him the pleasure of that. So instead, I push it down.
“I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’m glad you told me. I hate when everyone is talking behind my back.” My head pounds harder. It must be a stress headache.
“Just know, no one likes him and everyone thinks it’s tacky to invite people from work to this, considering you work here too.” She offers another worried stare.
“It’s fine. I swear. I’d rather know.”
“Okay.” She leaves my office and I hate that she feels awful.
My phone rings with a call from Sam. I answer it, not caring that I haven’t started work yet. “Hi,” I say, trying to sound happy.
“Is your physio with Linnie today? I could have sworn you said that yesterday.” His voice makes me relax.
“It is.”
“Okay, I’ll jog to the gym and work out and time it so we can ride back together. I was thinking about making penne with vodka sauce. If you want, we can do dinner at your place so Romeo doesn’t feel left out.”
I’m about to tell him I need to be alone tonight when Rod walks past the window in my office to the hallway. He looks in and waves casually, like we’re friends and he hasn’t just stabbed me in the heart. I can’t breathe.
My two months of getting over his betrayal and finding myself are gone. Down the drain. The pain is fresh as if it hasn’t dulled at all.
“Lil?” I realize Sam has been speaking and I missed something.
“Rod’s engaged.” It accidentally comes out.
“Engaged? Already? Jesus.” He pauses. “Wait—is he there?”
“Yeah,” I mutter.
“Give me ten minutes.” He ends the call and I have no idea what’s happening.
My heart hurts and my headache is so much worse.
Why did he need ten minutes?
A knock at my door lifts my gaze to find Matt there. He walks in. “Hi, Lil. How’s it going?” Matt asks, which is weird. He never asks how I am. He just gets to the point. Fortunately, he doesn’t wait for me to answer. He closes the door and gets right to it. “Listen, I have an opportunity here to move someone to Cape Breton. Rod’s not an ideal candidate because he has so many high-end clients here in the city.”
“Okay.”
“But if you say the word, he’s gone to Cape Breton and his high-end clients are dispersed amongst the others.”
Say yes.
Say yes.
Say yes.
“No.” I want so badly to say yes, but I can’t. If I have him moved it will show that he’s under my skin and making me crazy. My right eye twitches with the throbbing. I am stronger than this.
“You sure?”
“Totally. I don’t care what he does.”
“The guy’s a piece of shit.” Matt and his vernacular are eloquent as always. “Between me and you and whatever FBI guys are listening in on our cell phones, I’d like to kick the shit out of him in the parking lot. Me, him, a bat. I think about it sometimes.”
I laugh for lack of words. It isn’t as if I haven’t thought that as well.
“If I wasn’t his boss,” he says and purses his lips and blows his exhale out. “Anyway, glad to have you back in the office. You brighten my day, Lil.” He winks and leaves and I am more uncomfortable than I was when Rod walked past.
Was Matt flirting?
Was that ass kicking, bat wielding, you brighten my day, his idea of hitting on me?
My eyes draw to the ceiling. “God, please help me. I know we’re friends off this year but, girl, you gotta do this one thing. Don’t let Matt have a thing for me. Please. I can’t handle any more bull—stuff.” Swearing while asking for favors from God is probably a bad idea.
My office door opens again. I jump, seeing Janice’s smiling face. “Lil, you have a special visitor.”
“I thought visitors were banned,” I blurt.
She is beaming and blushing. She steps out of the doorway and lets Sam walk in. Her eyes land on his perfect ass in his scrubs.
“Hey,” Sam says coolly. As if he didn’t sprint here in his doctor costume. And of course he isn’t sweating from the run. “You forgot your lunch.” He holds up a cute black-and-white lunch bag I’ve never seen before in my life.
Janice is still here. Hovering and grinning like an idiot. “Janice, this is Sam.”
“Oh, we met at the front door.” Her eyes wander around his body and face. I can’t blame her. I’ll never forget the first time I saw Samuel Christianson. He has an effect on