Giving In

Chapter 8

Jackson was sitting in his office the morning after the opening of "Ava's" trying to place his weekly orders, but he was having a really hard time concentrating. He kept thinking back to that moment he had with Kay outside of the new restaurant. He couldn't decide if he made the right decision when he walked away from her and told her to leave him alone. He knew that he loved her, but love wasn't a good enough reason to let someone hurt you. Kay hurt him, and he didn't know if he was ready to let that pain go. He pushed it out of his mind and got to work on his inventory list and order forms.

Kay got up the morning after the big grand opening and knew that Jackson was more than likely back in his office. She knew that she would have to work side by side with him without having any issues because the staff did not need to see them fighting, the staff didn't need to know that anything ever happened between them. Part of her wanted to storm into his office, tell him all about her past, and then beg him to forgive her and to love her. She knew that she couldn't do that though.  She knew that she needed to let him be mad at her; she needed to let him move on.

Kay got up for the day and took a shower. She put on her black slacks and white dress shirt and paired the outfit with her comfortable but dressy black closed-toe shoes. She put her light brown hair up loosely into a silver hair clip; finally, she applied her eye liner and lip gloss. She didn't want to overdo it, because frankly, she wasn't even feeling up to wearing any makeup. She didn't want to face Jackson, let alone make herself look as if she was okay with what had happened. She tried to explain her feelings to him the night before, but he wouldn't have any of it.  He didn't care that she never slept with the bartender, and he certainly wouldn't care that she was falling for him.

 As Kay left the house to go to work, her cell phone rang. She was trying to leave the house and dig in her purse for her phone at the same time and it was proving to be very difficult. She decided to let it go to voicemail. She would have plenty of time to check her messages after she got to work, and she would return any calls necessary when she got the time. She knew that her day was pretty fully scheduled, and she preferred it that way. The less time she had to sit around in her office, the less of the chance that she would have to face Jackson.

Jackson finally finished his orders and faxed them in. He looked at the clock and realized that Kay would be there any minute. He knew that when she got there, he would either have to make an excuse to leave, or he would have to face her and try to be as professional as possible. He didn't want his staff catching onto the coldness between the owner and the manager. It wasn't good for them to sense tension, because it could cause tension in them as well. Jackson stood from his desk and glanced out his office window.

Jackson's mood immediately softened when he saw her standing there. There was Kay, just standing next to her car. She seemed to be looking at something in the distance. She had her light brown hair pinned up, yet some of it was falling next to her cheeks, framing her beautiful face. She stood with her arms crossed across her chest. He could tell she was deep in thought and noticed that something was really bothering her. He tried to pull himself away from the window, but he just couldn't stop watching her.

Kay had been standing next to her car watching a deer in the field. The beauty of the animal out there eating and seeming carefree had really caught her attention. She stood there wishing she could feel as carefree as the animals in the wild. Yes, they had to be careful and protect themselves, but they were free to roam and go wherever their hearts desired. As Kay stood there and watched the lone deer grazing in the field, she had an idea that made her smile a weak and sad smile.  Although Kay knew that someone was probably expecting her inside soon, she needed to take a minute to herself. She stepped over to the outdoor break area that was set up for the employees and she sat down on the picnic table.