Betting on You (Danvers #4.5)(24)
“Hey, boss-man, you miss me?”
“Hell, yeah,” he laughed. “I got stuck with all of the shit I usually put off on you.” Then studying her face a little longer than usual, he asked, “How you doing? Everything . . . better with you?”
Hank didn’t know all of the particulars, but he did know that something had happened with Seth. His concern for her was obvious and she was touched by it. “I’m fine, ready to get back to work.” She wanted to laugh at how relieved he looked when she didn’t elaborate. She knew how uncomfortable he was discussing “lady problems.” He didn’t want to hear that she was still a heartsick fool over Seth Jackson, a man she barely knew, or that she hadn’t washed her dress yet from their night together because it still had the faint scent of his cologne clinging to the fabric.
“Good deal then. We have some installations to schedule so I’ll tag you when I have everything ready to go over.” They parted ways in the hallway and she spent the morning catching up on emails and returning calls. When her phone rang around lunchtime, she assumed it was Hank. He usually liked to grab a sandwich while they worked on scheduling. “You ready to roll?” she joked.
“I was born ready to roll,” replied an unfamiliar female voice.
“Oh, excuse me, I thought you were a man . . . er . . . I mean Hank.”
A feminine chuckled filled the line. “Yeah, I get that a lot. This is Suzy Merimon. I work . . .”
“Oh,” Mia gasped, “I know who you are. I freaking love you! Oh my God, please forget I said that. Um . . . what can I help you with, Mrs. Merimon?”
“I like you. I knew I would. We have the same taste in shoes, after all, and shoes never lie. Could you possibly meet me in the outdoor seating area? I have a . . . situation that I need your help with.”
As she rushed from her desk to the elevator, Mia belatedly realized that she hadn’t answered Suzy; she had simply rushed off, eager to finally talk to her idol, regardless of the reason. Cool your jets! Never once did she question why Suzy would want to meet her outside. Once she’d made it to the arrangement of chairs and benches under the outdoor pergola, she looked around for Suzy’s red hair. When a hand settled on the small of her back, she jerked around, nearly fainting when she saw Seth. “What the . . . ”
“Mia, I apologize for bothering you at work, but I needed to ask you something. Have you moved?”
“No.” Shaking her head in confusion, she asked, “What are you doing here? I was supposed to be meeting someone.”
He gave her a sheepish look before admitting, “Yeah, Suzy. She recognized me when I was asking the front desk for your floor. She politely pulled me out here and asked me if I was ‘out of my damned mind. ’ I’m not sure what that means, but she assured me that you wouldn’t want to have this conversation in your office for everyone to eavesdrop on.” Dragging a hand through his hair, he added, “Shit, that woman is scary, isn’t she?”
Mia felt her heart race as she looked at him. God, he was a beautiful man. Hold onto your hormones, remember what happened. “I’ve got to get back to work.” As she turned to go, he grabbed her arm.
“Mia, wait.” She whirled back around, trying to channel all of the anger she had felt that night, but instead it was mostly just hurt now. “Please let me explain and apologize to you for what happened.”
“That’s not necessary,” she said quietly.
“Yes, it is. Please . . . just give me five minutes.” When she didn’t object, he took a deep breath and continued. “The woman you saw that night was Ashley. We dated when we were in school and have had casual . . . meetings randomly since then. I know you must think this is bullshit, but I never intended for things to go that far with her. We didn’t have sex, nor would we have. She left right after you did. I was intrigued by you. I still am. I had every intention of seeing where whatever this is between us would lead. You’re a beautiful, funny, intelligent, sexy woman and even though we haven’t known each other long, I’m completely captivated by everything about you. I’m sorry it took me a while pull my head out of my ass, as Margie says, and tell you how I feel. I’m so damn sorry for hurting you, baby.”
Mia shut her eyes and moisture gathered there. What she wouldn’t have given to hear that from him before that night. “I believe you,” she whispered, “but it’s too late. We had sex and I was hopeful that there was more between us. I just . . . can’t do it again.” Forcing a smile she was far from feeling, she continued, “Other than that one, er . . . issue . . . I really enjoyed our time together. We are just too different for anything more.”
He picked up a bouquet of wildflowers and a bag from the bench behind him that she hadn’t even noticed and said, “These reminded me of you. Don’t say no again. Take the day and think about it. I’ll call you tomorrow.” Before she could say anything further, he gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek and was gone.
She forced herself to go back to her office instead of running to her car and following him like she wanted to. It was over. Hell, it had never really even started. Just because he looked and smelled as good as ever wasn’t a reason to open herself to more heartache. She sat the flowers and the bag on the table behind her desk and buried herself in work for the rest of the day.