“Sure,” Cam replies smoothly, tapping Avery’s ass in a signal for her to get up from his lap. He eases to his feet after her and they stride up the aisle to join Matty, Avery pausing beside my desk while the guys continue toward the door.
“You two go ahead, I’ll catch up,” she tells Cam, dropping down onto the edge of my desk and looking down at me.
My stomach sinks, because of course, I immediately assume I’m in trouble for something.Probably yesterday’s freakout.
“You’re being a little hard on him, don’t you think?” Avery asks once the guys are safely out of earshot.
I furrow my brow, peering up at her in question. “Who?”
“Matty, obviously,” she replies with a chuckle.
“We barely even talk.”
“Exactly,” she declares, giving me a pointed look. Her eyes round in sympathy as I stare back at her, and she blows out a slow breath, shaking her head. “Look, I know you’ve been through a lot, Blair. I can’t even imagine losing my mate, and I’m so sorry you’ve had to experience it. I know that’s why you wanted this job, and it’s why Lo said you were the best person for it. You’ve got a personal stake in this, just like everyone else in this room. Matty’s a good guy. He's not the enemy, he helped us defeat The Guild…”
“He was a hunter, so he’ll always be the enemy,” I grumble.
“Well, Cam was a hunter too,” Avery scoffs. “Do you feel that way about him?”
I open my mouth to respond, but she holds up a finger, narrowing her eyes on me. “I would think very carefully about how you respond to that.”
I press my lips into a tight line, battling back all the snarky responses pinging around in my brain. “He’s your mate,” I say, leveling her with a stare. “You still have yours, and I lost mine. I think that prevents us from seeing eye to eye on some things.”
“Fair enough,” she concedes, stabbing her fingers through her hair. “Just try to take it easy on Matty, okay? He’s been through some shit too. Maybe not the same as yours, but everyone here has baggage they’re dealing with.”
I nod, biting back my response. My mother always said if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.
“Do you want me to bring you back something?” Avery asks as she pushes off my desk.
“No, I’m good,” I murmur, my stomach rudely gurgling again at the mention of food.
“I’m gonna bring you something anyway,” she quips, tossing me a wink as she starts for the door.
I’m left alone in blissful silence, content to sink into the solitude and get lost in my work again. Time slips away as I research names and addresses, compiling a list of affiliates and donors warranting further follow-up.
Matty’s the first to return from the dining hall. He strides up to my desk, sliding a plate onto the surface. I glance over at the sandwich upon it, then up at him.
“Just in case,” he remarks, smiling bashfully as he walks around to his own desk.
I grind my molars, staring at the sandwich for a long moment before returning my attention to my work.
It sits there untouched for the rest of the day, just like the damn coffee.
CHAPTER THREE
the olive branch
MATTY
The vibration of my cell phone against the desk interrupts my concentration, the screen lighting up with a notification.
Gia: Still think you’re gonna make it out tonight?
Scrubbing a hand down my face, I reach over to pick it up, quickly typing a response to her message.
Matty: Don’t think so, sorry. I’m still finishing up some work.
I set my phone back down with a sigh, glancing at Blair over the top of my computer monitor.
