Did he? She could hardly tell. Olivia's heart sank as she opened the next picture. "The kitchen," she said simply.

He grunted in response.

Now her heart had sunk low enough to ache. "Is there something wrong? Is it not what you wanted?"

"No. No, it's exactly what I wanted. I'm only tired. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," she said, but she couldn't keep the confusion from her voice.

"I'm sorry," Jamie repeated. He did sound sorry, but was it only regret that he couldn't compliment her plans?

She slumped in her seat, staring at the layout of the new kitchen. "I chose a midrange model pizza oven," she said dully. "I think it will serve your needs."

"Maybe we should go to bed," he interrupted. "I'm insulting your hard work, and I don't want to do that. I never want to do that. It's just..."

"What?"

He turned to meet her gaze, and Olivia finally found the emotion she'd been searching for in him. But it wasn't the right one. It was...despair.

"Jamie? What's wrong?"

He stared at her, lips parted as if he'd speak, but in the end, he only shook his head and looked away. "I'm tired. And the fight..."

"Let's go to bed, then. The rest will wait until morning. It's all budgets and schedules and boring numbers."

There was something more. Something he wasn't telling her, but she couldn't be surprised by that. She wasn't his girlfriend. She wasn't even his friend.

So she took him to bed and tucked him in. The sex was slow and soft and perfect, and Olivia told herself that she was satisfied.

But the ache stayed lodged in her chest, and she didn't sleep for a long time.

THE ROOM WAS DARK and Olivia was warm against him, but Jamie couldn't find comfort. His mind kept turning. It was only 5:00 a.m., but he was wide awake and staring into the dark.

He tried to fall asleep for another thirty minutes, but his eyes kept opening, his pulse too fast to let him rest. In the end, he slipped from the warmth of Olivia's arms and tugged on his shorts and T-shirt.

Feeling like an intruder, he wandered through Olivia's apartment, too restless to settle in one place. When he idly opened her fridge, he saw a six-pack of Donovan Brothers Hefeweizen and managed a smile. Had she bought that for him, or for herself?

Though he was tempted, he bypassed the beer and got a glass of water instead, then headed for Olivia's office. Her computer still glowed with welcome, and when he nudged the mouse, her monitor blazed back to life.

Earlier, he'd been too tired to feel anything when she'd shown him the plans, but now his heart lurched at the sight of the picture. He clicked back through, noticing details he hadn't seen the first time, and he felt...grief.

He wanted this. He still wanted it. But Eric would fight him. Jamie might be able to convince him-actually, he was certain he could. But every step of the implementation would be a test. Every misstep an opportunity for Eric to shake his head and look disgusted. Nothing would have really changed.

Jamie needed a clean start. Maybe he didn't deserve it, but he needed it.

He opened the manila folder on the desk and looked over the numbers Olivia had assembled in a remarkably short amount of time. Pages of numbers that meant something different now. If he were really going to branch out on his own, it would be a very expensive endeavor. He wasn't sure he had the skills to pull it off.

He dropped his head to his hands and closed his eyes.

"You really don't like it, do you?"

His shoulders stiffened at the sound of Olivia's voice. He shook his head.

"I don't know what I did wrong. I thought it was what you wanted."

"It's not that," he whispered.

"Well, what could it be? You look like...like I've crushed all your dreams or kicked your puppy or..."

"I'm not going to be doing the expansion," he said, pushing his fingers against his skull.

"What?" she breathed. "Why?"

"I told my brother about my idea. He laughed it off. Told me I was ridiculous."

"Jamie..." She came closer, her footsteps whispering over the carpet. "I thought you were going to wait. Present it to him with the portfolio. I-"

"It wouldn't have mattered."

"You don't know that!" Her hand spread over his back as she knelt beside him. "You have to try again."

"It's too late for that, Olivia. It was already too late, and I didn't realize it. My brother doesn't trust me."

"Why?" she cried, her fingers digging into his back.

Jamie sighed and lifted his head. "Because I've never done anything to earn his trust. My misspent youth lasted a little too long."

"Doing what?"

He shook his head. He couldn't explain it. There were so many little things. Classes skipped. Curfews broken. Tickets for underage drinking. And once he'd taken his place at the brewery, he hadn't cared about a damn thing except having fun. Oh, he'd done his job, but no more. Those first few years, Eric had tried to teach him things, tried to turn over some responsibilities. Jamie had refused them.

"Things add up," he said, hoping it would make sense to her. "You said you don't get along with your mother."

"I don't."

"But there's no one thing you can point to, is there? With family, it's a thousand moments. A million. And there's no undoing a million small mistakes. It's impossible."

"So...what? You're just going to give up? You can't do that!"

Jamie met her gaze. "Why?" he asked, honestly wanting an answer.

Olivia's eyes fell. She pushed up to her feet and paced away from him, her arms crossed as if she were cold. "I admit that when I met you, I thought you were just... I don't know. Just a bartender. No plans. No goals. And I thought that was what you wanted."

He tried not to feel insulted. It was the image he'd constructed, after all. Olivia had seen what he'd wanted her to see.

"But that's not all you are, Jamie, and you have to let your brother see that. You can't just go back to wiping tables and drawing beers. You won't be happy."

He hadn't realized it, but that was exactly the answer he'd wanted to hear. "You're right. I can't."

Olivia's brown eyes lit up. She took a deep breath and smiled. "So you'll try again?"

"Not with Eric. I've already decided to branch out."

"What?"

He actually smiled at the shock on her face. "I think I'd like to open my own place."

She blinked, her mouth still round as a cherry.

"I know this will mean something very different in terms of planning-"

"Different," Olivia gasped. "It'll be... Jamie, this will be much, much harder. You'll have to raise funds. There'll be long-term commitments in leasing space and equipment. You can't... You..."

"I understand."

"But, Jamie! Listen to me. You'll be starting from scratch. Everything that Eric and Tessa do-all the stuff that's eye-blurringly boring-you'll have to do that on your own."

"Maybe not," he said, the words taking all his breath with them as they left his mouth.

"With your background and name, I'm sure you can find investors, but it's such a big risk. And every single investor will want to have his finger in the pot. Believe me, I know."

"That's not what I meant, Olivia." His heart beat too fast, and every second that passed only increased the speed of his pulse.

She shook her head and her hair fell over her eyes until she shoved it back. "I don't understand."

"I thought...you could help me."

"Well, I will! Of course, I will."

She didn't understand what he was trying to say, and Jamie felt a little panicky. "Just..." He stood and swung her around to sit in his chair. "Sit down for a second and listen to me."

"Sure. Okay." But now she looked almost as lost as he felt.

Jamie pulled up the second chair and faced her. "What I meant was that I thought we could do this together."

"Together?"

"You could be the manager. We could start the restaurant together." He expected a reaction on her part. Any reaction. But her face stayed blank. The idea had first occurred to him just an hour before. He'd awakened from a deep sleep and the thought had been there. Something hopeful to grab on to. And with every minute that passed, it seemed like a better idea.

Maybe he needed to give Olivia a few minutes, because it wasn't sinking in.

"Manager?" she whispered.

"It doesn't matter what the title is. Director. Anything you want. What I mean is...we're good together."

"We are?"

He laughed. "Don't you think so?"

"Jamie...I don't... This is crazy."

"I know. But we're good for each other. And this is what you wanted. This is your dream, helping to start up a place. We can do it together."

She blinked several times. Jamie understood her shock, but he was feeling great now that he'd gotten it off his chest. Now that he'd said it, it sounded even better. It sounded perfect. He relaxed and smiled. This was going to be all right.

"Yeah," he said. "This could be really, really good, Olivia. For both of us."

OLIVIA DIDN'T KNOW what to say. Her mind spun and swooped, leaving her heart stammering.

On one hand, people were offered jobs every day. Every single day. Sometimes from complete strangers. She shouldn't be so taken aback.

On the other hand, this was crazy.

"We get along," she whispered. "Of course. As friends. As people who...see each other."

He took her hand. "It's more than that. You bring out something better in me."

Her heart leapt at his words, but it quickly fell back down again, thumping in fear. Was he saying he loved her? That couldn't be right. "Have you been drinking?" she blurted.

"No," he said on a laugh. "I'm sober. And sincere. When I'm with you, I feel mature. Responsible. It's what I liked about you from the start. You're so serious-" When she gasped, he held up a hand. "I know that's not what you want me to say, but it's true. You're serious and smart, and I like that. You make me want to be more."

"More," she whispered, but the breath had been knocked from her. She made him feel mature?

"Don't look at me like that. I like you serious. It's who you are."

"But I don't want to be that person. Not just so you can feel mature." What the hell was she to him? A mother figure? Her face burned with humiliation, but when she tried to draw her hand away, Jamie's fingers tightened around hers.

"Think about it, Olivia. This would be your answer, too. Instead of working at the university and saving for years to start a business, you could do it now. With me. You wouldn't have to work for years toward it. You wouldn't have to risk everything all on your own. You said yourself how hard it would be."

"It will be hard," she murmured. Hard, yes. Just as her mother had warned her years ago. Just as her mother had said this week. You are not strong. You need someone to take care of you. And Victor had said the same thing. And now Jamie.

For a moment, everything inside her went numb. And for a moment, she actually considered it. He had a good idea. He had the name and the personality to pull it off. He only needed someone...someone serious behind him. Someone mature.

Someone who couldn't do it on her own but would happily support him.

She tried again to pull her hand free, and when Jamie resisted, she yanked hard. "Let me go."

"What's wrong?" he asked, bewildered.

"I can't make you more serious."

"I know-"

"I can't make you mature. My dullness doesn't rub off."

"Oh, come on. That's not what I meant."

She stood and backed away. "I know what you meant. You have dreams. I can understand that, because I have dreams, too, and I don't intend to set them aside."