by the gesture. This wasn’t the same Troy who’d confronted her in the restaurant. This Troy was kinder, gentler, more in control of his emotions. This Troy reminded her of just how sweet he could be. He had a soft side, even though he did his best to conceal it.
“I asked around. The show’s a big hit. Congratulations.”
“You asked around?”
“You know, my staff. The waitresses are huge fans. I may be asking you for some autographs sometime in the near future.” He chuckled, rubbing his thumb and forefinger against his chin. The slightest bit of stubble was coming through and Elle remembered how much she used to love running her fingers over his five o’clock shadow.
“Ah, I should’ve known you had an ulterior motive,” Elle teased.
Troy shrugged. “What can I say? I’m full of ’em, I guess.”
One of the butterflies in Elle’s abdomen stretched its wings to full capacity and she grasped her desk to get her bearings. Being in such close quarters with Troy was unreal—a scenario she’d played out in her head dozens of times over the years. She’d practiced speeches, rehearsed scenes in her head. She’d confront him for leaving her alone in that hotel room. No plane ticket home. No clue as to where he had gone.
But now, she was finding it difficult to simply form a coherent thought while in his presence. She looked around her office as Troy opened the box of steaming deep-dish pizza.
“Plates. I, um,” she stammered. “I don’t have plates. Give me a minute, okay?”
“Sure.”
Elle hurried out of her office, walking briskly down the hall to the kitchen to collect plates, napkins, forks, and knives for their lunch. She had no idea how it would even be possible for her to eat around him. There was no way her frayed nerves would allow it. She retrieved two cans of soda from the fridge and made her way back to the office.
Troy looked relaxed sitting in the office chair, his arm casually draped along the back. One ankle rested on his opposite knee and his hand rested on his thigh. His comfort and ease was sexy, yet disheartening. She didn’t want to be alone in her anxiety. She wanted them to suffer together, to commiserate in their discomfort. But that didn’t appear to be the case.
“I got you a Coke. Do you still—?”
“Yep. Haven’t kicked my sugar habit.”
Elle placed the can in front of Troy.
“And I see you haven’t kicked your poison habit either.” Troy always insisted Elle’s addiction to diet soda was her unhealthiest habit. He was vehemently against all artificial sweeteners, referring to them as poison to the body.
“Yep, still addicted.”
“I guess we haven’t changed all that much, have we?”
Elle paused before popping the top of her can. Her eyes bored into Troy’s. “That remains to be seen, doesn’t it?”
Troy’s lips pressed into a thin line and he nodded. The tension in the air was thicker than the deep-dish pizza he sliced open with the knife. He served Elle first, then himself before closing the box and pushing it to the side. The room was still as Elle and Troy stared at one another. They’d already spent entirely too much time dancing around the topic at hand. The elephant in the room was wearing a cowboy hat and a feather boa—it demanded to be seen, discussed, felt.
She stabbed her pizza with her fork, which stood straight up in the layers of cheese, sauce, and toppings. “So I hope you’ll forgive me, but I’m terrible at small talk. I need to know why you’re here.”
“I was hoping we’d cut to the chase. I’m here because I can’t stop thinking about you.”
“Oh.” A lump formed in Elle’s throat as heat grew in her cheeks. She never thought she’d hear those words from Troy Saladino. But she liked them. She liked them a lot.
“The thing is, I gave up hope a long time ago. I never thought I’d see you again.”
Elle crossed her arms in front of her chest, tilting her head. “And whose fault is that?”
Troy flinched. “I probably deserve that.”
“Probably?”
Troy closed his eyes, shook his head, and continued. “We’re in the same city. I had to see you.”
“You left, and then you shut me out. I tried . . . so many times, I tried.”
Troy closed his eyes and grimaced. If he thought she wouldn’t bring that up, he was sorely mistaken. The years could soften some things, but his sudden departure from her life was not one of them.