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It’s been two days since I first learned about Shane’s ex-fiancée and he has mostly avoided me since. Who would have thought it would annoy him so much that I called him Shay? He didn’t seem to mind when Erin purred it in his ear.
I sit in the den, looking at his office door, wondering whether to just go in there and clear the air with him because I can’t stand this constant tension between the two of us. I seem to be always pushing his buttons lately, and not in a good way either.
I put the magazine I’ve been reading down on the sofa and stand up as voices approach from the hallway. Straining my ears, I’m sure it’s Erin’s voice. What the hell is she doing back here again?
Sure enough, a few seconds later, she glides gracefully past the living area in her impossibly high heels and heads straight to Shane’s office. I sit down, picking up my magazine and flicking through it, but I can hardly focus on anything.
I stand up and make my way into the kitchen. I need to stop obsessing about Shane and his ex. She’s his lawyer and nothing more. And even if she isn’t, it’s no business of mine.
An hour later, I’m in the kitchen stirring the sauce I’m making for tonight’s dinner, when that now familiar, soft Irish voice speaks out behind me.
“Something smells nice.”
I turn around and wipe the sauce from my hands on a towel as I come face to face with Erin. “Oh, thanks. It’s just a recipe I found online.”
She tilts her head and stares at me, sizing me up. No doubt she's scrutinizing the woman who is living in the same house as her ex-fiancé. I wonder if she still loves him?
“Can I help you with anything, Erin?” I say with a smile as I size her up right back. God, she really is beautiful. She's dressed in a navy suit today and she looks stunning.
“I was just looking for Conor,” she says as she looks around the kitchen, as though he might jump out from a cabinet somewhere.
“I think he’s asleep. He was working really late last night,” I say. I don’t add that he came to my room when he got home at six am and then he didn’t leave to go to his own bed until two hours later. “Can I give him a message?” I ask, trying to be helpful.
She smirks at me and shakes her head. “I’m sure I can get the message to him myself. But thank you for your kind offer.”
I suck in a breath. Don’t offend her, Jessie. She’s their lawyer.
“Okay.” I force a smile and then I turn back to my sauce.
“What exactly do you do around here, Jessie?” she asks.
I close my eyes and count to five before turning back to her. “What did Shane tell you I do?”
She narrows her eyes at me. “If you think he might be the one for you, you’re sadly mistaken.”
“Is that so?” I snap.
“Shane will never put you before his brothers. He will never, ever make you a priority. He will never leave them to fend for themselves.”
“Well, maybe I don’t want him to,” I frown at her.
She sucks on her top lip as she looks me up and down. “Hmm. You’re not really his type, though. Maybe Conor’s?” she laughs. “Perhaps you could do me and Shane a favor and take one of his brothers off his hands for him?”
“Perhaps you could do everyone a favor and get the hell out.”
She walks across the kitchen, towering over me in her heels while I’m in my bare feet. “Don’t make an enemy of me, Jessie,” she snarls.
“Ditto.” I snarl back.
She flicks her long blonde hair over her shoulder before she walks out of the kitchen. I stare after her, wondering what the hell that was about. Clearly, she does still love Shane. Does he still have any such feelings for her?
I turn off my sauce and make my way to his office. The door is open, and I walk straight in.
“Hacker. Come here,” he growls as soon as he sees me.
I walk over to his desk. “Erin just left,” I snap.
“I know,” he stands up and walks over to me.
