Page 116 of At His Beck & Call

I scrape my teeth over my bottom lip, reaching the front of the line and ordering the strongest, largest coffee they have.

I need to apologize; that much is obvious. If Oliver won’t accept it, I’ll walk out and consider asking Bethany for help with the remaining payments for Henry’s medical bills.

I leap back as an angry guy in a bike helmet pushes past me. “Get your goddamn coffee, lady.”

Staring at him, I turn to find my coffee already on the counter waiting for me. Quickly, I grab it and leave, wishing I had texted Adelaide to ask if she wanted one.

Sipping the magical hot liquid, I crunch through the snow on the sidewalk, the soles of my shoes soaked through.

I pull out my phone, texting Bethany to check on Henry. She instantly sends me a photo of him playing a game on the kitchen counter, with scrambled eggs and a big glass of orange juice beside him. Bethany follows it up with a simple “u ok?” but I don’t reply.

I’m an idiot, that's what I am.

The first guy who has looked at me twice since my separation, someone who pays me for sex, and I end up falling for him. Maybe Bethany is right, Iamtoo innocent for this job.

My phone dings again, a message from Dr. Erkhart asking if I can call her later about Henry’s treatment schedule. I close my eyes, shame engulfing me.

I’m beyond selfish for thinking about Oliver so much when my son is still sick. I should be focusing all my attention on him and not bothering with a guy who will never truly care about me.

I’ll apologize to Oliver, carry on as usual, and keep any ridiculous illusions offeelingsbetween us deep down inside. It’s only a matter of time before he gets rid of me anyway. What man who signed up for casual, no-strings sex would want all this baggage?

By the time I reach the office, my mood has worsened, and the tiredness tugging at my eyes feels even heavier than before.

I manage to smile at Adelaide, who nods at me in the hallway as she heads towards the administration hub. I’ve just put my bag down on my desk when Oliver’s office door jerks open, and my breath hitches at the smoldering stare he sends my way.

He looks enormous, angry, and intimidating. My body only knows one way to react to that, and I flush instantly, blood rushing to my core as he takes a step toward me.

“Oh, Lissa?” Adelaide comes back, and Oliver’s eyes shift to her, his jaw clenching as he silently closes the door again. “Would you mind giving me a hand with these?” she asks, tilting her head toward some files. “It’s the property information you found in the Reynolds case, and I just want to talk to Renee about getting some copies. Do we need them for all parties? I think Noah sent an email about it.”

“I can check,” I say quickly, powering on my computer.

“Wow, you’re so flushed. Is it cold outside?” Adelaide asks as I touch the back of my hand to my cheek.

“Yeah,” I answer. “The snow has finally stopped, though.”

“I can’t believe this weather. My garden isn’t enjoying it at all, and the poor birds… I bought some fleece for them to line their nests. They shouldn’t be having to battle arctic storms this time of year.”

I nod absently, conscious of the little light at the end of my desk, wondering if it will turn on to indicate that Oliver wants to see me. He looked super pissed.

Is he going to fire me?

“This one?” I say with relief, showing her the email from Noah. “I think we’ll need to make four or five copies?—”

The phone on Adelaide’s desk starts to ring, and she mutters irritably under her breath.

“If it’s not one thing, it’s another this morning.”

“Give me those,” I say, reaching out a hand to the folders. “I’ll go and ask Renee to make the copies, and then I’ll collate them. It’s no problem.”

“Thank you,” Adelaide says, stepping quickly over to the phone and grabbing the receiver. “Mr. Heath’s office, oh, helloMark. Yes, he’s going to be about half an hour later than we thought. Is that okay?”

I rise from my desk, the throbbing heat between my legs a mortifying reminder of just what Oliver Heath does to me. I haven’t even been close to him yet. One look from him and I’m a puddle on the floor.

Squaring my shoulders, I head toward the admin office. Hopefully, by the time I’m back at my desk, Oliver will be in meetings for the rest of the day, and I won’t see him again.

Passing the other offices along the floor, I notice Noah inside one of them as I walk by. He didn’t message me after our date, hopefully realizing nothing is going to happen between us.

I smile at him anyway, not wanting things to be awkward between us. He gives me a nod, his cell to his ear as I mime to him whether he wants a coffee. He shakes his head, but gives me a thumbs up, which hopefully means he isn’t too upset about things.