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The engagement ring I bought her.
Chapter Ten
HARPER
Thenextday,Istep out of the elevator and into the brightly lit reception area of Alessi Fashion and make my way to the cubicle Tamara assigned to me. I put my bag under the desk and hook my jacket over the back of the chair.
I place Finn’s coat in the crook of my arm. A blast of jittery nerves rakes over my body. I need to give it back to him. That means I have to see him again. Maybe I should give it to Bianca to give to him, that way I don’t have to have any contact. Bianca will probably question why I have it. Do I want to deal with that? No. Can I sneak it into his office when he’s not in there? God, I’m such a coward. If I want to change my life, I need to face the hard parts too.
Before finding Finn—courage takes time to build—I duck into Tamara’s office. “Good morning.”
Tamara is cradling her head in her hands. She tilts her face up to look at me. “What’s so good about it?” she groans. “And why don’t you look like death warmed over like I do?”
I should. I’m functioning on only a couple of hours of sleep. Thoughts of Finn had kept me awake. “Coffee and plunging my face into an ice bath has helped.”
“I’m never drinking again.” Tamara rests her head on the back of the chair.
I giggle. “I hope you feel better soon.”
Tamara rubs her temples. “Thanks.”
“Do you know if Finn is in the office yet?” I ask. As much as I’d like to, I can’t avoid him forever.
“Yes, I saw him come in a few minutes ago. His mood looks as dark as I feel. Today’s going to be peachy,” she says sarcastically while giving two thumbs-up.
Great. Time to face Finn and his bad mood. Well, what difference will it make? He’s always in a bad mood when he sees me. Except for when he kissed me, pressed me up against the wall, and put his hands on my body. If he hated me so much, why do it? Was it some kind of punishment? I’d spent hours tossing and turning in bed, trying to figure it out. I need to talk to him. He can’t kiss me like that without an explanation.
“Drink coffee. I’ll see you later,” I say.
Tamara presses her lips together like she’s trying not to throw up and waves.
When I reach Finn’s office door, I draw in a deep breath. I raise my hand to knock then hesitate for a moment. Maybe I should just give him his coat back and forget about asking about the kiss. No point dragging it up. I’ll chalk it up to nostalgia. A moment of weakness. Surely that was it.
“What are you doing?” A sharp voice comes from behind me.
I jerk like I’ve been caught with my hand in the cookie jar. Turning around, I see Bianca staring at me with a raised eyebrow. This woman who looks like a goddess scares me like the freaking devil.
“I need to see Finn—I mean, Mr. Alessi.”
Bianca’s gaze drops to the coat draped over my arm and shoots back up. “Is that Finn’s coat?”
Crap! So much for keeping this from Bianca. “Yes, I need to give it back.”
“Why do you have Finn’s coat?”
I shuffle my feet. “I saw him last night and—”
“Are you sleeping with him?” Bianca’s voice rises, and her eyes narrow with accusation.
“What? No!” My cheeks grow warm, and I glance around to see if anyone can overhear our conversation.
Bianca must have mistaken my flaming red cheeks as guilt, because hate shoots from her eyes. She gives a mirthless laugh. “Oh, you work fast, don’t you?”
“Excuse me?” Who the hell does Bianca think she is? It’s none of her business who I’m sleeping with or not sleeping with, but before I can say anything, the door swings open. I breathe a sigh of relief even though the interruption is Finn.
Finn looks at us standing in front of his door with a slight crease between his brows. “Is there something wrong?”
“Just going over what’s happening today with Hayley.” She smiles sweetly. Like a flick of a switch, Bianca’s gone from devil woman to angel face.
