She floats past Judy and me, filling my nostrils with her floral perfume, before giving Rowan’s door two quick knocks.
His voice filters through the door. “Come in.”
“Hey, big guy!”
My brows shoot up as Vanessa steps into his office and shuts the door behind her.
Big guy?
“Who is she?” The question bursts out of me before I can stop it.
Arnie moves some papers around his desk. “A sales rep from one of our tile suppliers.”
“Very pushy,” Judy mutters. “I think she’s eager to hit her quota for the quarter.”
I think she might be eager for a lot more than that.
I sink back down in my chair. Suddenly, I’m not hungry anymore.
“Do you two want to grab some sandwiches from Millie’s?” Arnie asks.
“That’s a great idea,” Judy says, stretching her arms above her head. “Would you like to join us, Blake?”
I shoot her a distracted smile. “I think I’ll grab something later. I want to wrap this task up so that I don’t get confused.”
“We can bring you something back?” she offers.
“Sure, that would be great.”
I’m not proud to admit it, but I’m almost happy when they leave. It makes eavesdropping on the meeting in Rowan’s office much easier.
If only the walls were a bit thinner. I can’t make out what they’re saying, save for a few words.
But I hear the laughter. Mostly Vanessa’s. Then Rowan’s too.
A pit opens up in my stomach, and in it swirls a foreign feeling.
It takes me a moment to realize what it is.
I’m…jealous?
My cheeks heat. I have no right to feel jealous. We’re not actually dating, so why is hearing him laugh with that woman making me so irrationally upset?
I know why. He promised he wouldn’t get involved with anyone while we’re pretending. Maybe I should have clarified exactly what that meant.
For me, that means no flirting. And that amount of laughter feels a lot like flirting.
You’re being crazy,a voice in my head advises.
But the pit keeps growing, and when Vanessa’s high-pitched laugh turns into a giggle, I can’t take it anymore.
I make a quick detour through the kitchenette before I burst through his office door.
“Hey. I thought you might want some more coffee?”
Rowan’s head snaps to look at me.
The first thing I notice is that there’s a whole desk between the two of them. The image of Vanessa pressed up to Rowan’s chest that my mind conjured up a second ago disappears in a poof.
