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Around 11:00 PM, when she was all hunkered down for the night and close to drifting off, someone came knocking at the front door.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
At first, Sabrina thought it was her mind playing tricks on her. She never got visitors. Especially at this hour. But then it came again, a faint tapping that could almost be dismissed for another apartment, but something about it made her heart palpitate, and she knew in her gut that it was for her…and she was instantly wary of answering.
With great caution, Sabrina climbed out of bed and shuffled her weary body to the door. She didn’t even bother looking out the peephole because, frankly, she knew in her heart who it would be. Or, at least, one of who itcouldbe.
When the door opened, her chest tightened as her suspicions were confirmed. Judging by the look of shock on his face, Conner hadn’t been expecting her to answer.
“‘Brina? Thank God,” he breathed. “We’ve been trying to reach you all week. Every night, one of us comes by hoping you’re home. But yesterday the super told Will that you haven’t been here all week. Where were you?”
Sabrina glared like she’d never glared before. “You lost the right to ask that question the moment you decided to betray my trust.”
“Baby—”
“Nope. Try again.”
He shot her an impatient look that didn’t help lift her mood any. “Sabrina, will you just give me a minute to explain?”
She glanced behind her at the ornate clock hanging on the wall. “You have one minute. Go.”
That was the first time she’d ever seen Conner Hargreaves taken aback by anyone or anything. For a moment, he was speechless, and that was the best gift any heartbroken girl could ever get, as far as she was concerned.
“Can I come in?”
“No. You’re wasting time.” And she was growing impatient. Sabrina didn’t want to be standing there, let alone giving him the time of day. Or night, rather. She wanted to kick him in the balls and slam the door in his face—a prospect that was becoming more likely by the moment.
He sighed. “None of this is what you think. Not at all.”
“You don’t know what I think.”
“I think you think my brothers and I betrayed you. We didn’t.”
Sabrina rolled her eyes dramatically. “Of course you would say that. It’s practically a rite of passage with people like you. You’re never to blame. When you’re caught, you lie more to get out of it. You have twenty seconds. Better make them count.”
“Let me come in. Let me explain.”
She stared him down, letting him think she was considering his request. In reality, she was counting down the clock. “Time’s up.” In an instant, she slammed the door in his face and flipped the locks so he wouldn’t be able to come in if he tried.
He didn’t. Instead, Conner stood outside the door pleading with her to open it and listen. She was done listening.
Sabrina lifted her shoulders and turned on her heels, and then she marched her way back to her bedroom to continue the attempt at a good night’s rest that wouldn’t come.
By morning, she had exhausted every position. Her bed was a total shambles from all the tossing and turning, and she could feel the puffiness around her eyes. She shouldn’t be going into work today, but she wasn’t going to lie around a single moment more pining over people who didn’t deserve an ounce of her consideration.
As she showered and readied herself for the day, she caught herself grinding her teeth multiple times. “You have a lot of nerve,” she muttered over her second cup of coffee, brewed extra strong to help her face the day ahead.
It was going to be a trying one, and she needed all the energy she could gather.
Of course, she was still expending far too much brain power on Conner and his attempt to woo her back into his life. And that got her thinking about William and Oliver. Then the vicious cycle of regret and anger and hurt and longing would hit her once again, so she was on a constant roller coast of emotions.
Dressed in her favorite navy and cream power suit and a killer set of heels that called attention with every click that followed each power-filled step she took, Sabrina eventually made her way into the office.
Determination filled her as she breezed past Shawna sitting behind her desk and said, “Good morning, Shawna. Please pull up today’s schedule and have it on my desk in ten. Unlocking her office door, she flipped on the lights and headed for the desk as she continued to issue orders. “I’ll also need a vanilla latte, skim, and a bagel with extra cream cheese. And can you call the florist and have them put together three of their smallest baskets for the Hargreaves? Have the cards read: Thank you for your time with us. We’re sorry to see you go.”
Shawna was busy taking notes, but that last order gave her pause. She appeared in the doorway a moment later, pen and pad in hand, staring at Sabrina as if she’d seen a ghost. “They’re leaving?”
“Their time with us has ended, yes.”
