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“Stop,” I laughed, slapping her hand away. “This is serious.”
“Then just give him time. You gave him a lot to process, and he’s probably trying to figure out how he feels. Simple as that.”
“Simple as that,” I repeated quietly. “Yeah.”
“Well!” Milly hiked her bag over her shoulder. “See you later, if he doesn’t kill you. Also, you’d better hope he’s not venting his anger into another woman’s vagina right about now.”
A spike of jealousy ran through me. No. I didn’t believe he’d do that. Not with Tia Klein, not with Trish, and not with any other woman. Despite my best attempts to the contrary, I trusted Damon.29DamonThe door to my office swung open hard enough to bang against the wall. Chris came in looking exhausted, then plopped himself in the chair across from my desk. He was wearing a sleeveless t-shirt that showcased his tattooed arms and gray sweatpants. His hair was a sweaty mess.
“You good?” I asked. “And if the answer is ‘no,’ I’m going to need you to make it someone else’s problem. I have a lot on my mind right now.”
Chris considered me. “Do you ever wonder if you’ve made a mistake?”
I didn’t like where this was going. “What did you do?”
My brother sighed. “I mean, nothing, yet. But I’m planning to make a mistake and I was trying to figure out how I’d feel afterwards.”
“Have you considered not making this mistake? The one you’re planning to make?”
“If that was an option, I wouldn’t do it.”
“I see. And what am I supposed to do for you here, exactly?”
Chris got up from his chair with another dramatic sigh. “Nothing. I just needed to see your frowning face. Sometimes it wakes me up more than coffee. Like hiding a scary doll under your bed or something.”
“You can leave now.”
He paused at the door. “I think I figured it out, by the way. You say it like “wurshur.” He made a strange face, moving his lips for emphasis. “Wurshur sauce.”
“What?”
“Everybody pronounces it like it’s this eight-syllable word. Worcestershire sauce. But I saw a cooking show and they just said Wurshur sauce.” He shrugged. “I also stocked up your fridge with a gallon jug of it. Enough for everyone now.”
I gave him an exasperated look, which he grinned at. “See? That’s the look. Always wakes me up.”
It was only a few minutes later before I saw Chelsea take a seat at her desk in the center of the office floor. Within a few seconds, she’d already looked toward my office about five times.
I watched her with templed fingers. I hadn’t handled anything on my agenda for the day, and as another half hour ticked by, I didn’t so much as open my email.
I was a father. At least that was her side of the story.
To tell the truth, hearing what she said had brought out the worst in me. It made me wonder if this was her angle the whole time. Get her foot in the door at Rose Athletic. Then claim her kid was mine to extort me.
It was exactly the sort of thing I’d been avoiding relationships for, and the moment I slipped up, here it was.
But she hadn’t come to me with any demands. If anything, she looked nervous. Scared, even. Chelsea Cross didn’t get scared, as far as I’d seen. She only seemed to exist somewhere on a scale of stubbornness.
I groaned, then left my office to head for her desk.
Daria stopped me before I got there. “Sir,” she said. As usual, Daria looked like she was either about to take a nap or she’d just woken from one. “There’s… Something interesting waiting for you in the break room.”
I frowned. “What is it?”
Daria gave a disinterested shrug. “Wouldn’t be very interesting if I told you. Would it?”
I looked to Chelsea, who had been watching me. She jerked her head back to her computer.
I moved past Daria to the break room. I tried the door, but it was locked. “What’s going on?” I demanded. A couple heads popped up over partitions at the sound of my voice.
There was a click of the lock being released. I turned the handle and pushed the door open. Inside, I was greeted by Tia Klein. She was wearing a tight-fitting dress that was shockingly short. She met my eyes, then gave a sly smile.
“You’ve been playing hard to get with me, Damon. I figured I’d play hard, too.” She reached for the hem of her dress and I could tell she was about to rip it off. I moved forward, putting my hand on hers. “Don’t—”
Tia looked unbothered. She fluttered her eyelashes, then kissed me without warning.
I pulled back just in time to see Chelsea standing in the doorway.
“Oh,” Chelsea said quietly.30ChelseaStupid.
I rushed down the stairs of the building thinking how stupid I’d been.
