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A few minutes after six, the employees start to trickle out. Hiding out in my truck will only draw attention, so I lock up and head for the front door, saying hello to the departing group as I pass. I catch the look of surprise on Simon’s face as I meet him at the door and discreetly shake my head to indicate I’m not here for him.
“Hey, how’s it going?” I offer my hand to Simon. “Charlie still here? I was hoping to catch him before he left for the evening.”
“In his office.” Simon returns the handshake. “See you around.”
I head in the direction of Charlie’s office, knowing I’ll have to pass by Lisa’s to get there. To give her a heads-up I poke my head inside, but as usual she’s absorbed in what she’s doing, so I pause to watch. She’s adorable when she’s focused, even when she’s doing something as ordinary as getting ready to go home. She packs up her things, stowing her laptop delicately in her bag, as if its extension of herself. I suppose as a writer, it probably is.
“Hi.” I tap on her door, and my heart leaps when I see the smile she gives me. Just one look from her and things seem right.
“Hi,” she returns. “Are you here to see Charlie?”
“Yeah.”
“Want me to wait?”
“Not sure how long we’ll be.” I smile ruefully. “I can stop by after?”
She zips up her bag and puts on her coat, meeting me in the doorway. Placing a hand gently on my chest, she leans her forehead against mine, letting her presence calm my nerves. I’m not sure how long we stand like that, breathing rhythmically together, but I think she can sense that her touch gives me the comfort I need.
With a sigh, I pull away. She stands on tiptoe to place a soft kiss on my lips. “I’ll be waiting.”
Knowing she’ll be there for me, no matter what happens, is the only reason I have the strength to do what I need to do. I watch her make her way to the front door, and when she rounds the corner I take a deep breath and turn toward Charlie’s office, only to find him standing open-mouthed in the door. Shit. This is not the way I wanted to start the conversation.
“Sorry. You weren’t supposed to see that until after I had a chance to talk to you.”
Charlie raises an eyebrow. “So you were planning on telling me you seduced her?”
“I didn’t seduce her. But yeah, that’s why I’m here.” I soften. “I wanted to tell you about her. Us.”
Charlie turns and walks back into his office. I wait a beat to give him some space before following. He’s standing behind his desk, shuffling papers. I cross the room and stand on the other side of the desk so we’re facing off.
“You’re an ‘us’ now? Since when do you do ‘us’?”
“Look, this conversation didn’t start how I wanted it to, and I’m sorry because that’s making it more difficult. But yeah, Lisa and I are together. And it’s serious. She’s important to me.”
“She’s important to me, too. She’s a great member of this team, and I don’t want to see her hurt. That’s why I specifically asked you to stay away from her.” He yanks open a drawer and stuffs the papers inside.
“Why are you so convinced I would hurt her?” I try to keep my voice level.
“Because she’s not a fling type of girl.”
“This isn’t a fling.”
“Sure, it isn’t. I suppose that’s why you’re hiding it from me.”
I hang my head. “Look, hiding wasn't my intent. Getting involved wasn't my intent either, but I kept seeing her around the office, and then we worked on that project when Simon was gone and each time I was around her, I found something else to like. Something I wanted to understand better or experience more of. I’ve never felt that before. I tried to stay away, but I just couldn’t.” I run my hand through my hair.
“How long has this been going on?” Charlie’s voice is still guarded, but it softens a bit.
“A little over a month.”
“That is longer than usual for you,” Charlie mutters.
Coming from my brother, that pisses me off, but getting angry will only make things worse. I take a deep breath and continue. “Charlie, you may be my twin, but that doesn’t mean you understand my life.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’ve never had to question why Brynn is with you.”
