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At some point when I’d been speaking with Banks, then getting kissed by him, another woman had walked up to Avalon’s desk. I approached them slowly, not wanting to interrupt any conversation Avalon was having with a potential client. But when I was a matter of a few feet away, both women looked in my direction and smiled.
“Hey, Lamise, come on over,” Avalon urged. “This is Liv. She works here, too.”
Smiling at her, I said, “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Likewise. Is this Rhys? Gosh, he’s so adorable.”
Avalon stood and said, “I know. Isn’t he? Can I hold him for a minute?”
“Sure.”
Once Avalon had Rhys in her arms, she asked, “So, how are you doing? I mean, Liv and I have a pretty good idea about how things are between you and Banks, based on what we just witnessed, but I was just referring to how you were doing in general terms.”
Granted, I wasn’t stupid. I figured she had to have seen Banks kiss me, but I wondered what thoughts it gave her. This was still so new for us, and with the baggage we both had, there was no telling how things would go for us.
“I’m okay. I’m better than I’ve been in a long time,” I answered honestly.
She grinned.
“It looks like things are great,” Liv noted.
“And I’m so happy to know that Banks hasn’t closed himself off completely,” Avalon added. “You two look adorable together.”
Feeling slightly awkward, I noted, “It’s still early. Things are very new between us.”
Both women nodded, but it was Avalon who said, “But Banks brought you here and kissed you the way he did,knowing full well that I was sitting right here watching you. That indicates to me that he’s very serious about you.”
She thought him offering a simple peck on the lips indicated he was “very serious” about me?
“What makes you say that?”
Before Avalon could respond, Liv interjected, “It’s the fact that you’re here.”
“What?”
Both women leaned closer, an indication one of them was about to share some news they didn’t want anyone else hearing. “What do you know about Rhys’s mom?”
My body tensed, but I answered honestly. “I know what happened, if that’s what you’re asking me.”
Nodding, Liv shared, “You probably know more about her than we do. We never really had the opportunity to get to know her. In fact, nobody even knew she existed until Banks finally revealed he was married, and his wife had just had a baby.”
I was certain my eyes were going to fall out of my head. “What?”
“I’ve been working here a lot longer than Liv, and in all the time I’ve been here, I think Banks has been the toughest nut to crack. He’s just a very private person. Or, he used to be. It seems that has changed with you,” Avalon declared.
As soon as she got the words out, I realized she’d gotten it all wrong. “Oh, well, I mean, I don’t know if you know, but the reason I’m here right now is only because I have a bit of a situation. I don’t think Banks would have brought me in, otherwise.”
Avalon shook her head. “I’m aware you’ve got a situation, even if I don’t know all the details. But I’m telling you that ever since the day you came in to apply for a job and hand in your resume, Banks has been more talkative thanusual. He’s happier than he’s been in months, and even though I didn’t realize the extent of what was going on between the two of you until just now, I was hoping something would happen. Because he’d come in and tell me about something related to Rhys, and he’d always find a way to mention your name.”
My lips parted.
I knew there was an attraction there, and obviously there was something else budding between us now, but I didn’t know what to do with this information.
“This is a good thing, Lamise,” Liv assured me.
“It sounds that way, but?—”
“But nothing,” Avalon declared, cutting me off. “Whatever is happening between the two of you has been good for Banks. It’s been nice to see the change in him, to see him smiling again.”
