Page 57 of One Reckless Night

23

JARED

The week had passed in a haze of frustration and simmering anger. I was in purgatory, grumpy and snapping at anyone who dared to look in my direction.

It wasn’t exactly a new state of mind for me, but it felt more pronounced. I felt off balance. The team was avoiding me, which was probably for the best. If my normal setting was abrasive, these days I was set to actively destructive.

Amelia’s sudden disappearance during the conference had hit me harder than I wanted to admit. I’d taken it as a rejection, and I didn’t handle rejection well. Not when it came to her.

I was the one that cut people loose, not the other way around. They didn’t just love me and leave me. It was a very strange feeling. Even stranger because I felt like we had connected. She wasn’t the type to just use me and never look back.

Not that I knew her all that well, but I felt like I knew her somewhat. She had always seemed like a kindred spirit. Then again, sex wasn’t exactly getting to know someone beyond the physical. That’s why I liked it so much.

Usually. Amelia is different. I do want to get to know her beyond the physical. Being with her is different than being with any other woman. I felt like we barely got the chance to scrape the surface. She was there one minute and gone the next.

All I knew was that she’d asked for PTO, and that was it. No explanation, no warning. Just gone. I’d tried calling her a few times, but she hadn’t answered. I’d left messages, but she hadn’t called back. It was like she’d dropped off the face of the earth. I didn’t know how to process that.

I stared at a stack of files on the corner of my desk. I hadn’t touched them. My mind was all over the place. This wasn’t normal for me. I was the guy that lived and breathed work. Nothing ever distracted me. Why couldn’t I be the cold, uncaring robot everyone accused me of being?

There was a knock on the edge of the door given it was wide open. Clair was standing there like she was afraid to come in.

That wasn’t surprising given my mood all week.

“Yeah?” I asked, not bothering to hide my irritation.

“Your disposition is particularly pleasant today,” she said dryly and walked in. “Did you have gravel for breakfast again?”

“You thought you’d stop by and let me know you don’t approve?”

“Yes, because I was thinking my day was going so well already, I may as well come over here and poke the bear.”

“Rough day?” I quipped.

“No. Yes. Doesn’t matter. Here are the files from my lab.” She put yet another stack on my desk. “You asked for them yesterday.”

I nodded, barely glancing at them. “Thanks.”

She hesitated, her eyes scanning my face.

“What?” I snapped.

“You look like hell, Jared.”

I scowled, leaning back in my chair. “Thanks for the update, Clair. Anything else?”

She crossed her arms, her expression softening just a little. “Amelia’s back.”

I froze, my heart skipping a beat. “What?”

“She got in late last night,” Clair said. “She’s in the lab right now. Back to work.”

I stared at her with several questions running through my head. For one, why did she think that information would be important to me? And two, why did she look like that was only one half of what she wanted to tell me?

“Really?” I said, keeping my expression neutral.

Amelia was back. And she hadn’t even bothered to let me know. I felt a flicker of anger, but it was quickly overshadowed by something else—relief. She was here. She was okay. I had actually been worried about her. Why? It wasn’t like she was under my care. She wasn’t my girlfriend. I wasn’t even sure we were friends.

Clair was still watching me. That look of something big was still on her face. I narrowed my eyes, leaning forward. “What aren’t you telling me?”