A Time for Hope (Lexi, #3)(41)
“Ok, Ok. No lectures. Just promise me you won’t do anything like that again and if you don’t want to involve Alex, you will freaking tell me. I will go with you. No questions asked. But no more of this alone shit, you’re not alone anymore Lexi.” Matt leaned in and kissed my forehead, his arms circling my shoulders in a weird hug given I was sitting and he was standing (or leaning would be a more accurate description).
“It’s not because I didn’t trust you, I just didn’t want to drag you into something I didn’t know the outcome to.” I tried to explain.
“But you were willing to put yourself at risk?” He argued as he shook my shoulders gently as if to give me a wake up call.
“Ok, you made your point. I’ve already been through this with Alex. Let it go.” I really just wanted to put the whole Nick situation in the past.
Anna walked in and noticed Matt’s arms around me. Her frosty stare prompted him to swiftly remove them and initiate some distance between us. He slowly moved back to his desk, looking slightly defeated. He was right, this wasn’t Anna being homesick.
“It’s done.” She glared before going to sit down, no longer holding on to any pretense of everything being ok.
“Anything wrong Anna?” I asked as she turned on her computer monitor, noticing her furor was also now directed at me.
“Fine,” Anna bit back, unable to hide her anger or annoyance. I couldn’t tell which.
OK then! I glance over at Matt who shrugged and shook his head to reiterate he had no idea how to explain Anna’s strange behaviour. Anna initiated an office-wide freeze and ignored us both as she tapped away on her keyboard.
Matt tilted his head to the side almost wistfully and slowly exhaled. He loved Anna but he clearly didn’t know what to do to help her or even what was bothering her. I wondered if this was how Alex had felt when I had distanced myself from him. I finally understood and it was heartbreaking to watch. I really hoped it worked out for Matt and Anna, apart from the obvious awkwardness it would cause if they split up, (one of them would have to go and with Anna on a temporary Visa and Matt one of my closest friends, it would be her who would unfortunately be looking for new employment) I wanted both of my friends to be happy. While my brain told me to stay out of it, I knew that I wouldn’t. Nope, ‘cause I obviously didn’t have enough of my own problems, I needed to amass those of others too. I took a long deep breath and allowed the air to slowly escape from my lips. Yep, me and my big mouth were going to be involved, it was only a matter of time.
Chapter 9 – Indecent Proposal
We fell into a steady rhythm over the next week with preparations for the tour taking up most of our time. The atmosphere in the office was still uneasy and while Anna’s mood had improved, her distance was growing. She was polite and her work always completed but there was underlying tension, especially between her and Matt. I agreed to give Matt one more week to get to the bottom of it before I stepped in. It wasn’t about them playing happy families but the fact that the work environment was no longer pleasurable and I hadn’t worked this hard to feel awkward in my own office.
There were still other issues to deal with, namely Dan and his extra-curricular activities. Ironically, it was because of this that I was looking forward to going on the road. Dan was easier to control when he had a regimented schedule, the inspiration for the old adage about idle hands being the devil’s plaything stood squarely at the feet of that man.
“Lexi,” Dan purred as he entered my office unannounced, followed closely by Troy.
“Hey Lex,” Troy waved as he closed the door behind him.
Matt and Anna had stepped out for lunch so I had been enjoying some solitude that my cramped office rarely provided these days.
“Gentlemen.” I glanced up from my computer monitor, unsure whether or not I should be welcoming the distraction. “Is this a social call or is there something I can do for you?”
Troy snickered as both he and Dan took a seat, “I’m just here to bear witness, sure as shit I wasn’t missing this.” His face was seemingly delighted by whatever was about to take place.
“Shut the f*ck up Troy,” Dan shot back before turning to address me, his charm solidly engaged. “So Lexi, we haven’t seen you in awhile. Do I need to tell Stone to stop being a selfish bastard and share the love? He really should have his smokin’ hot wife out and about more often, I sure as hell would.”
“What do you want Dan?” I leaned back in my seat, already suspicious of where this was heading.
“Why do I have to want something? Can’t I just be stopping by for a chat? I’ve missed you.” Dan smiled and if I didn’t know him better I would have assumed he was sincere.
Troy folded his arms across his chest, smiling broadly as he struggled to suppress his laugh.
“Dan, if that were true I would suggest that you come visit me during non-working hours. You know when that is? The time you are usually whoring yourself in clubs across Manhattan. I believe you still have the address seeing as your subscription to Hustler arrives at our place monthly.” Despite Dan’s assurances, I knew this was not a social call.
“Now that Hustler subscription was last year’s birthday present for Stone, it’s the gift that keeps on giving. I put a lot of thought into that.” Dan shot back indignantly, offended that I hadn’t seen the genius of his plan.