“You think it’s easy for me? Having to come here every day knowing my face is the last one you want to see?”
“If that were true, we wouldn’t be standing here having this conversation.”
I open my mouth but then snap it closed, having no idea what to say to that.
“Take the rest of the day off. Come back tomorrow. I promise what happened today won’t happen again. You have my word.”
“You must really hate bookkeeping,” I blurt.
We stare at each other for a long moment.
“I really do.” A semblance of a smile traces his lips, and I swear I nearly melt at the sight.
I want to say no, my pride resisting the urge to accept the olive branch he’s extending, but my heart won’t let me. Because in truth, as painful as it is to come here every day, it beats the alternative of not getting to see him at all. Which I hate.
I convinced myself I was over him, that I didn’t care, but with each day that has passed, it’s become painfully obvious how much I do still care. I care what he thinks. What he feels. That he hates me so much.
I care way more than I should.
“Fine,” I finally concede.
“Okay.” He rocks back on his heels.
“Okay,” I repeat back to him.
“Just one more thing,” he quickly tacks on. “As long as you work for me, you cannot date any other employee.”
I have to resist the urge to smile. Trav knew exactly what he was doing and dang it if I could kiss him all over again for it.
I may not know this version of Penn, but I still know him at his core. Even if he’s buried it so deep he no longer recognizes it, somewhere deep down, Penn doesn’t hate me as much as he wishes he did.
A tiny spark of hope blooms in my chest, though what I’m hoping for, I cannot yet say.
“Including you?” The question falls from my lips before I can take it back. I meant for it to be funny, but it doesn’t come out that way at all.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, London,” he says instead.
Turning on his heel, he walks away without another word.
“Yeah. See you tomorrow,” I say, even though he’s too far away to hear me.
“SO WAIT, HE FIRED YOU. And then he rehired you?” Jos laughs like she finds this entire situation extremely comical. “But only after one of his employees had his tongue down your throat.”
“His tongue was not down my throat.” I snort, taking a long pull from the glass of wine in front of me. After the day I had, I definitely needed something to take the edge off.
I’ve never been much of a drinker. It did nothing to propel me toward my goals, so I never bothered with it. That is, until the accident. I still don’t indulge often, only when I’m really mad or really sad. Though right now, I feel so many different emotions, I couldn’t tell you which is most prominent.
“Uh-huh.” She gives me a knowing smile.
“I think your imagination is getting away from you again. I promise, it wasn’t nearly as exciting as you’re thinking. Very PG.”
“PG or not, I wouldn’t object if that man saw fit to lay one or two on me. Travis Baker is F.I.N.E. Fine, fine, fine.”
“I didn’t even know you knew Trav.”
“I think you’ve been away from Wren Cove too long. Everybody knows everybody around here.”
“Something I definitely miss about New York.”
