Page 17 of Playing With Love

Yeah, Lizzy, I know you.

Now if I could get you to a place where we could move forward we’d be in the chips.

CHAPTER FIVE

Frank glanced around the reception area of Triple Canopy. I knew by his posture and the way his lips curled he was going to be a dick.

I was too tired to stop him from putting his foot in his mouth. Further, I was too nervous to care if he made a fool out of himself. It was a miracle I was even vertical this morning. I was running on fumes and coffee. But fear not, if the coffee wore off before the meeting was over I had plenty of anxiety swirling in my belly to see me through. To say I wasn’t ready to face Tucker again was an epic understatement. Not even the mystery of what happened to Beatrice Collins could stop my mind from wandering to my dinner with Tucker.

I should explain. Behave like a grown-ass woman and tell him the truth. We could get back to a place where we could work together on this case. After that we’d be done and part ways. This time I’d say goodbye.

Liar. Saying goodbye would be too hard, too final. You’d run again.

“So this is what the private sector buys you?” Frank snickered, pulling me from my depressing thoughts.

To her credit, the receptionist, a woman called Lauren, didn’t so much as narrow her eyes at the asshole comment.

“Everyone’s waiting for you in the conference room,” she said smoothly, repeatedly ignoring Frank. “If you’ll follow me I’ll show you back.”

Frank and I fell in step behind Lauren as she led our way to the conference room, Frank doing a damn good impression of a tourist, peeking in every open doorway we passed. I was too busy attempting to get my heartbeat under control and my breathing regulated to look around. Lauren could’ve been walking me front and center to a firing squad and I wouldn’t have noticed.

Instead of walking me to my death, Lauren was escorting me to Tucker.

My Tucker.

No, not my anything. And there was my problem, the reason I couldn’t be friends with the man. The reason I wasn’t going to explain why I’d bailed. The reason I couldn’t work a case with him. After all I’d done to avoid him since Tucson, he showed up again. I could practically feel my heart breaking all over again.

Before I was ready to face the man, Lauren stopped outside an open door and gestured in.

“There’s coffee, tea, and water.” She waved her hand in the direction of a well-appointed credenza. “Please, help yourselves.”

I fought the urge to grab ahold of the pretty receptionist and beg her to help me escape. I’d barely made it sitting across from Tucker at dinner. I was fairly certain this meeting was going to send me over the edge.

One whiff of his spicy cologne had opened the floodgates. Memory after memory of our night together raced through my mind. What made it worse, those were chased by the memory of a long-ago friendship. One that I had valued and lost. Some nights I’d lain awake wondering what hurt worse, losing Tucker’s friendship or the realization he’d never be mine.

“Special Agent Monroe, nice to meet you. I’m Carter Lenox.” a very attractive man introduced himself.

I knew a Carter Lenox, but he was much older than the man in front of me.

“Please, call me Liza. It’s nice to meet you, too. This is Frank Delco, my partner.”

I glanced to the side to see Frank had already helped himself to coffee. He held up the mug in front of himself like a salute.

Seriously.

Total douche.

“Nice office you have here.”

Much like Lauren, Carter kept his features neutral even though he didn’t look impressed.

“Can’t take the credit. My father and uncles started Triple Canopy.”

I was off my game. I blamed being in the same room with a certain six-foot-two heartbreaker for my lack of brain function. Of course, Carter Lenox was the Carter Lenox’s son.

“I met your father once,” I told Carter, smiling at the memory. “I was straight out of basic on my first deployment. Wet behind the ears and scared as all hell. He stopped me before we loaded out, looked me straight in the eyes and told me to pull my shit together or I’d get someone killed. He told me I had two choices—to fear up and use my adrenaline to focus and accomplish my mission, or let the fear own me and fail.”

“That sounds like my dad.” Carter proudly smiled.