Page 31 of The Sidekick

“Which is why us following her like demented stalkers isn’t going to happen tonight. She needs to be able to breathe on her own. She’ll be back when she’s ready.”

I blink at him in surprise. “You’re kidding, right?”

“No, I’m not. Trust me, Max. She needs time.”

“She did a lot today, and she needs a second,” I grit my teeth over the words, wondering if common sense will visit him any time soon.

“What do you mean she did a lot?” It’s his turn to glare at me.

“She was organizing the filing cabinet.” I hate that my cheeks flush in embarrassment.

Trevor’s brows climb high as he struggles with his smile. “Was it the fact that she was in front of the cabinet that got to you or that she wasn’t being punished while she was doing it?”

“She found a bunch of shit I misfiled, ok?” I glare at him, making his twisted smile come out and the dark look I love.

“Really? What did she do with it all?” He asks in the dark tone that causes my dick to twitch in my pants.

“Left them on the desk,” I grumble and try to distract him by shuffling the tables around. Moving them more measuredly while leaving the spot she wanted uncovered bare.

“I guess you had better get them where they belong then,” he grips the back of my neck as he whispers the words into my ear. A shudder works its way across my shoulders as my breath catches.

Chapter Twelve

Tera

I wake up feeling like I’ve been run over by a truck. The crying jag I had last night was the worst yet. My face in the mirror is puffy and red still, even though I stopped crying hours ago. Looks like this is going to be a tough day.

I have to talk myself into going back to work. I wouldn't hesitate to quit if it wasn’t for Trevor and Max. I might anyway, just so I won’t have a repeat of last night’s episode of sobbing insanity.

I dress and pull my laptop out of its hiding spot. I won’t deal with the ancient computer any more than I have to. I slide a few thumb drives into the backpack with the laptop just in case the old monstrosity at work dies on me. I make sure to put the bar key on my keyring, grab my purse, and head out.

The car ride over just makes the numbness stealing over me worse. The storm clouds are promising snow today, and it matches everything about me right now. When I pull into the parking lot, I notice several other vehicles and sigh. I know I’m running about five minutes past eight late, but I can’t seem to muster up the will to care. Hopefully, they’ve all been given their jobs for the day and will be too busy to notice me coming in.

When I get out and trudge to the doors, I hear several car doors open and shut as people mutter to themselves. The door is locked, and all of the downstairs lights are off. I unlock it, holding the door open for whoever is behind me.

Sal, Diana, Pat, and Emily prance past me, talking happily as if their lives are perfect. Andi and her entourage are back again, which surprises me a little.

“Tera,” Andi pauses, and the rest follow suit behind her, watching our interaction closely. “Are you ok? You look like you haven’t been sleeping.”

“I’m fine,” I try to inject a little feeling into the words so I don’t sound like a zombie.

“If there’s anything we can do to help, please tell us,” Andi insists, reaching to grip my bicep firmly.

“Sure,” I agree and nod. Anything to end this conversation before I break down again.

She hesitates with a concerned frown and sighs as she moves past me. I look at the ground as the rest file past. Some of them say hi to me, and I nod in response like a broken doll. Once they’re all inside, I close and lock the door again.

“Everything looks so different,” Sal says with wonder, running her hand along the spotless bar. She abruptly turns to face me with a frown. “How do you have a key, Tera? I’ve worked here longer than you have, and I don’t have one.”

I don’t have a response to that. Trevor gave one to me for emergencies. Maybe because I never went upstairs to seduce him.

“You can’t even tell that anything happened,” Emily says with a smile.

“Yeah, we worked all day yesterday,” Pat gives them a glare as she, not so subtly, points out that they weren’t here.

“Hey, I wasn’t sure if I could come back,” Sal protests. “You weren’t here when everything went down, so you can’t understand.”

“Tera was here yesterday,” Diana points out smugly. I really wish she hadn’t brought attention to me like that.

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