Page 124 of Mine Forever


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“Oh hi,” Hannah said. “May I sit?”

Andy looked at her with eagerness. “Yeah,” he said. “Come on down.”

“Actually we were just about to leave,” I lied. “I’ve got to get home and get back to work on something.”

Andy narrowed his eyes at me. “June, we just got here,” he said slowly. “What’s going on?”

Hannah snickered. “Thomas is so upset with Brett right now,” she said, raising her perfectly-groomed eyebrows high on her face. “He’s even thinking of other options. I keep suggesting private school – of course a child like Brett shouldn’t be in public – but Thomas is so stubborn.”

I felt weak. If Thomas and his ex-wife took Brett out of P.S.151, I’d never see him again. Why can’t I stop thinking about Thomas, I wondered nervously, clenching my hands into fists under the table. It’s like I’m obsessed with him!

“We have a great school,” Andy said, somewhat defensively. “It’s gotten the highest ratings for any public elementary school in New York City.”

Hannah laughed and tossed her beautiful mane. “Sure,” she simpered. “But private education is just so much better,” she said. She stood up. “I mean, I can’t even imagine how stupid I’d be if my parents had forced me to go to public schools,” she added, emphasizing the word like a curse.

I rolled my eyes. “Okay, Hannah,” I said. “It was great to see you.”

Hannah peered at me with renewed interest. Then she looked at Andy and smiled. “Oh, June,” Hannah said in a voice dripping with fake sweetness. “I didn’t know you had a boyfriend!”

“I don’t,” I said quickly, trying to ignore the hurt look in Andy’s eyes. “This is a coworker of mine.”

“It’s the first time we’ve gone out,” Andy added, sounded wounded.

Hannah’s smile shrank. “I see,” she said curtly. “Well, it was nice running into you,” she added. “I’ll have to tell Thomas all about it.”

Inwardly, I groaned. But on the outside, I forced a fake smile. “Right,” I said. “Well, thanks again.”

Hannah lingered uncomfortably for a moment and I could tell that she wanted to say something else. She had a gift of getting under my skin, but I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of knowing that she was able to do so.

“What was that all about?”

I shrugged. “I have no idea,” I said honestly. “I really have no clue.”

Chapter Three

Thomas

“Thomas? Are you ready to go?”

I barely heard Hannah’s voice as she stood in the doorway of my office, knocking loudly at the door.

“Just a sec,” I called, not taking my eyes off the latest expense report, filed just after my most recent business trip. Despite the fact that I was a self-made billionaire, spending money on myself still felt squeamish at times. And looking down at the receipt, I couldn’t believe that I’d spent over four thousand dollars of company money entertaining clients at a steakhouse.

“Come on, we’re going to be late,” Hannah said. She sighed and strode

into the room, her heels clacking on the Italian marble floor of my office.

Steel Visions, Inc. hadn’t always been this opulent, but I’d worked my ass off to bring the company into the twenty-first century. Right out of college, I’d started my own consulting firm, mostly working with defense companies. And it had taken years for Steel Visions, Inc. to even be on the map. But I was proud of what I’d done – I thought that I’d really built a solid world for myself, my wife, and my son, Brett.

“Thomas,” Hannah said sweetly, putting her hand on my arm. “I know this isn’t exactly going to be fun for you, but we’ve got to get it done.”

“Please don’t touch me right now,” I said testily, stepping away.

Hannah frowned. “Did I do something?” She batted her eyelashes. “I’m sorry, Thomas,” she said. “I didn’t mean to get in the way.”

I bit my lip. The fuck you didn’t, I thought. You’ve been gunning for me since the first day I hired you.

Hannah had been my assistant for years. I’d initially hired her at the request of Marlene, my ex-wife. She hadn’t been my ex-wife then, though – we’d still been happy together, or so I’d thought. Marlene had wanted me to hire Hannah, someone to “manage my schedule” and give me more time at home with the family.

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