Girl Crush(55)

When I tossed my purse back into the drawer, I managed to knock my bottle of water all over the desk and everything on it. I raced to the break room to grab a roll of paper towels, and just before I reached my destination, the phone rang. I swung into my boss’s office to answer it since mine was covered in liquid. I hurried to get the client off the other end, assuring him the paperwork he needed to pick up was ready and waiting. Pivoting on my heel to hang up the line, I caught a glimpse of Collier coming through the door.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

I ducked down out of sight and moved under my boss’s credenza. This was freaking fantastic. My work space was covered in water, and my nail polish sat in plain view. Huddled on the floor, I craned my neck to peer through the crack under the wood. All I could see were his feet moving around my chair. The adrenaline pumped through me, and my heartbeat echoed in my ears. The call rang at my desk and went unanswered.

The way our office was set up, each partner had their own glass door off a shared hallway, my desk sat in the entrance, and then there was another office behind mine and slightly off to the side for the partner. There were four on each side of the hall down the center and then a long walkway in the back that connected the offices with a supply room and break room for each set of four. Collier couldn’t see anyone else here and wouldn’t know the offices were joined in the back. When the phone rang again and wasn’t answered, he started moving around. Only able to see his feet, all I could do was speculate about what he was doing. That was until he called my name.

“Giselle?”

He waited for a response, likely anticipating my return to clean up the mess on my desk, but I didn’t offer one.

“Giselle, are you here?” His voice got closer as did his feet. He stood in the doorway to the office I currently used as my hideout. This was absurd.

A cell phone rang, and I realized it wasn’t mine. Then I heard West answer and start talking. I tried to keep my panting under control so he wouldn’t hear me, but whoever was on the other end of that call garnered his attention. He left while still talking. When I could no longer hear his conversation, I crawled out from under my boss’s desk, straightened my skirt and blouse, and walked out.

This day had gone from bad to worse, and it wasn’t over.

After work, I decided the safest place to go was Ronnie and Trish’s house. I didn’t tell them anything that had happened or that West had blown me up, but apparently, I didn’t have to. It seemed all my friends were conspiring against me. And while Ronnie hadn’t told anyone else that I’d kissed Collier, she hadn’t had to because Beck had filled them in on the broody mess Collier had been since Friday night, and that she knew how much he cared for me. They all seemed to conveniently stop by shortly after I had arrived, and Ronnie had spent an unusual amount of time on her phone since I’d walked through the door.

“What the hell, Ronnie? Is this like an intervention?”

“Hardly, I just sent for reinforcements.”

“For what? To stage a coup? Force me to see Collier? What was your plan here?”

She folded her arms across her chest and under her boobs, a move she’d perfected over the years to get what she wanted from both sexes, but that shit didn’t work with me. I was immune to the power of her DDs.

“To show you how many people love you and have your back. And if you fall in this mess, just how much support you’ll have to catch you.”

I appreciated her sentiment and her concern, but I had to deal with this on my own terms. My posse couldn’t fix it for me. After much cajoling, Beck, Stella, Roma, Ronnie, Trish, Roxie, and Amy finally agreed to let me come to them when I needed it. And for right now, to stay out of it. We ended up with Chinese takeout scattered all over the kitchen, wine bottles empty on every counter, and laughter filling the air. Regardless of what happened with Collier, I loved these women, even if I hated that they butted in.





12





After a night with my girls, I felt better than I had in a week. I wasn’t any closer to a solution to my Collier issue, but at least I knew I wasn’t alone. I had seven women who loved me and wanted me to be happy. With that thought in mind, I’d gotten up and laced my tennis shoes to go out for my morning run. It was the best workout I’d had all week. I was finally back on my game and didn’t ache when I rounded the corner to my house.

The instant my eyes locked with his, I knew my time avoiding the situation had come to an end. I was stuck. There, on my front porch, sat a devastated-looking Collier. The sun had just started to rise, and it was far too early to deal with this, but the time had finally come that I could no longer avoid it. I slowed my approach, stunned that he’d waited for me, unsure of when I’d return. While walking up the driveway, I pulled the buds from my ears, and then sat down next to him on the steps. I forced my thoughts away from the way I looked and probably smelled to focus on him.

I sighed heavily and then said, “Hi.”

He didn’t look over at me when he echoed my sentiment, so I waited for him to speak. When nothing came, I finally asked what he was doing here.

“You didn’t give me much choice. I’ve tried to call, text, and came by your office, but you’re avoiding me. And I need to know what happened last weekend.”

“So you showed up at my house on a Saturday morning to force me to chat?”