part ways, and I walk in the direction of the apartment building. The bar is close enough that I never have to drive.
I’m thinking about Anya and that she is asleep by now. Rachel is probably desperate to let go for the night, so I should hurry back. Then I think about Blaire and what she is probably doing tonight. Out with friends? Having dinner with that friend she seems to keep seeing?
I rub a hand over my face to force myself to stop. To stop thinking about a woman who genuinely dislikes me.
Maybe I should go back to the bar and invite Erica back to my place. I’ll have to look for a new assistant in the morning, but at least I won’t spend the night fantasizing about Blaire instead.
It’s been nine days, and I haven’t heard anything from Blaire. Radio silence.
No emails or texts. No phone calls. No random bump-ins in the hallway outside our apartments. I can barely even hear any music through the wall. Anya has asked about her a couple of times, and I have had to make excuses. Blaire is busy. She has gone away on vacation.
This is exactly the reason why I don’t want anybody else involved in our lives.
Anya has already been through enough, and the last thing I want is for her to endure more losses. If Blaire decides to distance herself from our lives, which she has every right to do—it will affect Anya. I know it will.
The truth is that it will be my fault.
Maybe I have pushed it too hard and pushed it too far. I shouldn’t have even entertained the idea of proposing a business deal to her. I never should have crossed the line and touched her. No matter how right it seemed at the time.
I have screwed up the friendship that was blossoming between Anya and Blaire, and this is exactly what I have wanted to avoid.
I’m in a meeting with my management team when Erica knocks on the door and comes over to me.
“Ms. Crawford is here to see you. I’ve asked her to wait in your office,” she says with a faint smile.
Ever since our run-in at the bar, it seems like Erica is trying even harder to please me.
Now that I know Blaire is here, in the building, I know I need to see her right away. I dismiss the meeting and head back to my office.
Erica follows me but stops at her desk. I can feel her eyes on me. Maybe I should get a new assistant. This isn’t exactly working out for me.
I push through the door and see Blaire in a chair. She turns to look at me. Nine days feel like nine months. I notice the sensation of relief I’m experiencing now. Why?
“I’m sorry for not setting up a meeting first. I just took a chance to see if you’re available, and you are. Your assistant has informed me that you have approximately twenty minutes before your next meeting.”
I walk around to my desk and sit down.
“Erica likes to maintain a tight schedule for me around here,” I reply, and that makes her smile. “Have you given our offer some thought? Without letting your personal bias come in the way.”
“Yes, I have.”
“Are you going to throw the contract at my face?”
“No, I’m not, because I don’t believe in violent behavior,” she replies, and there’s a smug smile on her face.
“Okay, so a verbal equivalent of that?”
Blaire breathes in deeply and shakes her head.
“I wish I could, but every bit of damned advice I’ve gotten from every channel I’ve explored is that I should accept this offer.”
“Then you’ve gotten good advice.”
She reaches into her bag and pulls out the file with a copy of the contract.
“It says here that you want us to move our offices to this building.”
“Better location. More attention. Right under our wing. You will also be saving yourself a big expense,” I reply. She stares at my eyes for a moment, and I hold her gaze before she looks away again.
“I’m not…I guess I should admit this is a good offer.”
I nod.
“But I don’t want you to think you have any actual control over me.”
“I would never be foolish enough to think anyone can control you,” I reply, and I can see her trying to suppress a smile.
“We’ll be seeing a lot more of each other than we already do. You think we’ll make it past a week before eating each other alive?” she asks.