"Jace said she was from Alabama. Maybe I've been looking for a woman in the wrong states. I need to try out good ole Alabama next."

Tripp always managed to make me laugh, and he made me forget for a moment that my chest was about to explode from pain.

"Thanks," I said.

"For what?"

"Making me laugh," I replied.

"Anytime."

We sat there again for a few moments in silence.

"Where are you at now?" I asked, knowing he was on a road trip.

"I'm in South Carolina at a place called Myrtle Beach. I like it here."

"You like those beaches, don't you?" I replied.

"Makes me feel like I'm home, in a way."

"Will you ever come back here to stay?"

He didn't respond right away. It made me wonder what kept him away. There were secrets that he wouldn't share with me.

"Doubt it," he finally said.

"I don't think I can stay," I said aloud for the first time.

"Why?"

"Because this isn't working. I'm holding him back. I'm not getting better. This isn't going away and he deserves more. He needs more. Someone strong to stand beside him."

"He wants you, Della."

"Sometimes what we want isn't what's best for us," I replied.

"Yeah . . . I know that," he said quietly. "But if you leave him it will break him."

It would shatter me. But I loved him too much to ruin his future. "He will heal and then the woman who can be all he needs will walk into his life one day and he'll be glad he didn't make the mistake of staying with me."

"Don't say that. You aren't a mistake. You underestimate your worth. You make him happy. Woods is happy with you."

"For now he is," I replied.

Tripp sighed. I was frustrating him, but he knew deep down that I was right. "When the time comes and you think you need to leave, just call me. Don't go by yourself."

"Okay," I replied. I would call him when I needed to. He wasn't tied to me. I didn't control his actions and thoughts. I could travel with Tripp and not destroy his future. At least until I was stable enough to live alone.

"I think you need to talk to Woods about this first. Don't blindside him."

I wasn't sure that was possible. He would never listen to me. "Okay," I replied.

I stepped out of my car and waved at Bethy as she drove by in a golf cart toward the fifteenth hole. She was a cart girl at the Kerrington Club. It was how she had met Jace. He was a member here and I had heard them arguing over her quitting more than once. He hated seeing the men on the course flirt with her. That had been him once. She refused to change just because she was dating him. I think, deep down, he respected her for that.

After hanging up the phone with Tripp, I'd sat and thought a long time. Woods needed help and all I seemed to be doing was whining over not having a job and being a burden on him. I was stronger than that. Why couldn't I help him? I could. He would have me close by and I would have a purpose. So, I'd gone back to the house and dressed up.

I was going to go apply for a job as his assistant. I could do the tasks that caused him extra headaches. I could handle the staff. I might have been dealing with some mental issues, but I wasn't helpless. If I could prove to myself that I could do this, then I could prove to Woods and the rest of the world that I was healing.

Vince glanced up at me and smiled. "Go on in, Miss Sloane," he said before going back to his work. Woods had informed him that I never needed permission to enter. I was free to come and go as I wanted.

I knocked, then opened the door.

"I realize that, but make it happen. I need the order here tomorrow, not Monday. I'll switch suppliers if it doesn't happen," he said.

"Yes, sir, Mr. Kerrington, we will make it work," the voice said from his speakerphone.

"Good," he replied, then ended the call before standing up and walking toward me.

"I needed to see you," he said, smiling as he pulled me into his arms. I put both my hands up to stop him before he could kiss me. If I let him kiss me I would end up forgetting my purpose here, and there was a good chance that we would be naked in minutes.

"I'm here to apply for a position as your assistant," I said.

That stopped him. He gazed down at me, confused, and I used the opportunity to sell my idea. "You need someone to handle the staff and place orders. You have bigger things to deal with. I can handle the staff. I can put out the small fires and leave the big ones to you. I can place orders and I can help you. I can't sit home alone and lost. I can be here near you and helping you every day." I stopped and took a breath. He hadn't moved, but I had his complete attention.

Finally, he stepped back enough so that he could see the pencil skirt and pair of heels I'd put on. I was even wearing a nice blouse and had pulled my hair up in a bun with chopsticks pushed through it. It was as professional as I could get with what I had to work with. A small smile tugged on his lips.

"Is this your interview outfit?" he asked.

I nodded and continued to watch him.

"You want to be my assistant. To help me. Looking like that," he said.

Again, I just nodded. Then he chuckled and shook his head. "Baby, I don't doubt that you would be able to help me, but if you intend to strut around here dressed like that, I'm going to end up f**king you every damn hour, or thinking about f**king you every damn minute."