jack asked about her prospective role, listened to her explain the responsibilities and teased her when she began describing the company’s organisational structure in unnecessary detail.

“You realise you’re talking to your boyfriend, not the interview panel?”

“You asked.”

“I asked what the job involved. I didn’t ask for the company’s entire operational history.”

“You should be grateful. This is the shortened version.”

He laughed.

It was one of the things she loved about them,the ease. They could disagree without turning every difference into a battle. They could spend an evening doing nothing extraordinary and somehow make it feel worth remembering.Noelle wanted more of this.

Not the expensive dinners or occasional gifts but the quiet certainty of being known. She wanted a relationship that could survive ordinary days, difficult decisions and the inevitable moments when one person’s ambition demanded more time than the other could comfortably give.She believed they were building that kind of love.

After dinner, Jack collected the plates while she carried the wine into the living room. They settled beside each other on the sofa, and he drew her feet into his lap.

“Tell me something,” he said.

“That depends on the question.”

“Where do you see yourself in five years?”

She looked at him suspiciously.

“Is this an interview?”

“I’m asking a question.”

“You’re asking a question people ask when they want to sound profound.”

“Answer it anyway.”

She considered the question.

“Working in a position where I have enough authority to make decisions instead of spending half my life convincing other people that I know what I’m doing.”

“Ambitious.”

“Thank you.”

“Anything else?”

She glanced at him.

“A home I love. Enough money to live comfortably without calculating every expense. Time to travel. Maybe a family someday, if I meet someone who doesn’t make me regret the decision.”

“Someone?”

“I’m speaking hypothetically.”

“Of course.”

She nudged his leg with her foot.

“Stop smiling.”

“I haven’t said anything.”

“Your face is being irritating.”

He caught her foot and kissed her ankle.

“Does this help?”

“Marginally.”

He laughed, and she leaned against him.

“What about you?” she asked. “Where do you see yourself in five years?”

“Running my own company, perhaps. Something substantial. Something that lasts.”

“Just you and your empire?”

“Is that a complaint?”

“I’m trying to determine whether there will be room for anyone else.”

His expression grew thoughtful.

“I want a family, Noelle. Not immediately, but eventually. I want a home where I don’t have to think about work every second of the day.”

“Then you should stop working every second of the day.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“It could be simpler.”

“Spoken like someone who hasn’t spent the last year trying to secure an acquisition.”

She lifted her head.

“And spoken like someone who thinks his ambitions are automatically more complicated than everyone else’s.”

The teasing left his face.

“That isn’t what I meant.”

“I know.”

She sat up, smoothing the fabric of her dress.

“But sometimes, Jack, you talk about your future as though it’s a destination and mine is something we’ll fit around it.”

He stared at her.

“That isn’t fair.”

“Perhaps not. But it’s how it feels.”

For several seconds, neither spoke.

Then Jack reached for her hand.

“I want you in my future.”

“Then make room for me in it.”

His fingers tightened around hers.

“I will.”

She searched his expression, looking for the certainty she needed. He appeared sincere, and she wanted desperately to believe him.

“I’m not asking you to give up what you want,” she said. “I would never ask that of you. But I don’t want to wake up one day and realise I’ve spent years supporting your dreams while mine have become an inconvenience.”

“You won’t.”

“You can’t promise me that nothing will change.”

“No. But I can promise that I’ll try.”

It wasn’t the perfect answer. Perhaps that was why she trusted it.Perfection had never been what Noelle wanted from him. She wanted honesty, effort and the willingness to stand beside her when standing together became difficult.She leaned forward and kissed him,he returned the kiss,one hand resting against her cheek.

When they separated, he rested his forehead against hers.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you too.”

For a moment, she let those words be enough.

Later, Jack brought a folder from his study and placed it on the coffee table.

“What is that?” Noelle asked.

“Something I’ve been working on.”

She opened it.

Inside were financial projections, property photographs and notes about a commercial development on the eastern side of the city. The plans were ambitious, involving several properties that would need to be acquired and redeveloped.She turned a page.

“You’re considering buying this?”

“Eventually. If the acquisition works out, I’ll have access to the resources I need to pursue projects like this.”

Noelle examined the figures.

“The projected costs are optimistic.”

He leaned over her shoulder.

“That’s why I need someone who can tell me where I’m being stupid.”

“I’m available for a reasonable consulting fee.”

“Dinner is apparently no longer sufficient?”

“Dinner was never sufficient. I simply chose not to embarrass you.”

He laughed.

She pointed to a line in the projections.

“You’ve underestimated the cost of relocating the existing businesses and these figures assume that every property owner will agree to sell without negotiating.”

“I accounted for negotiations.”

“You accounted for everyone being reasonable.”

“Is that not the same thing?”

“No. One is a business assumption. The other is a fantasy.”

Jack shook his head, smiling.

“Remind me never to bring you a proposal again.”

“You’ll bring me another one tomorrow.”

“Probably.”

She continued reviewing the figures, making notes in the margins. Jack watched her work, occasionally asking questions or challenging her assumptions.For the first time that evening, she forgot about the strange phone call and the conversation he had promised to have with her.This was what she wanted.Not a man who agreed with everything she said, but one who respected her mind enough to challenge it. Someone who understood that she could love him and still have opinions of her own.

When she finished, she handed the folder back.

“You have the beginnings of a good plan.”

“Only the beginnings?”

“You wanted honesty.”

“I regret that decision.”

She smiled.

He gathered the papers, but before he could put them away, his phone vibrated on the table.

His expression changed when he read the message.

Noelle noticed.

“Everything all right?”

“Yes.”

The answer came too quickly.

She looked at the phone, then at him.

“Jack.”

He turned it face down.

“It’s work. Nothing you need to worry about tonight.”

She felt the familiar uneasiness return.

“I wasn’t worrying.”

“Your face says otherwise.”

“Perhaps my face is tired of being told not to worry when nobody has explained what’s happening.”

He sighed and reached for her hand.

“I’m sorry.”

She waited.

“I’ve had a lot to deal with since the acquisition was confirmed,” he continued. “There are meetings, contracts, people expecting decisions from me. I’m trying to get everything in order before I involve anyone else.”

“Anyone else?”

“You know what I mean.”

“No, Jack. I don’t.”

He looked at her for a long moment before pulling her closer.

“I don’t want work to ruin what we have.”

The words softened her despite herself.

“Then don’t let it.”

“I’ll try.”

She rested her head against his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heart beneath her ear. His arm tightened around her, and she allowed herself to believe that whatever he was facing, he would eventually trust her enough to explain it.She didn’t know that he had already begun separating the future he wanted from the future he had promised her.

When Noelle finally left, it was nearly midnight.Jack walked her to the door and kissed her goodbye.

“Call me when you get home,” he said.

“I will.”

“And prepare for your interview. You’re going to do brilliantly.”

“You’re remarkably confident for someone who won’t tell me what’s happening in his own life.”

His smile faltered.

She touched his cheek.

“I’m not trying to fight with you.”

“I know.”

“I just want us to be honest with each other.”

He covered her hand with his.

“We will be.”

She kissed him once more before stepping into the corridor.