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“Just send it to my phone. We have an account with them?”
“Yes, but I can do it. If you need me to call them—”
“I’ll do it.”
Rainie didn’t want to be delegated; that wasn’t a mistake he’d make again.
After a brief pause, Topher asked, “You got her address?”
No, he didn’t. Though if he asked, she’d provide it. They were doing honesty after all. But the flowers should be a surprise.
“Viva it is,” he said, choosing to ignore Topher’s thread of amusement. “Roses are too generic for her… I’ll need to do some research…” He was really talking to himself and didn’t need an answer. “She deserves something special… unique.”
The people waiting for the elevator moved for him. They always moved for him. He strode to the office Ethan had been using. He might not like being there, but he knew the building… more than he’d care to admit.
Without knocking or even hesitating, he went inside.
Ethan was already there, sitting in the guest seat at the desk. He wasn’t alone either. To the left was an oval table with a baker’s dozen of seats around it. Lance was at the three o’clock position, swiveled to look at Ethan, who was facing his way too.
Obviously, they’d been talking, but that ceased the second he walked in with Topher at his back.
All of them took each other in.
Ethan was the first to leap up. “Damn, am I glad to see you,” he said, rushing over to shake his hand and do the one arm hug thing. “I tried to call last night… thought you might want the update before coming in.”
He’d landed late and stolen some time on video call with Rainie as she woke up and got ready for work. Being a part of her routine was amazing. Something so simple and yet it was intimate… and meant the world to him. She’d taken him out of the apartment and he’d joined her on her journey to work. After he amused her with his reluctance to hang up, he’d only been fit for sleep, though he’d set his alarm to join her at lunch.
“I read all the contract drafts and meeting minutes on the plane. I’m up to date.”
“Xander…” Lance said.
Talking to Ethan was easy. When Lance spoke up, he tensed. Ethan backed away.
Rainie had told him to forgive. He’d planned to try his damndest. Lance was just stupid, the misdirection hadn’t been malicious. Still, it wasn’t easy to shrug it off when he’d come so close to losing the most important thing in his life. It wasn’t even guaranteed they were out of the woods yet.
“You’ll get your investment,” he said without looking directly at his friend, though he could see Lance rise to creep over. “We’ll deal with that after we sort out the crap here.”
“You’re still seeing her?”
The question was careful, yet his attention snapped around as anger heated his throat. “Is that your damn business?”
“Xander,” Ethan said in defense of their friend. “He’s a dick, but he had no reason to think she was… You always hooked up with women. It was never serious. How was he supposed to know that Rainie was going to be special to you?”
He exhaled. He’d used the same argument when trying to explain away Lance’s actions. Seeing his friend in the flesh brought back memories of learning about the lie. If he didn’t try to forgive and forget, their professional relationship would suffer and their personal one would be over.
“Yes, I’m still seeing her,” he said, trying his best to push past the rage.
“Then the investment isn’t mine yet. You have another—”
“She knows,” he said, making eye contact with Lance. “She knows everything.” Lance frowned. “The arrangement. The investment stake. Seven. Me. Everything.”
Lance’s frown grew as he took in the news. Rainie had given him permission to string his friend along, and that might have been fun for a while. But, in truth, he was fighting the impulse to scream his love for her from the rooftops. He planned to call her often and would always pick up when she reached out, as promised. He didn’t want to hide what he felt for her, or how important she was in his life, from anyone.
“What did you tell her about this? About coming here?”
Lance’s questions were typical of how he’d be pre-Rainie. Those questions weren’t benign. He was questioning Rainie, doubting her.
“I wouldn’t be here if Rainie hadn’t told me to come,” he said, his jaw tight. “And don’t fucking start doubting her. You know nothing about her.”
