Page 9 of Suddenly Desired
But it was just Lissa, hefting a box of long-life milk from the floor like it weighed nothing.
“Sorry,” she said, blinking at her. “You okay? You look a bit flushed.”
Ellie grabbed her uniform, shaking her head. “Uh, I’m fine. It’s just hot in here.” It wasn’t a total lie.
“You deserve better,” Lissa said, interpreting Ellie’s expression as one of disappointment. “As much as I’d hate to lose you, that Heartbook job should be yours.”
“I never even got the chance to interview,” Ellie muttered. “It was cancelled. The whole ‘Blake Fielding hates women’ thing.”
“I know,” Lissa said. “It’s on the TV right now.”
Ellie scrabbled into her work trousers and shoes, buttoning her shirt as she left the stock room. She cleaned her glasses on her shirt and squinted at the little TV. Sure enough it was tuned to the news, a picture of Blake splashed behind the anchor. They’d obviously trawled the internet to find the least flattering photograph they could — a grainy corporate shot with a suited, miserable-looking Blake glaring at the camera, his arms folded arrogantly over his chest.
“Turn it up,” said Ellie, pulling an apron from the side of the counter and tying it behind her back.
Lissa fiddled with the volume until it could be heard over the hiss of the coffee machine and the chatter of customers.
“. . . continue to fall as Heartbook CEO Blake Fielding battles allegations of sexism. The company has yet to offer a formal statement, but earlier today Fielding addressed reporters at the Heartbook campus.”
“What a creep,” said Josh, who had sneaked up behind Ellie, his breath hot on her neck. “That guy is gonna get canned.”
Lissa hushed him as Ellie squirmed away. On-screen, Blake was standing in front of a camera doing his best to smile. Ellie’s heart did a somersault as she watched him. The screen had diminished his looks a little, but when he looked at the camera Ellie shivered — feeling once again like he was staring directly at her.
And then she saw it in his hand.
Her heart plummeted as her eyes locked on to the notebook he was holding. Her notebook. The same one she’d dropped by the river. She gripped the counter to steady herself, biting back a gasp.
That notebook hadn’t just been where she’d written the notes for her interview — it contained a million and one other things, ninety-five percent of which were unbearably embarrassing.Please don’t read it, please don’t read it.
Blake was waving the notebook like it was a sword. The noise of the reporters all but drowned out his voice, but it almost sounded like he was saying, “It was me who posted those comments.”
“What?” said Lissa. “He’s admitting it?”
“No,” said Ellie, shaking her head a little too much. “I think he was denying that it was him who posted the comments. He didn’t do it.”
“You seem pretty sure about that,” said Lissa. “How can you be so certain?”
Ellie hesitated, the story on the tip of her tongue. But it felt wrong to share the experience. It had been a moment between the two of them. His words had been for her.
“Oh, God, do you fancy him?” Josh sneered, his face clouded with jealousy. “Stupid girl.”
Ellie ignored him. “I just have a hunch,” she said, simply. “He’s innocent.”
The shot ended with Blake pushing past a reporter and knocking the phone from her hands. He stormed off, and Ellie frowned. That wasn’t exactly a gentlemanly thing to do, and he hadn’t even apologised. Maybe the storiesweretrue.
But no — she refused to believe it. There had been something real in his words, and the way he’d not hesitated to help her pick up her things. There was something genuine about Blake Fielding.
“. . . Time will tell whether the actions of the founder will have long-lasting implications for one of the world’s best known social media companies.”
The story flicked to something else and Lissa turned the volume down. Josh made his excuses, heading for the customer toilets. Lissa offered Ellie a sympathetic smile. “Like I said, you deserve better,” she said, softly. “Better job, better man, better life.”
Ellie nodded but didn’t reply. The knot in her stomach tightened as she stared at the counter. Instead of feeling hopeful, Ellie felt something close to hollow. ‘Better’ might exist out there somewhere, but right now, all she felt was the weight of being stuck.
Alone.
Chapter 7
BLAKE
