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So did he. “Did the dentist give you any pain pills?”
“A prescription. But I doubt I’ll need it. It was just a filling.”
“Get the pills. Take one before you need it. Head off the pain.”
“I think all I really need is a nap.” She moved away. “See you around, Drex.”
“Where’s your car?”
“Parking garage.”
“This building?”
“Third level.”
“I could escort—”
“No, thanks.” She raised her hand in a halfhearted wave, then turned and walked quickly toward the elevators.
Drex watched her progress across the lobby.
He wasn’t the only one who did.
From his vantage point on the bench facing Talia’s, Drex had looked beyond her shoulder and spotted the do-gooder in the coffee shop. He had claimed a table just the other side of the glass wall, which gave him a view of the seating area. For the duration of Talia and Drex’s conversation, the guy had been eyeing them as though poised to rush to her rescue if necessary. It galled Drex no end.
Now, while the good Samaritan was watching Talia board the elevator, Drex ducked into the fire exit door that opened into the seating area. Leaping over the treads two or three at a time, he took the stairs down to the third level of the parking garage.
It smelled of motor oil, gasoline, and rubber. It was ill-lighted. The ceiling was low and foreboding. It could have been a parking garage in any city, anywhere in the world. Except that in this one, Talia Shafer was leaning against the driver’s door of her car, crying.
Not wanting to frighten her, Drex made sure she heard him approaching. She came around quickly, and, upon seeing him, anger shimmered in her eyes along with unshed tears. “What are you doing here?”
“I told you. I was looking for the public library, got turned around—”
“You’re lying!”
“So are you,” he fired back, taking a step closer to her. “There aren’t any dentists on the top floor. It’s devoted to gynecology and obstetrics.”
Seeming to deflate, she clamped her lower lip between her teeth and turned her head away. A tear escaped and rolled down her cheek all the way to her jawline, where she wiped it off.
Drex swallowed the knot in his throat. He didn’t want to know, but had to ask, “Are you pregnant?”
She shook her head, then said a husky no.
Relief made his knees go weak, although five minutes ago, he wouldn’t have credited that physical phenomenon. Then, a worse thought struck him. “Is something…” Awkwardly, he motioned toward her middle. “Wrong?”
“No.” When he looked at her doubtfully, she repeated no. “And even if there were, I certainly wouldn’t discuss it with you.” She rubbed her fists across her eyes, bolstered herself by standing up straighter, and looked directly into his face. “You followed me here. I know you did. Tell me why.”
“I was a butthole last night.”
He stopped there, and, when he didn’t continue, she said, “Are you waiting for an argument from me? If so, you’re waiting in vain.”
He gave her a wry half smile. “I saw you leave your house. I followed you in the hope of getting an opportunity to apologize.”
“For beguiling Elaine?”
“For all of it. The manuscript, the smirks, the innuendos, the setup. I staged a scene for you to walk into and draw a conclusion.”
“Well, I did.”
