I assume she’s safe. I mean, she doesn’t look like she’d kidnap me or anything.
“Cute apartment,” she says as she looks around. “Cage said he was hoping you two would get a house, though. More space.”
A jolt of surprise hits me hard. “Excuse me?”
“Cage,” she replies, turning to smile at me. “We had dinner last night, and he was hoping if you two can get back on track, he could buy a house for you.”
I’m so flabbergasted that I don’t even know what to say. I have no clue if I’m even going to stay married to the guy, and here this woman is, who I hadn’t even thought was all that close to Cage, telling me he wants to buy us a house.
I shake my head, frowning. “I’m sorry. But you and Cage were talking about me?”
Anna nods with a bright smile. “Just last night.”
“I didn’t realize y’all were that close of friends,” I murmur, more to myself than her.
“We’re pretty tight,” Anna admits. “We actually work together at Jameson.”
My jaw drops, my eyes feeling like they’re bugging out of my head. “You work together?”
Another lie Cage told me. Or rather, something else he failed to tell me.
“Yes,” Anna replies hesitantly, perhaps picking up on the anger in my voice. “He didn’t tell you when he… um… told you about what he really did for a living?”
“We haven’t had much opportunity to talk since then,” I admit, then another thought strikes me. “And what about your gay friend, Malik, who was with you that night? Does he also work at Jameson?”
Anna tips her head back and laughs, her eyes sparkling. “That’s right. I totally forgot Malik told you he was gay, but that was because you were trying so hard to play matchmaker with us, and it was the only way he knew to get you to stop.”
“I’m really sorry about that,” I rush to assure her.
She waves her hand. “Actually, you weren’t far off the mark. And yes, he works at Jameson. We had feelings for each other, but we were too afraid to act on them. I think your trying to play matchmaker just made it more awkward for us since us being together was kind of forbidden.”
“Oh, God… I’m so sorry.”
Anna waves me off again. “Actually, it all ended well. We’re together now.”
“Oh, good,” I gush, genuinely happy for them. Then I frown. “Wait… what do you mean forbidden?”
Looking over at the couch, Anna asks, “Can I sit down?”
I slap my palm to my forehead. “Yes, where are my manners? Please sit. Do you want something to drink?”
Anna declines as she moves to the couch, instead, patting the cushion next to her as she settles onto it. “Come sit. I’ll tell you all about mine and Malik’s forbidden love story, and, in return, you’re going to listen to me lobby for Cage so that you’ll give him another chance.”
I could just throw her out at this point, as now it’s clear why she’s here. I should, as I have way too much to think on as it is.
Instead, Anna intrigues me. I’m taken in by her smile and cheer, which I haven’t felt a lot of this season. So I walk around the coffee table and sit beside her.
“Okay,” she says after taking a deep breath. “Let me tell you about Malik and me. It started with two tragedies… my husband getting killed while on a mission and Malik being taken prisoner.”
“Oh my God. I am so sorry,” I exclaim, bolting up. “Your company does work that can get you killed or taken prisoner?”
Anna winces, realizing she’s not making a great case for me to stay latched onto Cage. “It’s a rarity,” she assures me.
And even though I’m appalled at just how dangerous Cage’s job is, I’m immediately right back to her first words… her husband was killed. I reach over, taking her hand. “I’m so sorry about your husband.”
“Thanks,” she replies, giving me a squeeze. “I was pregnant at the time, too.”
Jesus. What has this woman been through? I lean toward her slightly, intensely interested in her tale. She tells me all about her husband dying in Syria and Malik being captured and held for months in a hole in the ground. She had her baby girl on her own, then went to work at Jameson. When Malik was rescued, they became friends, then they eventually became more. At the time I met them, they were just friends, but both were attracted to each other.