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CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE
Ashlyn
I’d made it through the entire rest of the week without being mobbed by any more teens, which I would consider a significant bonus. I wasn’t sure what had happened that night at my apartment, but Liam had been distant, almost cold since then. Which, honestly, made it easier to do much job.
That didn’t mean I didn’t hate it though.
He did stick to his promise though. He didn’t do anything stupid, he didn’t make any unplanned appearances around town, and he dutifully posted whatever I wanted on his personal pages. I’d even heard that we’d been invited to an exclusive outing with the other executives after the fundraiser on Saturday. In short, everything was going exactly to plan.
And yet, I was miserable.
Pushing back, I curled my legs underneath myself in my swivel office chair, scrolling haphazardly over my inbox, skipping over the ones from Cici on purpose.
She’d found my next project, and strange as it might sound, I was having a hard time getting used to the fact that in a short time, Liam would be standing in front of his shareholders, accepting his new role, and I would be shaking the hand of a good-looking high school coach who needed an upgrade.
It seemed like I was cheating on him.
I’d failed at keeping him at a distance. I’d fallen into his trap of helping him, pretending to be his girlfriend, when really I was only one small piece in a very large play. But that didn’t make it any harder to ignore the fact that I liked him. A lot. And I hated waiting.
I sighed into the screen.
“Who are you mooning over now, girl?” Luna’s raspy voice sounded from directly behind me. I could’ve sworn she laughed as I peeled myself off the ceiling.
“Luna, what do you need?” I tried a sunny smile, but it practically bounced off her glower.
“You’ve got a package up front.”
I cocked my head, blinking. “Okay. Do you want me to come get it?”
“Do I look like your maid? Of course I do.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to assume.”
“I know you didn’t, which is why I came back here.” She didn’t move. “You make everything rather difficult, don’t you?”
My mouth popped open. Did I make things difficult? I gritted my teeth in a smile again. “Thank you, Luna. I’ll be right up.”
“You better, or I’m giving it to Peter.”
I lifted my brows. But Luna shuffled away, casting a wary eye in my direction before her tiny form disappeared. I groaned, dropping my face into my hands.
“What’s she up to?” Peter appeared in my doorway, stubble-covered chin jerking after Luna.
“Apparently she’s giving you some of my mail. If I don’t get it fast enough.” I looked hard at Peter. Something was different. But what? Guilt tugged at my consciousness. I’d been away for a long time before Cici called me home this summer. I knew that Peter had worked for my grandfather and had stayed true to Cici when she needed the help. But I barely knew the man.
Peter puckered his lips, nodding slightly. None of this shocked him. “Ah, good to know. It’s probably not my size anyway.”
I watched as he reclined against the doorframe. “Did you just make a joke?”
“Maybe.” He smirked. Actually smirked. “Maybe not.”
I tilted my head, unfurling my legs from the chair as I approached him. My office was tiny, so it took all of three steps. “I’ve never heard you make jokes.”
Dark, warm brown eyes creased, but his lips remained flat, humorless. “No offense meant, but we haven’t really talked much since you started.”
“Yeah, I was just thinking about that. Why is that?”
This time he did laugh. It turned his boy-next-door good looks into something that made my stomach squeeze. Who knew…? Peter was kind of cute. I let my eyes do a quick once-over. Long straight nose, thick russet hair, and warm chocolate eyes. He was definitely easy on the eyes. He didn’t have anything on Liam though.
