Page 99 of I Choose You

“Are you sure?” I asked. “We can show up late if—”

“Yeah. I can’t.” She slid out of the passenger seat and tossed me a quick smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Gotta go.”

The door slammed shut, and I flinched back at the sound.

Through the window, I watched her as she ran. Not walked, not jogged. She ran in those flats as she hurried inside.

Idling for a moment too long, long enough for some asshole behind me to honk, I stared at the door after it slid closed.

She ran from the idea of being with me in a real way.

I frowned as I set the SUV in drive.

Another honk.

“Oh, fuck yourself,” I muttered under my breath.

I couldn’t help but feel like I just did.

34

BROOKE

Sandra didn’t give me a hard time about wearing the same outfit twice in a row. She always noticed what I wore, claiming she wished she had half the fashion sense I had—if she were younger with a “smokin’-hot body” like mine.

I didn’t have to worry about it after all. She wasn’t there. Her grandson had to stay home from school, so it was another temp who was stationed at the front-desk area.

Whew.

Todd didn’t comment either, but he never considered what I wore. He only requested that I not use coconut body spray because he thought that particular fragrance bothered his nose.

As if I would anyway. I didn’t want to smell like a bathroom air freshener.

Once I was in the office, I felt more grounded. The familiar setting and tasks helped me to know I was safe here. My feelings wouldn’t be conflicted. I wouldn’t have to face anything scary like my past and lowering my guard.

Work was a haven, a break from how I’d run from Kaden.

That was my cowardly act of the year. I’d freaked out and ran to avoid looking at him. In hindsight, I knew it had been my only option.

I was grateful that my morning was filled with snafus and little hiccups. Nothing major, but I was required to think on the spot and make decisions for the employees. It left me blessedly no time to think about what I did last night. And it was a handy way to avoid what Kaden said in the SUV when he dropped me off.

I damn well knew what he said. No amount of avoidance would erase it. His words hung between us.

It was the look of dejection, that cringe of well, fuck that crossed his face.

I didn’t want to hurt him.

That truth felt like a sucker punch. I didn’t want to hurt him, but I felt like I already had. The guy I’d once plotted to seek revenge on.

So much for best-laid plans, huh?

“Hello there, slacker,” Rena said when she showed up at lunchtime. We’d planned for her to come to my office for one last meal together. Going out would have been better, but the temp had to leave, so I was sort of standing in for a couple of hours. Instead of meeting at the café, I cleared space on my desk for us to eat the takeout here.

I smirked at her greeting.

“You overslept?” she guessed, looking at me as she tugged the chair closer.

I shrugged.