“No,” she says. “I’m sorry.” She crosses her arms over her chest, curling herself in. “I—” She swallows. “I shouldn’t even be talking to you about this. I should go home.”
She moves around me again, passing me. I grab on to her arm, pulling her to a stop.
She freezes, her gaze unmoving. “Logan, please,” she whispers. A tear spills down her cheek. “Just stop.”
I let go, loosening my fingers. “I’m sorry, Natalie. I didn’t mean to—”
“I know,” she says, cutting me off. She turns her head, looking up to me. Her eyes are lined with tears and I can’t understand why. There’s pain mixed with the fear. “I know you didn’t. And I didn’t mean to hurt you and your wife. Please, just leave it alone.”
She pulls her arm away, never breaking her eyes away from mine. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” With her arms crossed over her middle, she walks the last several feet to her car.
I stay where I am, letting her go. Raking my fingers through my hair, I push it back and breathe out a heavy sigh. What just happened?
On the way home, I can’t get Natalie’s reaction out of my head. What did she mean by not meaning to hurt me and Lena?
I walk into the kitchen, finding Lena standing in front of the stove. There’s a large cloud of gray-black smoke coming from the oven as she opens it and bends over.
“Oh, shit,” she hisses.
I step into the kitchen as she slides out a pan, the ingredients unrecognizable. Two white ramekins sit on top of the once shiny metal pan. Whatever was inside the ramekin is completely black on top.
I bite back a laugh, watching as she fans the smoke with an oven mitt. Coming up behind her, I wrap my arms around her waist and rest my chin on her shoulder. “What was it?”
Her body sags against mine. I can tell she’s pouting and I’m suddenly wishing she were facing me so I can see the way her full bottom lip sticks out, begging for my mouth to be on hers.
“Don’t make fun of me,” she says. “I was trying to make crème brûlée.”
My favorite dessert.
I lift my chin off her shoulder, staring at the dishes. I chuckle. “That’s sweet, Lena. But you’re not supposed to use the oven to caramelize the sugar on top. You’re supposed to use a torch.”
“I thought so.” She shrugs one shoulder. “But I figured if I put the oven to the broil setting, it would do the same thing. I didn’t realize it would speed up the process.”
“Yeah, broil isn’t the same.” I pick up a spoon Lena had sitting on the counter and tap the top layer of burned sugar. It makes a cracking sound but not the kind that usually happens when you crack into crème brûlée. Lena groans, her body still pressed against mine.
I laugh. “It’s the thought that counts.”
She spins around, pressing her back up against the edge of the counter. I don’t move, keeping her pinned between me and the kitchen sink. Tilting my head down, I stare into her eyes.
“How was it getting off work early tonight?”
“It was nice. For once I wasn’t the last one in the building.” I give her a smile but it soon fades. “I spoke to Natalie on my way out though.”
Lena reaches behind her, gripping the edge of the counter. I step back, leaning against the counter opposite Lena.
“What did she say?” Sadness fills her expression. I’m not sure if it’s from knowing how awkward the situation is, or if it’s because every time Natalie’s name is mentioned she thinks of the kiss. Even if I wasn’t the one who wanted it in the first place.
“I asked her what she meant that night, about not expecting to love working at Bistro.” I run my hand down my face, still confused. “I don’t know, Len. It terrified her to talk about it.”
“Terrified her?” Lena pushes off the counter, closing the space between us. She stands in the middle of the kitchen, her eyebrows knitting together.
“Yeah. She said that she shouldn’t be talking about it with me in the first place and that she didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“Me?” She points to her chest.
I nod. “I’m telling you, Lena. She didn’t look like the same person as she did a few weeks ago.”
“What do you think is going on with her?”
“I don’t know. But ever since she tried kissing me, she’s been different.”
“Maybe she’s upset because you turned her down.”
I mull over Lena’s words, chewing on the inside of my cheek. Scratching at the scruff lining my jaw, I remember the fear in Natalie’s eyes. They were vacant yet filled with trepidation. I shake my head.
“No. I don’t think that’s it. She looked afraid.”
Lena takes one step closer to me, tipping her chin up to meet my gaze. Deep worry fills her expression. It shoots straight through me, settling in the pit of my stomach.
“Afraid of what?” she asks.
“I don’t know.” I wrap my arms around Lena, suddenly feeling the need to protect her. Try to wrap her up in an invisible cage. I press my lips to her hair, breathing her in as she presses her face to my chest. “I’ll talk to her the next time she works and see if she’ll tell me anything else.”
Twenty-Four
Lena
My anxiety was all over the place.
I couldn’t stop thinking about Logan’s conversation with Natalie last night and the possibilities of what might happen when he talked to her tonight. On top of that, I had a presentation with Candace and the other lawyers in the law firm on my latest marketing strategy.
Work had become a place of solace when I wasn’t able to be with Logan. Work and home, they were the only places I wanted to be.
The tall towering building I work in is littered with security, from top to bottom. James, the security guard who helped me the day I tripped out of the elevator had become a friend. I learned he was married to his wife for almost fifty years before she passed away of brain cancer. She was his best friend for nearly half his life. He told me that after her passing, he refused to retire, claiming his job had given him a sense of purpose. It also filled the void of loneliness he’d felt after losing his wife.
After bringing in James’ favorite breakfast, plain bagel with veggie cream cheese, I’d ridden the twenty-three floors to prepare for the biggest presentation of my life. It was one thing to conduct your business through social media, it was another to conduct it in front of ten lawyers and paralegals.
I’m walking down the hallway of glass encased offices, hoping to make it to the conference room before anyone else, allowing myself more than enough time to set up. My arms are filled with stacks of files, the papers sticking out the edges, when I see a familiar man walking toward me. He’s dressed in a crisp black suit, a slim black tie underneath. The bright white of his shirt is the same shade as his perfectly straight teeth.
“Max?” I stop in my tracks, nearly dropping the files all over the carpeted floor.
Rushing toward me, he reaches out, stopping them from falling. “Hey, Lena.” He starts grabbing at the files, holding them against his chest. “Here, let me help you with those.”
“Thanks.” I give him a tight-lipped smile and nod down the hallway, indicating where I’m headed. He follows without question.
“What are you doing here?” I ask him.
“Logan didn’t tell you?” He smirks. “Candace is the lawyer I hired to work out all the paperwork of making Logan my business partner.”
“Oh.” I nod. “Right. I’m sorry, I forgot.”
Max had offered Logan a partnership the night Julian sent me the photos of him and Natalie.
After I had come back home and we had aired out all our secrets, Logan finally told me what Max had offered him. I was thrilled for Logan, knowing deep down the job was meant for him all along.
When we reach the conference room, Logan pulls the handle on the large glass door, holding it open for me to walk in first. I set the stack of files down on the table and Max does the same, setting them on top.
>
“Hey,” Max says, sliding his hands into his pockets. The sleeves of his suit scrunch up. “I wanted to apologize about the whole thing with Abby.”
I dip my eyebrows, confused. “You don’t need to apologize, Max. Sometimes these things don’t work out.”
“Yeah,” he scoffs. “No kidding. Especially if she’s already taken. I may have an appreciation for women and come across as a player, but that’s my number one rule. A rule I never break under any circumstance.”
I stop sorting my files, looking up at Logan. “What’s your number one rule?”
“To never date a woman who’s already in a relationship.”
I shake my head, not believing a word he’s saying. I resume organizing my files. “I’m sorry, Max but I think you’re mistaken. She’s not in a relationship.”
“Are you sure?” Max asks. “She was pretty adamant about it. She said she’s been in a relationship for the past few months after being separated for nearly a year. She said they met each other in college and finally met back up here in Seattle.”
I step back feeling like the wind has been knocked against my chest. The air stings my irises as I stare at Max with widened eyes. “What? Did she say what his name was?”
He twists his mouth, glancing up at the ceiling. “Actually, no. I don’t think she did.”
“Are you sure that’s what she told you?”
Max pulls his eyebrows together, no doubt surprised I don’t trust him enough to be telling me the truth. “I’m not kidding, Lena. That’s what she said, or else we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now.”
I give him a fake laugh. Max is one of the cockiest, sweetest men I’ve ever known. He is also quite possibly the worst at gauging a person’s mood.
My palms sweat and the back of my neck prickles with goose bumps. Why would Abby lie and keep her relationship a secret from me? She told me Max wasn’t her type, mentioning nothing about having a boyfriend. But she never told me it was because she was involved with someone else.
My first thought is Julian. Never in a million years did I think Abby would be in a relationship with my ex-boyfriend. The same boyfriend who hated her and wasn’t shy about hiding it. I also couldn’t ignore the fact that Max had painted the possibility that it could be Julian. Someone she had known in college and didn’t speak to for a year.
I swallow, suddenly needing a drink of water. I grab the pitcher of water sitting in the middle of the table and fill a glass to the top. Max stands at the end of the table, watching me in silence.
I down its entire contents then walk back over to the end of the table where Max is.
“Are you okay, Lena?” His eyebrows are dipped in concern. Finally, he caught up.
I clear my throat. “I’ll be fine.”
“Max. What are you still doing here?” Candace pushes through the door, entering the conference room. Her tight pencil skirt stretches across her thighs as she walks. She smooths it out as she sits in her chair at the opposite side from where Max and I were standing.
“I ran into Lena on my way out,” Max explains.
“Oh,” she says, opening her leather folder. She slides out a blank piece of paper, clicking her pen. She sets it down on top of the paper then pulls out her phone. “You should probably head out. We have a meeting starting here in a few minutes and we need to prepare.”
“Yes, Ms. Sawyer.” Max rolls his eyes. He turns to me, clearly forgetting about our conversation now that Candace is in the room. He leans forward and winks at me. “Like I said. Married to her work.”
“Max,” Candace groans. “Get out of here.”
He holds his hands up and backs away, leaving the room with a smirk curling the corner of his mouth. When I turn my attention back to Candace, she’s wearing a grin I’ve never seen on her before. She’s staring straight through the glass, watching as Max disappears down the hallway. Her cheeks are flushed pink, a similar shade to the shirt she’s wearing tucked into her pencil skirt.
When she notices me staring, her mouth snaps shut as she clears her throat. “What?” She pretends to organize the papers in her folder, her head down. “Don’t ask,” she mutters.
“I didn’t say anything.” I chuckle, feeling the tension of Max and I’s conversation evaporate. The idea of Abby lying to me didn’t disappear. I simply put it on the back burner for the fifty-nine minutes I would be preoccupied.
Candace doesn’t look up from her folder again until the other lawyers start filing into the conference room and if I didn’t know any better, her cheeks were still flushed with pink.
I left my phone sitting on my desk during my presentation. Once everyone has left the conference room, I quickly gather my papers and walk back to my office. My heels tap against the carpet, the fabric of my dress waving against my thighs with my fevered steps. I couldn’t explain it, but I knew I needed to get back to my phone. I needed to talk to Abby.
My body was hot, my skin covered in a thin film of sweat. Max’s confession of what Abby had told him had nagged me my entire presentation. Lately, I felt like my life was a puzzle, the pieces laid out before me in one giant mess. I wasn’t quite sure how they fit, but I knew somehow, they did.
I pick up my phone, my thumb hovering over Abby’s name. Before I have the chance to press the green button, Candace strides into my office.
“Excellent presentation, Lena.”
“Hey, Candace.” I drop my phone back onto my desk. My screen fades to black.
Candace sits down in the chair in front of my desk, crossing her legs. She straightens her skirt, smoothing her palms down the top of her thighs, crossing her arms in over her lap. “The partners loved your vision and we’d like you to start producing it immediately.”
“Okay.” I give her a smile then begin packing my office up for the weekend. “I can get started on that on Monday.”
“Lena?” she asks, dipping her head to catch my attention.
I zip my laptop bag and lay it flat on my desk. “Yes?”
Her usual sharp eyes soften. Candace is the perfect combination of being tough yet relatable. There’s a softness to her, buried under the hard exterior she wears twenty-four seven. Despite her kindness toward me, I wouldn’t necessarily call her a friend. I consider James a closer friend than Candace. However, there are the small moments where Candace shows me she’s more than the woman Max claims her to be. Married to her work.
“I know I may come across cold at times,” Candace says, reading my mind. “But I wanted to let you know I do value you working here. You’ve become an invaluable asset to our law firm.”
I sling my laptop bag over my shoulder and grab my phone. Candace takes my cue and stands. “Thank you, Candace. That means the world to me.”
“Great.” She sighs, stepping out of my office. “Have a great weekend then.”
I switch off the light and start making my way toward the elevator. “You too.”
Once I get to the lobby, I say goodbye to James and promise to bring him a fresh bagel on Monday. He gives me a smile as I walk out the door.
I’m headed to the parking garage when my phone rings in my hand. Abby’s name pops up on the screen. When I had wanted to call her earlier, I was ready to question her about Max’s confession. But now, seeing her name pop up on my phone, I’m wondering what other lies she might have been telling me. Our relationship had become a complicated spider web, one strand leading to another.
Maybe Max had Abby confused with another woman he dated. It was a slight possibility but one I didn’t put much stock in. Chills prickle my spine once again, noting how Max knew details of what Abby had told him. My phone rings for the third time before I finally tap the green button and press my phone against my ear.
“Hello?”
“Finally.” Abby sighs into my ear. Her dramatic breath vibrates against my ear. It sounds like she’s running or in the middle of what of her soul cycle classes. High endurance work outs were never my strong suit. Where Abby ran marathons
, I stood on the sidelines handing out cups of water to the runners. Where Abby decided to take rowing her sophomore year of college, I’d elected to enroll in hot yoga. It’s not that I wasn’t healthy or wasn’t interested in physical activity. I just despised the kind that made me feel like my chest was about to explode and my heart to leap out from my rib cage. Yoga was slower, simpler. Relaxing.
“Where are you?” I ask her, pulling my phone away from my ear.
“Oh,” she breathes. “I was lifting some boxes at my office, moving them to the storage room.”
“Nice.” I click the button on my key fob, unlocking my car. “So, I’m guessing you’re almost ready for the opening?”
“Actually, that’s what I’m calling you about.” Her voice raises an octave, excitement building behind it. “I was hoping you could come by tomorrow around noon and come see it.”
“Oh.” I sit in my car, holding my key between my fingers. “I would love to.”
“Oh my gosh, I’m so excited. This has been a long time coming and I can’t wait to share it with you.”
I close my eyes, picturing the way she looks standing in her newly remodeled office space. I picture the freshly painted walls and hardwood floors. I picture the way she looks proudly standing in front of the sign I’d designed for her. Her lies prick me in my chest from the inside out. Is this how she felt when I’d kept my secret of Julian’s return? Is this how she felt when I had left her behind in Providence without so much as a goodbye?
Guilt and regret seep its way into my bones, penetrating my flesh. I couldn’t talk to Abby like this on the phone. She deserved more.
Biting back my line of questioning, I tell Abby I’m excited for her. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“Awesome.” she beams. “Meet me at my office at noontomorrow.”
“Okay.”
Abby hangs up and I start my car wondering how in the hell I was going to ask my friend is she was in a secret relationship with the same man who was stalking me.
Mine: A Romantic Suspense Thriller (A Back to Me Series Book 2) Page 21