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Chapter Twenty
Mia
I hurried into the office area and rushed past Ally’s desk. I didn’t miss the way her eyes attempted to catch mine as I passed.
“Mia,” Ally called my name, rising from her desk.
We were on better terms, but it wasn’t the same. I apologized for yelling at her and storming off, but I could still see I had wounded Ally with my words. Truth be told, Ally had every right to feel this way. I just wished I could make it all go away. These feelings for Terry kept creeping back up, and my anger at Ally and the feeling of loneliness that crept in every once in a while still haunted me.
She was going to follow me into my office, I knew it.
“You missed your conference call with the modeling agency. They had questions, but I was able to cover them,” she said, filling me in on the events I’d missed while I was in the kitchen attempting to not fall apart.
“Thank you. That is why I love you,” I told her, earning a grin from her.
“Are you okay, Mia?” She must have been able to see through the façade I was trying to put up. At least until I made it into my office. Then I could fall apart. Then it could all go to shit.
“Yes. No. I don’t know,” I sputtered out, lowering myself into the chair.
“Yes, those are all of the potential options,” Ally said and giggled.
“Ugh, Ally!” I whisper-shouted, placing my head in my hands.
“How was your weekend with Bryce?”
I hadn’t expected her to take our conversation in that direction. I thought she’d dive into the way I looked right now. The two were connected, though, which I was sure she probably knew.
“It wasn’t a weekend. We just hung out Saturday night and a little bit on Sunday,” I informed her before adding, “Don’t worry, Mom. I was home in bed by seven thirty.”
Ally only nodded.
“Say it,” I told her. The way she bit down on her lip, there was something on the tip of her tongue, but she wouldn’t let the words out. I wasn’t sure if it was a scolding or if she was worried, but I didn’t want to hear what was on her mind.
“Terry was pretty torn up after you left.”
“I know,” I admitted.
“How?” Ally asked me.
“He was outside of Bryce’s apartment building when I went for my run the next morning.” I let those words sink in and waited to see if she had a reaction.
“I thought he was headed home after I left him.”
“When did you leave him?” I’d assumed when I left with Bryce that they had just gone their separate ways. It was selfish of me to think that because, after all, they seemed to be pretty chummy lately.
A few times, I’d seen them heading to or from a meeting together, smiling and laughing, so carefree. The way I wished I could be with Terry. But with our history, that didn’t appear to be an option.
“After you left with Bryce, I think he wanted to go back into the club and lose himself in a bottle of whatever they would give him. But I couldn’t let him do that. I took him to the nearby diner, and we had some waffles. We talked into the early morning, actually,” Ally admitted.
“What did you guys talk about?” My voice came out low in the quiet of my large office. Ally was appraising me from the chair across my desk. I knew she would tell me, but I thought she was trying to gauge where my head was at. I wasn’t even sure. Lately, it had been all over the place.
“We talked about you, of course,” Ally said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “What else would he want to talk about—well, besides Bryce?”
“What did you tell him about Bryce?”
“I didn’t tell him a whole lot. He wanted to know if you two were dating or if you had ever dated, stuff like that. I kept it vague. Told him the two of you were there for each other in times of need, and that was all he was getting. If he wanted to know more, he would have to ask you.” Ally regarded me some more before leaning in and placing her elbows on her knees so she could lean on them. “So, has he?”
I laughed dryly. “He has.”
