The Real(14)

“You should wait on him,” she said. “He’d be happy to see you.”

“I can’t miss my train,” I insisted, avoiding her eyes. I was three steps in the clear when she spoke up behind me.

“You don’t have to be ashamed around him. He never faulted you for what happened.”

“I’ll wait for him another time. I’ve got to get going.”

“Okay, well, if you get a chance to come by when you get home, my washer is making a funny noise.”

“I’ll find time,” I promised as I gripped my tote and waved to her before hauling ass past the park.

Fuck this day already.




There were days when the world couldn’t touch you. Where everything slid off your shoulders. When PMS didn’t play a factor in your mood and the swings were a rarity. But on that particular morning, Kat was making sure those days looked like holidays. “What the hell are you talking about, Jefferson? That’s not true!” She paused as she paced behind her desk. “God, I can’t believe you just said that. You. Are. Pathetic!”

I winced as I listened to Kat belittle her husband, again. In less than a minute, she’d gone from all business with me to snarling at him. Why she answered the phone each time he called, I had no clue. It was like she wanted an excuse to lash out. Her shrieking was unnerving, and I was already irritated. I’d missed my train and was forced to take a cab to work. And work was proving to be impossible due to Kat’s ranting. Not to mention my only plans for the night were to listen to a washing machine that wasn’t broken. The only solace was that it was Friday and I would see Cameron in less than twenty-four hours.

“Oh, you would go there,” Kat snapped as I sat helplessly, put in the shittiest of positions. Clearly, the woman didn’t give a damn about my perception of her, or anyone else’s, for that matter.

I stood up from the chair opposite her desk. She covered the mouthpiece and caught me retreating.

“Where are you going?”

She had to be kidding. “To give you some privacy,” I whispered.

“I’m sorry,” she said and nodded toward the chair I’d abandoned. She snapped into the phone. “I’m going to call you back. I have a meeting.” She hung up and threw her cell on her desk with a thwack.

It was then that I noticed Kat was sweating and her face was ghostly white.

“Are you okay?” I was still standing at her door as she looked over at me with wide eyes.

“Fine.”

“I can come back, and we can go through this later,” I assured.

“I don’t have later. It’s my job on the line, remember?”

I pressed my lips together to keep my temper at bay. I’d never met a woman so agreeable one minute and volatile the next. It was strange, but when Kat was happy, she had the same type of effect Bree had on me. And despite the constant hot and cold on her part, I genuinely liked her. I pushed all my presumptions away and decided to give her the benefit of the doubt because I’d never been in her situation. Her marriage was falling apart, and she obviously needed a friend or confidant, at the very least.

“I know I’m here in a professional capacity, but I just want you to know, if you need someone to talk to, I’m here.”

She looked at me pensively before she spoke. “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I am.” She slumped in her seat and sighed before smoothing down her perfectly placed hair. “Lately he’s been a nightmare. Just so damned needy.”

“You’ll get through this. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine, I just haven’t been sleeping well.” She stared down at her ring finger and then smiled over at me. “Tell me how it’s going with the coffee shop guy.”

“We’re taking it slow.”

“Still not talking?”

“Nope, messages only, and it’s working out fine.”

“At some point, he’ll get tired of it,” she warned. “You know men.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not opposed to taking it further, but at least for now I have the upper hand. I don’t think he’s in a hurry, either.”

“Sounds like a good one,” she said, motioning me to sit.

“I hope so.”

She massaged her temples and stared down at her phone, which lit up with messages.

“Are you sure you don’t want a few minutes?”

“Just a headache,” she said, opening her purse, grabbing a few pills, and swallowing them before she tossed a weary glance my way. “Now, let’s get these quarterlies over with and make the idiots upstairs happy. And then I’ll buy you a drink.”




After four martinis in front of the fireplace at 2Twenty2, Kat disappeared. I’d been staring into the flames, trying to shake the ill feeling I’d had all day working side-by-side with her. In a way, Kat reminded me of my ex. They were both alluring from a distance, but upon closer inspection, you learned there was more than meets the eye. I watched the flicker of the orange light as I sipped my drink and cringed at the memory of him. Luke was charming, attentive, the whole package. He’d swept me off my feet, and I’d given him my trust. And in the blink of an eye, everything changed.

He changed.