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“Let me show you out,” I retort, ushering him out the door.
“Thank you. I’ll see you next Thursday. Same time?”
“I’ll be here,” I confirm as we step outside my office.
“Then I’ll see you next week.” But as he waves me off and heads towards the elevator, I see that my secretary, Brigitte, is not at her desk.
Odd.
She never leaves her desk without letting me know first.
But then again, maybe she did, and I just forgot.
I haven’t exactly had my head on straight lately. Too preoccupied with a certain blonde vixen to pay attention to anything else.
I walk over to her desk to check her calendar, wondering if she has a medical appointment I wasn’t aware of, but find something else entirely—an e-vite for Piper’s twenty-fifth birthday party at Roy’s bar tonight.
I knew Piper’s birthday was tomorrow and even purchased a gift for her, but I had no idea she would be throwing a party to celebrate.
I pull out my phone and frown at not getting such an invitation.
Damn it, Piper.
I really thought we made some headway last week when I went to her house.
Sure, all we did was talk, with her front door as a barrier, but I honestly believed we were getting somewhere.
Leave it to Piper to take two steps forward in our relationship and another one back.
But that’s okay.
I’m not easily dismayed.
One thing that Piper will have to come to terms with is that I’m not a quitter. If I have to fight tooth and nail to show her I’m not going anywhere, then so be it.
“Mr. Nichols, did you need something?” Brigitte asks, holding a pile of freshly made photocopies.
“No, Brigitte. I’m good. Everything is fine. I got what I came for.”
She offers me a nod, sliding back into her desk while I fume back into my office.
I’m not good.
And I’m sure as shit not fine.
The woman who has consumed my every thought is trying to pull a fast one on me.
But if she thinks I’m not going to her birthday party, she has another thing coming.
Chapter 20
Piper
I’m all fake pleasantries and forced smiles as everyone congratulates me on turning a quarter century. As if it were some big life achievement on my part instead of time just doing its thing of running out on me.
Argh.
I hate birthdays.
