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25
IAIN
I was exhausted, drained to my core by the time my car got back into the city. As it generally was when I went there, it had been a hell of a day.
But the worst part this time was knowing that I’d fucked up with Holland.
I should have called her. Waited till I had the calm and the capacity to talk to her on the phone so she could hear my voice as I apologized.
But I wasn’t entirely sure when that calm would come, so I texted before it got any more last-minute. I watched the ellipses come up as she texted, and then I watched it disappear.
I didn’t have the time to call until I was in the car, but by then her phone was off.
And though she’d turned in on long enough to text okay I understand around 2PM, it was off again by the time I received the text and called her.
Obviously, it didn’t sit well with me.
In fact, I felt like shit about it, which was why I’d headed back as early as possible and was on my way downtown to her apartment.
I was about ten blocks away when Adam called, and though I’d been ignoring non-urgent calls in the past hour, I picked up his, barely getting a word out before he spoke over me.
“You fucking kidding me, Thorn?”
I blinked. “Come again?”
He hissed out a bitter laugh of disbelief. “Just come clean with me, man. Of all people to keep this from.”
My pulse picked up as I paused, a thousand possibilities racing through my head as I asked, “What are you talking about?”
I waited what felt like an eternity before Adam finally spoke.
“Engelman-Thorn?” he said with a laugh of genuine amusement. “Dude. When were you going to tell me you were working on a merger with my agency?”
I closed my eyes and exhaled, rubbing my hand over my entire face when I realized what the hell he was actually talking about. “You were going to find out once it was closer to official,” I said.
“My sources tell me it’s getting there. Likely the end of the year.”
“Yeah. Finally,” I said, referring to the past eighteen months of nonstop meetings with my board, conference calls with the West Coast and secret meetings in L.A.
All for the purpose of joining forces with the first agency I’d ever worked for. The one Adam was still at.
“If only the bastard knew,” Adam remarked, making my jaw tick at the reference to my dad. He had both envied and revered his friend Don Engelman. Had always wanted to make a merger happen.
But time and again, his attempts had failed.
“Well, I’m sure he’ll find out in another life,” Adam said distractedly before snorting. “I can’t believe you’re going to be my boss.”
“I can’t believe you’re this relaxed about it. I’ve been picturing your reaction for a year, and you’re giving me far less shit than I expected.”
“Yeah, I’ll make up for it another time,” he joked, attempting a laugh. “It’s just been fucking rough today.”
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing. Just some shit with Holland this morning,” he said, making me immediately still. I sat upright.
“What happened with Holland?” I asked, my voice already tight.
He waited less than a second to answer, but I still found myself getting impatient. “She called this morning and laid into me. Thought I slipped and told Dad her address.”
