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When he doesn’t immediately respond, I sigh. Did I really think the brief tenderness I experienced from him would continue? I suppose I did since disappointment is washing over me. But I was wrong. If anything, he’s more stand-offish. It pricks my temper, and heat blooms on my cheeks.
Calista: The emoji was a joke.
Hayden: When you say something funny, I’ll be sure to laugh.
Calista: I doubt you know how.
Hayden: Are you done?
I glare at the phone. Ending this conversation is the only sensible thing to do. It’s either that or show my ass by antagonizing him some more, which would amount to nothing. However tempting.
Calista: I’ll make sure to bring the phone with me to work.
Hayden: Keep it on your person and be sure to answer me.
I frown at his brusque manner. No matter how grateful I am that Hayden paid for this phone and gave me money, it still came at a cost. One I wish I didn’t have had to pay.
Calista: K.
Hayden: That type of response is beneath your intelligence, Miss Green.
Calista: ??
Hayden: Is this a pathetic attempt to flirt with me, or are you deliberately provoking me?
I grit my teeth and turn the phone off before I throw the damn thing across the room. After shoving the device in my pocket, I blow out a breath, determined to keep my thoughts away from the infuriating man.
Someone walks up to the counter, and I lift my head, a greeting forming on my lips. “Welcome to the…”
The words die on my tongue, their flavor something bitter and rancid as my brain registers the person on the other side of the counter. The last person I ever expected to see.
Chapter22
Calista
My ex-fiancé.
At my job.
Where I’m dressed in torn jeans and an overly-worn t-shirt with my hair in a ponytail. It’s so far removed from the put-together, posh appearance I’m used to presenting. Without my pearl necklace, I’m even more removed from my old self, but I can’t hide behind my casual attire.
Adam will definitely recognize me.
His charcoal overcoat and olive-colored scarf are achingly familiar. Not because I miss him, but his presence reminds me of another lifetime, the one before my family fell from grace in so many ways. Looking at my ex threatens to unlock a chest of memories filled with tender moments, companionable silences, and laughter.
Not just with him, but with my father.
My breath catches in my throat, and I force myself to exhale, to release the remnants of my past. There’s nothing to be gained from lamenting over what I’ve lost. Even if my heart still aches.
Adam’s gaze locks on me, and surprise registers on his handsome face, but it’s quickly hidden by a mask of indifference. The chill of his response slices into me, cutting me open and allowing my insecurities to bleed from me. They cover me now, and tears prick my eyes. I fist my hand, stabbing my palm with my nails to keep from falling apart.
I won’t give him the satisfaction.
“Hello, Calista,” Adam says. His voice is just as I remember it, smooth and compelling, instantly able to put someone at ease. Too bad I’m desensitized to that. And tohim. “It’s been a long time.”
“Yes, it has.”
He nods, his brown eyes clear, instead of clouded with warmth. Or regret. I’ll never understand how I thought I loved him, how I gazed into those eyes with affection and thoughts of a future together. Not when the man I was supposed to marry dumped me because of my father’s indictment.
