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“Hey, Allie, long time! How are you?” Bryce asked when he picked up the phone.
“Well, I just spent two hours in the tub, day drinking and contemplating going postal, so… you tell me,” I replied.
After my bath and receiving the email from Parker, I’d called up the first person that came to mind—Bryce. I figured he’d know what to do since he’d been there at the beginning of Cooper and me…and whatever it was we were doing together. It wasn’t a relationship. But then, it wasn’t not one, either.
It was complicated.
“Sounds like you need to get out of the house. The question is, do you want to continue drinking, or do you need something to sober you up?” he asked.
I hesitated, balancing the phone against my shoulder as I craned around the corner to look at the glowing digital clock beside my bed. It was nearly one o’clock in the afternoon. I was still exhausted, but with everything going on in my head, I knew there was no way I was going to be able to sleep without medicinal intervention.
“Coffee would probably be the best solution right now.”
“Done. Let’s meet at Piper’s Cafe. They have good coffee and we can get you something for lunch, as well.”
I smiled, appreciative of Bryce’s concern. He rattled off the directions, and we hung up. I went to my bedroom and quickly changed into a pair of dark wash jeans and a black tank. I didn’t bother with makeup and threw my long hair into a ponytail. As I slicked back my hair, I recalled confessing to Cooper that I am a natural redhead. It had been ages since I’d let myself revert to my natural color, but in that moment, staring at my reflection in the mirror, I started to consider it.
I swept out of the apartment, giving Sam a pat on the head as I left, and within fifteen minutes had arrived at the cafe Bryce had indicated. It was a cute shop with indoor and outdoor seating. I spotted Bryce right away, and then noticed he’d brought Clay, his boyfriend, along with him. I’d met Clay once before, when Bryce had coaxed me out of my apartment after a different encounter with Cooper had left me down in the dumps.
Man, I have got to get off this fucking merry-go-round.
I was a little embarrassed as I walked over to them. I didn’t want Clay to think of me as some whiny chick who did nothing but complain about men. I didn’t know why it particularly mattered to me, but it did. Bryce saw me and started waving me over to the table they had selected. I plastered on a smile and resolved to not talk about Cooper at all.
My resolve lasted all of ten minutes—before I knew it, Cooper was, yet again, the focus of the conversation.
“So, wait, let me get this straight,” Bryce interjected at the peak of my story. “You’re working for him now? For Plush?”
I nodded and licked my lips nervously. “Well, technically, I’m in the IT department, but the current project he has me working on is in relation to Plush.”
Bryce and Clay nodded slowly in unison and I felt even more awkward.
“Is that bad? Do you think?”
I’d left out the part where Cooper had stalked me and hauled me out of a strip club I’d been working at to make rent. I had no idea what Bryce—and now, Clay, too—would think if they knew that part. It wasn’t exactly something I liked to bring up.
“Well, I don’t know, Allie. I’ve heard that working for Brighton Enterprises is a pretty sweet gig, but do you think it’s good to be in such close contact with him, after…everything?”
It felt warm and I wished they had chosen a table inside. I took a long sip of my iced coffee, partly to stall and partly because it seemed like I was overheating. “I don’t know. He was nice and the job pays more than I could have ever imagined…” My voice trailed off. I’d thought talking to Bryce would make me feel better, but now I just felt stupid. “I wanted it to be different. I was going to keep it professional. And it was…”
“Until it wasn’t?” Bryce asked, his eyebrow cocked.
“Yeah. I don’t know what my problem is. But now, I don’t know whether to stay and keep working for him or if I should leave.” I let out a sigh, exhausted by my own drama.
“If you stay, isn’t that going to be kind of awkwa
rd? I mean, Cooper is the CEO. It’s not like you will really be able to avoid him forever.”
“I know. But if I don’t keep the job, at least for awhile longer, I won’t be able to find another job and I’ll get back in debt again.”
Bryce seemed to be listening, but he had an odd expression, as if he wasn’t quite sure what to say. He’d never been guarded with me in the past, but I got the distinct feeling there was something he was holding back. Maybe he just didn’t want to say the wrong thing and make me feel any worse than I already did.
I waved my hands and tried to laugh it off. I didn’t want to be having this conversation anymore. “Let’s drop it. I’ll figure it out.”
Thankfully, the server made her reappearance at that moment and set down plates in front of each of us. I’d been pleased to find a large selection of vegan-friendly menu items, and happily dug into my soup and sandwich combo. Everyone was so busy eating and enjoying the food that conversation dwindled away. The only thing breaking our silence was comments about how good everything was.
Somewhere between emptying my soup bowl and starting on my sandwich, a little nagging voice started up in the back of my mind. I was looking at Clay and trying to figure out where I knew him from. There was something else, something not related to Bryce. But I couldn’t place it exactly. I didn’t know where the sudden suspicion came from, but something about the way he looked had an edge of familiarity. I’d seen him, prior to the first time we had been introduced over dinner and drinks with them a few weeks before. I just didn’t know where…
As I wiped my mouth and set down my napkin on my empty plate, it hit me.
