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26
Dominic
“You’re late from your meeting, and your wife left you lunch.” Ash follows me into my office.
It’s Thursday, and although Val and I have been enjoying one another physically all week, we’ve been careful not to cross that line. Whoever’s bed we fuck in, the other person leaves to sleep in their own bed afterward. At this point, I look forward to seeing her in my home at the end of the day, which means there’s going to be a transition period once she leaves.
“Thanks.” I take the bag and walk into my office, where I set it on my desk.
“She said it’s probably her last time seeing me?” Ash sits in the chair on the other side of my desk.
I loosen my tie and glance at the Trading Post bag. I couldn’t meet my brothers today because of a meeting with a client I couldn’t move. I pull the container from the bag. Just as I thought, it holds the lobster mac and cheese I eat every week.
“Is that a smile?” Ash asks.
I straighten my lips. “No.”
“It is so. You’re smiling.”
“She brought my favorite meal.” I told her this morning how I wouldn’t be able to make my usual lunch with my brothers. I sit down and pull the plastic cutlery from the bag. “Don’t you have a lunch of your own to go to?”
“Answer my question.”
“What question?” I pop the lid off the pasta. Condensation drips from the lid.
“About why I’m not going to see Val again?” She crosses her arms.
I take the fork and dig into the pasta because if it gets too cold, it will suck.
“Dom?”
I finish chewing and swallow. Ash won’t like this, but so what? She works for me. “Ryder returns this weekend, and once that happens, we’re going to get an annulment.”
“What?” Her mouth drops open.
“You knew the circumstances.”
“But—”
“This time is being deducted from your lunch hour right now.”
She waves me off because she’ll take as long as she wants. “You leave early every day now, which you never do. She brought you lunch. Your brother’s Instagram has a picture of the two of you at the wedding and you both look so happy.”
“There’s a picture of us on Instagram?”
“That’s what you got from what I said?” She drills me with an exasperated look. “You clearly love her.”
“Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.” I raise my hand, wiping my mouth. “I don’t love her. I mean, I do as a person, but I’m not in love with her. There’s a difference.”
“You’re either blind or you’re stupid, because you do love Val. You have for the past two years, and if I knew your history, probably longer than that. Why are you so afraid to admit it?”
“Ash, this is personal.” It’s clear from my tone that this is not something I’m going to discuss with her.
She stands. “Fine. Don’t talk to me. I shouldn’t care if you’re going to throw away your chance at happiness.”
She storms out of my office, and I watch her grab her purse and stomp off toward the elevators. Once she’s gone, I pull up the Instagram app I barely use. Sure enough, I find the picture under Enzo’s account. Annie probably posted it though. There’s the two of us, and I’ll admit, we do look happy.
Me: Thanks for lunch.
