I exhaled, leaning back. "She's going on maternity leave soon, and I can't run things without a finance manager. This is the perfect time to find a replacement. When she returns, she can work for you again."
"Okay," Cole responded.
"Okay?" I repeated, unable to believe that he had agreed so easily. He was practically forcing her on us.
"Yes," he nodded.
"Thank you," I smiled. He smiled, too.
"Are you going to have lunch with Bobby?" he asked.
"Yes," I answered.
Bobby and I had our usual lunch at least twice a week at the park across from our office building. We'd grab burgers or tacos from street vendors, sit on a bench, and watch people pass by while Bobby made snide comments about their outfits. She was unapologetically blunt.
"Okay, have fun with her." He smiled tenderly. "Come here and give me a kiss."
I got up and walked around his desk, and when I was in front of him, he pulled me into his lap. "I love you," he whispered before he pressed his lips against mine, lingering there for a while.
"I love you too," I said, my heart softening.
We said goodbye, and I headed for the door. But just before walking out, I glanced back at him and gave a small wave.
That's when I noticed it.
A small pouch sat on the coffee table in the sitting area.
Pink.
The same one Elsa always carried with her everywhere.
That meant Cole had a meeting with Elsa, not at his work desk, but on the sofa.
And that bothered me. A lot.
I glanced back at my husband, but he was already on the phone, discussing something about a takeover.
Frowning, I looked at the pouch again, deciding I would ask him about it later when we were home.
And then I heard something. A sound. Like something had fallen to the floor.
I brushed it off and kept walking, only to find Lawrence and Maisie watching me intently again. My eyes narrowed at them, but they didn't say anything. I could still feel their stares on me as I made my way to the elevator.
As the car descended, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.
The sound had come from my right.
The right side of the room had the sitting area—and the door that led to Cole's private bathroom.
But Cole had been sitting at his desk on the left side of the room.
There couldn't have been someone in that bathroom the entire time I was there... could there?
*** *** ***
Bobby was saying something about a girl in a red dress—something about it making her look like she had a third tit—but I couldn't focus on her words.
My mind was still on that damn pink pouch and that sound.