Page 4 of Indebted

Not the time.

One crisis at a time. Any more tabs open in my brain and I’d get a 404 error.

I could avoid Justin Kingston for the remainder of this event. He’d never know I was here.

A body jostled me from behind, tittering laughter followed by a breathy, “oops.”

I caught my tray, but not the two glasses that slipped off the side.

Glass shattered.

A hush settled over the crowd.

Fucking Murphy’s Law.

A mix of pitying glances and stifled laughter followed. I focused on that, on anything but the weight of his gaze.

Don’t look, don’t look…

I looked.

Justin stared at me, our eyes locking across the wide expanse of what I’m fairly confident was his estate.

Despite the sweat sliding down my spine, I shivered.

The brief flash of disbelief and dare I say, remorse, on his face was my only consolation. He obviously didn’t expect me and the sight of me ruffled him. Good.

The silence stretched. People were starting to notice—not just me, but Justin’s focus on me.

Behind the podium Justin cleared his throat and readjusted his collar, breaking whatever spell had befallen us. A flash of gold glinted on his left hand.

He still wore his wedding ring.

It was the bucket of cold water I needed.

I spun, ready to high tail it out of there no matter what my boss had to say. Behind me, Justin’s voice carried on. The rough timbre of it caressing me.

I was losing it today. Fucking. Losing. It.

Maybe it was heat stroke. Or an aneurysm.

This time the security manning the door to the kitchen didn’t hesitate as he opened the door. People were already rushing by me with brooms and bags.

Justin’s voice trailed off and clapping ensued.

I kept my head down and kept going.

This time I was going to escape to the wine cellar. Screw my boss and this day.

I waited until I reached the cool, dark, and thankfully empty space before I pulled out my phone and texted Zoe, breathing a sigh of relief in the process.

Any news?

At the sound of footsteps, I tucked my phone away, expecting my boss to waltz around the corner, ready to cut me loose for the day. I’d been nothing but a liability.

Justin emerged from the shadows, his eyes a beacon of azurite light within the darkness.

The space in the cellar shrank with him there.