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Oh god. Don’t let AJ be standing there.
One look at his face and she knew AJwasstanding there, and the two men were staring at each other.
Tension zapped the air, and she was caught in the arc of current.
She tossed AJ a glance over her shoulder, and damn if that didn’t make the man stride forward.
Wiping his hands on a dishtowel, he gave Robert a nod. “Hi.”
Her internal groan vibrated through her body.
“Hello.” Robert stepped through the door, hand out. “I’m Robert. I work with Indika.”
“I know.” AJ didn’t make a move to shake his hand. The move surprised her—she thought he’d jump at the chance to break Robert’s hand in his crushing grip.
Another long beat of silence stretched on.
Before she could find something to explain the situation, AJ said, “Well, I’ll leave you two to talk.”
Great. Now he gave her no choice but to allow Robert into her apartment. If she thanked him and shut the door, it would look like something was really going on between her and AJ.
She stepped back. Awkwardly, Robert shuffled forward. Then he finally noticed the balloons.
“Wow. My oranges don’t look like such a great gift now.”
“Oh no! They’re perfect.” She quickly set the bag and flowers on the small table next to the door. When she faced him, concern puckered his brows.
“You’re really okay? Brown’s report—”
“I’m fine,” she hurried to say. “I’ll be back to work very soon.”
He bobbed his head, drawing her gaze to how clean-cut he was in comparison to AJ. The two men couldn’t be more opposite.
Suddenly, she couldn’t think of anything to say to Robert. What did they even talk about at those lunches they shared? She battled to come up with some topic.
“Anything new in the breakroom about Sanders’s cat?”
Robert chuckled. “Nothing new to report. He still can’t catch him to take him in to be neutered.”
They shared a laugh. The breakroom drama of their coworker’s fight to get his cat to the vet’s office had become a two-week long saga—and something to talk about at lunch.
What else?She cast around for some other point to discuss but couldn’t land on a single thing.
Damn AJ. Even leaving her alone with Robert. he had her feeling uncomfortable. She wouldn’t put it past him to have calculated the exact level of discomfort she and Robert would experience.
Or worse, he thought if Robert saw him, he’d jump to conclusions and she’d be forced to tell him she was taken.
Only shewasn’ttaken. Abandoned three years ago, yes. AJ didn’t have any claim on her and never would.
She and Robert shared a nervous smile. He gestured toward the gifts and she waved a hand toward them at the same time.
A jittery laugh bubbled to her lips. “Thanks again.”
“Yes. I’d better get back to the office. It never ends.”
“No, it doesn’t.” She was going to kill AJ for making an already awkward moment like Robert coming to her apartment for the first time into a misunderstood mess.
“I’ll check in on you again, Indika.”
