be his, there could be trouble.
“Where to?”
“We don’t know yet,” she lied. Yeah, she really shouldn’t have said anything. Her loose tongue was exactly the reason the two of them had no business talking.
“Do you know when?” he asked slowly.
“No.” She bit her lip until it hurt. “And it’s just a maybe anyway.”
Another lie, but she needed to end the conversation she never should have started in the first place.
“Ah. Well, if you…”
Terrible nausea rolled up her stomach, and she didn’t hear whatever Kai said next. Her breakfast was coming right up her throat.
Rushing to the curb, she vomited right into a trash can in what was probably the most humiliating moment of her life. A woman walking past gasped in horror.
“You okay, doll?” the man behind a falafel cart asked.
“I’m okay.” She waved his attention away. God, if only a hole would open up right then and there. She’d crawl into it and never get out.
“Diane?” Kai asked.
The hair on the back of her neck stood straight up. She’d forgotten all about the person she had on the phone.
“Yes. I’m here.”
Head down, she hurried down the sidewalk, away from the scene of the crime, as swiftly as possible.
“What’s going on?”
“I’m not feeling well. It’s nothing.”
“That doesn’t sound like nothing. Perhaps you should call your doctor.”
The mention of a doctor made her face hot. “I think I might do that. Anyway, good talking to you, Kai. I have to run.”
“Okay, if you—”
Panicking and not able to handle the conversation anymore, she hung up on him before he could finish.
Talk about a disaster.
She should have never talked to him. Text messages were hard enough.
Well, lesson learned. Kai had no place in her life. Her head knew it, but her heart had some catching up to do.
Chapter 11
Kai
Finger pressed to his chin, Kai stared out the window at the bright blue sky. It was a gorgeous day, the kind that would be wasted unless you spent at least some of it outside.
That being said, there he was: wasting it. He’d been in the office since seven that morning, and he didn’t have any reason to call it quits early.
With Diane gone from his life, he’d returned to his routine from before he met her. Wake before dawn. Gym. Shower. Work until past dark. Go to bed. Repeat.
It had worked for him before, but it felt soulless and devoid of meaning now. What good were all the baubles and accolades he’d achieved if he didn’t have anyone to share them with?
His phone rang, startling him from his reverie.
“Hello?” he answered.
“Mr. Weiss, you have a visitor. He…” His assistant trailed off. “Oh, wait, sir… You can’t go in there.”
The door to Kai’s office flew open and his friend Damian strode in. “Hey there.”
“It’s okay,” Kai told his secretary. “He can stay. No need to call security.”
“No need to call security?” Damian settled into one of the two armchairs facing the desk. “I feel like I’m getting the special treatment.”
Kai hung up the phone and shook his head at Damian. “What are you doing here?”
“Making sure you make good on your promise to be more social. I’m dragging you to lunch.” Damian folded his hands in his lap and cocked an eyebrow. “Unless you have other plans.”
Kai’s “other plans” involved going over some reports while he ate a salad one of his assistants would run out to get for him. Real exciting stuff.
But also the kind of thing that helped keep his mind focused on work—and off Diane.
“I can tell by the look on your face that you’re already booked.” Damian held his hand up. “Don’t worry. My feelings aren’t hurt. Let me guess. You’re meeting with Diane.”
Kai stiffened. “No.”
He looked away, hating that he felt powerless to hide how torn up he still was about the whole thing. It had been over two weeks since they’d seen each other in the coffee shop. He’d just been starting to believe he could move on when they talked yesterday and all the pain and longing returned.
“Diane and I…aren’t happening anymore.” He cleared his throat.
“Aw, man. I’m sorry. I didn’t even get to meet her. Not to make this about me, of course.”
Despite his heavy heart, Kai snorted. “You’re making it about you a little bit.”
“What can I say? I’m extremely self-involved.” The grin fell off his face. “Really, though. That sucks. What happened?”
Kai raked his fingers through his hair and sighed. He’d be lying if he said he hadn’t gone over the coffee shop conversation in