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She sniffs and visibly shakes herself. "What brings you down here this morning?"
"I've actually been down here three times this morning. I watch you from near the elevators."
Her mouth drops open, and I realize I sound like a stalker. I don't try to fix it, because it's pretty close to the truth anyway. Thankfully, she just laughs. "I haven't seen you."
"I am having trouble focusing. And I think I know why."
"Why?" I love how she leans forward, so focused on me. She makes me feel like the only thing she wants to do at this moment is listen to me.
"Because I haven't had enough of you yet today. My well is empty."
"Of me? Your well is empty of me?” Why does she look so surprised?
"I got up early and waited for you, but you slept in. And then in the car, Abby wouldn't stop talking about her mittens, and then you hurried off. I didn't get enough of you. So my well is dry and needs filling up."
She clears her throat. "So...ah, how would we fill up the well?"
I look down at our connected hands. "This helps. But I need more."
"How much more?" she asks breathlessly.
Conscious of the glass walls, I gently tug her into my body. She doesn't give me any resistance when I wrap my arms around her, and tuck her head into my neck. Her hands travel from my ribs to my back until she’s squeezing me back.
"This more," I whisper, pressing my lips to the top of her head. She closes her eyes and sinks into my body, letting me hold her up. I don't take for granted the absolute surrender and trust she gives me. We stand for a few minutes more, then she slowly pulls away from me. Her cheeks are flushed, eyes shining.
"How's your well now?"
"Full. At least until lunchtime. I’ll definitely need more at lunchtime.” She smiles and giggles, a carefree sound I’ve been hearing more and more. It makes me feel proud that I'm responsible for her happiness, at least in part.
Her smile vanishes when her phone pings from inside her desk. Worry, anger, and maybe...dread wash over her face. I tighten my hand on her shoulders. "What? What's happening?"
She drops her chin and closes her eyes. "I turned my phone back on today. Mark is...unhappy."
I clamp my mouth shut before I order her to block his number. It's not my place, even if I think the man is a piece of shit. He's still Janey's brother, and I won't allow him to come between us.
"How do you want to handle it?" I ask, forcing my voice to remain level and even.
She studies me, eyes darting around my face. "I'm not sure yet," she says slowly. "For right now, I want to ignore him. Maybe he'll calm down." Judging by the look on her face, that's unlikely to happen.
"Okay," I say, forcing a smile. "Promise me you'll talk to me about it when it's time?"
A small smile. A real one. "I promise."
32
JANEY
I don't really need a phone, do I? Everyone I want to talk to is in this building. I don't have any friends outside of this group, and we live and work together. See, no phone needed. If someone needs to talk to me, they can just come to my office or knock on my door at home.
Simple.
Easy.
My phone dings again, and I drop my head onto my desk with a groan. I can't not check, though. What if it's someone else? Someone I actually want to talk to? I should have changed the little ringer thingy so everyone had a different chime.
Or you could just block your brother. It's not that hard. The idea makes bile jump up my throat. If I block Mark, he'll show up. He always does. And I don't want to see him.
"Taking a nap?" Maya's voice startles me. I sit up and take her in. She's wearing a flowy green top and loose black pants. She looks elegant and comfortable at the same time. I peek and nope, no shoes.
