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Travis and I rode together because there was no use hiding we were together, especially after Rand walked in on us in the office a few days ago. I was surprised we hadn’t heard anything about it, but then I realized a weasel like Rand would rather think he had leverage on us than blab without any clear purpose.
It felt like everything was coming to a head, and I couldn’t shake the sense that one wrong move would bring my carefully constructed life crashing down around me.
Worse, I couldn’t quite get rid of the feeling that I might go rogue and do something out of desperation to save Travis and his friends. It was similar to that feeling of driving and having visions of yanking the wheel into oncoming traffic.
“Relax,” Travis said. He smiled easily, giving my shoulders a little rub as we crunched up the gravel path past parked cars outside the cabin. He’d shaken off his mood from the meeting. That had been the most uncertain I’d ever seen him, and I still had the feeling he didn’t tell me everything that was on his mind. I wondered if it was because he was quietly planning to do anything it took to stop these charges from getting to court, even if it cost me my career.
But I hated myself for even thinking about it. Travis wouldn’t do that.
“I am relaxed,” I lied.
“Yeah. You’re so relaxed that you’ve just casually tied all your muscles into knots, right?”
I glared, forcing myself to try to let go of some tension in my shoulders. He was right. I was wound tight. “I’d feel better if this wasn’t all riding on your ability as a matchmaker and your assumptions about Mrs. Glass.”
“One,” Travis said. “I’m an amazing matchmaker. And two, I’m an excellent judge of character. I saw past your rugged exterior to the charming woman beneath, didn’t I?”
We headed inside the cabin, which was thumping with some aggressively appropriate work party music. I recognized almost everyone in attendance, especially considering people at work parties had a tendency to cluster in pods that aligned with their responsibilities at the office. There were the accountants shuffling awkwardly in the corner with their arms flat at their sides, the people from the creative department all letting loose and already drunk, and the executives and over-achievers threading through it all in hopes of making good impressions in the right places.
Addie and a small squadron of dolled up, pretty young women from the office approached us once we were inside. The smell of mingling perfumes was almost overwhelming.
“Hey Barry,” Addie said, smiling wide. The girl was supposed to be my intern, but Mrs. Glass had gradually shifted her responsibilities elsewhere ever since Travis started sharing my office. I’d seen less and less of her and Matt, except when Travis was around and the two of them were trying to kiss up. “We were all hoping for a dance. This is my favorite song, so…”
“Sorry,” Travis said. “I didn’t wear my dancing shoes.”
It was a lame, obviously fake excuse but he somehow managed to deliver it in a way that only got a chorus of “aww” from the girls. But when he slid his arm around my shoulder and pulled me possessively to his side, I saw the way Addie’s expression darkened. She still hadn’t realized what was going on between us, but I thought at that moment, it might’ve finally sunk in for her.
Travis led me past the group of girls and grinned down at me. I couldn’t help thinking about how good it felt to be with him. He never flaunted how desirable he was in front of me. He didn’t egg on the flirtations or weaponize jealousy to make me feel desperate. He was so supremely at ease with who he was.
“Shit,” Travis said. “I don’t see him.”
“Enzo?” I asked.
“Yeah.” Travis did another turn, easily scanning the crowd from his tall vantage point.
“Maybe he’s in the bathroom?” I suggested.
“Wherever he is, he’s not working his charm on Mrs. Glass.” Travis nodded toward where Mrs. Glass was talking to some older women on the back patio overlooking the trees.
“What should we do?”
“I’m going to go get the little bastard and drag him here, whether he likes it or not. You stay here and keep an eye out. If he shows up, give me a call. But I have a feeling I know where I’ll find him.”
“You want me to just wait here?”
“Yeah. It’ll be weird if we both leave. As long as you’re here, you can cover for me. Make up something convincing if people ask where I am.”
“Like what?”
“You’ll think of something.” He gave me a discreet squeeze on the ass and then winked before heading for the back door.
Dammit. I felt completely out of my element. I chewed my lip, staring toward Mrs. Glass and wishing I could just have a heart to heart and tell her to drop her plans to go to court.
