Page 14 of Unburied

She moved toward the refrigerator, the one thing in the room that hadn’t been damaged by the fire, and pulled out the pitcher of sweet tea. She carried it into the adjacent dining room and poured herself a glass of the sweet liquid. It was exactly the way Ellen had made it, and the reminder of her childhood brought tears to her eyes.

She pulled out a chair and sat, staring at the glass of brown liquid in front of her. She couldn't stem the guilt she felt rising up like a tide inside her. The only reprieve she'd had recently was the night at the hotel. With him. Jerk.

Every muscle in her body went tight as she pulled the memory into focus. It had been… incredible. She could still remember with startling clarity the feel of Mason's hands on her.

She couldn't quite reconcile what had happened the other morning, and she’d spent the past several days ignoring him as much as humanly possible. He had seemed truly apologetic, and a huge part of her felt bad for shooting him down. On the heels of that came the immediate self-recrimination. She couldn't begin to understand Mason’s obsession with her, or why he wouldn't let it go.

He hadn't even kissed her, for Christ’s sake. He hadn't wanted anything serious a week ago. Why would it be different now? Just because they worked together didn't mean anything. She was going to put her time with him behind her and move on. But she was sure the memory of that night would stay burned on her brain for a long time to come.

She smiled as the words from one of her friends came to mind. The best way to get over a man is to get under a new one. It wasn't her typical way of getting over a breakup—that usually involved P.F. Chang's and ice cream. But in Mason’s case, maybe it was for the best.

For some reason, he had affected her on an unreasonably deep level, and she needed to exorcise him from her brain. At least going on a date might help. God, she needed to do anything other than sitting around at three in the morning, wallowing in guilt and self-pity, thinking of him.

Feeling not much better about herself, but at least no longer unsettled from her dream, she put the sweet tea away, then headed back to bed to get a few more hours of sleep before she went to visit Ellen.

Her alarm jangled at seven o’clock, tearing her from an exhausted, disturbed slumber. Though she’d been able to fall back to sleep, she hadn’t rested well. With a sigh, she turned off the alarm and sank back into the cushions. She was tempted to just close her eyes but she knew if she did, she would fall back to sleep and not resurface until noon.

Forcing her muscles to move, she slid from the bed and practically fell into the shower. An hour later, clean and slightly refreshed, she pulled into Morningside and steered the car toward the left side of the lot. Ellen’s favorite place was the garden, and she had a feeling that, even this early in the day, she could find her there.

After signing in at the desk, she made her way through the sunny garden, trailing her fingers over the lush spring flowers blooming brightly in the flowerbeds scattered across the property. The nurse at the desk confirmed that Ellen had gone outside to enjoy the weather, and she knew she would find her by the fountain. Although she constantly worried about her, the nurses there were better equipped to help her, and they assured her that Ellen had already made several friends.

Leaving the brick pathway, she cut across the yard, a smile lifting her mouth as she saw Ellen seated on a bench scattering feed for the birds. Her head lifted, and a huge smile split her face as Vivi approached. Her heart swelled. Today was a good day. Thank God.

Ellen welcomed her with a warm hug, and Vivi couldn’t help the grin that covered her face. These moments of lucidity were becoming more and more rare, and she felt incredibly fortunate that she was lucky enough to get a few more precious moments with her.

The minutes quickly ticked away as they reminisced, and Vivi realized with regret that she was already running late. Knox had been extremely lenient with her, allowing her to make up her own hours. She hated to leave him hanging though, especially with everything he had going on.

“I have to get to work, but I’ll stop back in a few days.”

Ellen smiled. “Of course, dear. I have plenty of things to keep me occupied. You go enjoy yourself.”

Vivi hugged her goodbye and headed toward the parking lot. She climbed into her car and headed to Vantage headquarters. The whole way, Mason’s face tortured her. She’d avoided him as much as possible for the past few days, but he was always hovering close by, his eyes locked on her. She could literally feel his gaze on her. What was she going to do about him?

It still boggled her mind, seeing Mason and Miles side by side. They were so different yet so very much the same. They both had the same cocky tilt to their head, the same dimples. But that was where the similarities ended.

While Miles’s features were slightly darker, Mason’s were a stark contrast with his light brown hair and hawk-like golden eyes. Miles was constantly smiling and flirting. Mason’s face was always set in a harsh line, a cloak of stoicism resting on his expression.

The man was infuriating. Why, then, couldn’t she get him off her mind? She knew the reason, of course. He’d stirred feelings deep inside, made her feel something no one else ever had. The way she’d felt in his arms was… indescribable.

But the way he’d spoken about her, as if she meant nothing…

Tears burned the backs of her eyes. It hurt. She hadn’t dwelled on it, instead focusing on ignoring him and keeping her chin held high. Now, though, the emotions that had taken root curled upward, and a tear slipped free.

He was an egotistical prick. He’d used her just as he’d used the woman at the bar that night. She’d willingly gone along with it, so she had no one to blame but herself. She knew the angry tears were irrational, but she couldn’t help them as they fell one after the other. She wanted a connection like that with someone—someone who would actually care about her. Not someone who would casually toss her aside once he’d gotten what he wanted.

Now she was stuck seeing him every single day at work, a constant reminder of what they’d shared and how he made her feel. She needed to find a way to get over him, and fast, before she did something stupid—like beg him to do it all over again.

CHAPTER

EIGHT

Miles fixed his attention on Vivi as she extended a file to him. “Thanks, beautiful.”

He winked at her, and she slapped his upper arm with the manila folder she held. “That won’t work with me.”

She gave a little shake of her head, then turned to Jaxon as she passed an identical folder his way. But Miles didn’t let up. “When you gonna let me take you out, Viv?”

She bared her teeth in a wicked smile. “You gonna make it worth my while?”