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It was a blatant lie, and I had to remind myself of that. I was my own person. I didn’t belong to him anymore than I belonged to my parents. I was independent and adventurous. I had survived living on the streets. I made some good friends who were going to help me land on my feet, and I needed to focus on the future going forward.
With determination, I managed to turn my thoughts away from Marcus. I tried counting sheep and drifted off finally to visions of fluffy white animals hopping a fence. It was early when I woke up, but I knew I had to go to work. Nate wouldn’t want to take another day off, and I felt strong enough to do my job.
I met him at the breakfast table, already dressed and ready to go. He was the utmost professional, eliminating any hint of the sexual tension that had been ripe the night before. He wore a suit and tie without the jacket. On the table was a breakfast to rival even the most expensive hotels.
There were fresh oranges, crispy bacon, and scrambled eggs. There were croissants and jelly and strong coffee. I poured myself a cup and sat down, reaching for a stick of bacon.
“You really like to cook?” I asked, impressed.
“It calms me down.”
“You need to calm down?”
“What’s the game plan?” he turned the spotlight back to me.
“Your mother said she’ll have someone pick up my stuff and move me into a different apartment.”
“And how do you feel about that?” He studied my face, looking for signs of honesty.
I knew I had to tell him the truth, no matter what that meant. “I’m a little nervous.”
He nodded. Apparently, he wasn’t surprised. Thinking about it logically, I couldn’t see why anyone wouldn’t be nervous. I only had one night free from worry, and I was going to have to go back to living alone.
Marcus was nothing if not resourceful. I was sure he would find me again, and when he did, I wasn’t going to run to Nate for protection. I could see it all as if it had already happened. I kept my mouth shut. What was important was going back to work and being the best secretary I could be. I didn’t want to rely on Nate and his family, no matter how rich and well connected they were. I didn’t care if helping me was easy for them.
We finished up our meal and got into the car. Driving to work felt almost domestic. We were like a legitimate couple, leaving our home and carpooling to the office. I felt relaxed as we walked in together. Nate had no need to use his badge, and since I was with him, the guard didn’t ask for mine either.
It was the start of a new day. There were new possibilities and a ton of work to do. All the meetings that Nate canceled the day before had to be rescheduled. There was the new line to approve and a dozen new distributors to contact. It was a busy day, and I was looking forward to sinking my teeth into it. Things were only going to get better; I could feel it.
Chapter 23
Nate
I had two agendas when I got to the office. The first was to try to convince Ava to file a police report. She didn’t seem to understand the trouble she was in. She kept deflecting my concern, telling me that Marcus wasn’t really dangerous. I wasn’t fooled. I distinctly recalled the look on her face when she stumbled into my office the day before. She had been terrified.
Having a night free from worry had done wonders. She was back on her feet and as effective as ever. She arranged all my meetings and made sure that I got all the preliminary information in time to digest it. But I wasn’t looking for a super secretary at the moment.
I wanted Ava to be safe, and I thought the best way to go about it was to get the authorities involved. I called my mother to see if I could get someone else on my side. If Ava wouldn’t listen to me, it was possible she would take direction from Mariah.
“Good morning,” I said into the speakerphone.
It was around eleven in the morning, and I had just concluded the first of many meetings. Ava was outside in the reception area, hard at work. I was hoping I could get my mom on board and then call Ava into the conversation. We could double time her, getting her to file that report despite her objections. I knew that Marcus was dangerous, and that by just alerting the police to the problem, she would be in a better position. If he decided to show up at her doorstep, she would have more ammunition.
“Good morning, sweetheart,” Mom said. “How did you sleep?”
“Fine.”
“How is Ava?”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” I drew a breath before continuing, ready to argue my case. “I want her to file a police report, but she says that her ex isn’t that dangerous and she doesn’t want to ‘bother’ the police.”
“That bit about not bothering the police is ridiculous,” my mother scoffed. “But I understand her reluctance to make the conflict official.”
“I don’t,” I snapped. “What if he comes back? What if he shows up at the office? She should at least put it on record that he’s harassing her.”
“I agree,” Mom responded hesitantly.
“But?” I could sense there was more to her reaction than she was saying.
