Page 37 of Conflict
I must look like an idiot, crouched behind a giant bush just outside the Wellsley-Callahan building. Idiot or not, Bryan crouches next to me, his mouth hanging open in surprise.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Bryan. I…” I stand up, peering over the bush, then duck down as soon as I see Shane surveying the hustle and bustle of lunchtime in downtown Atlanta.
A light bulb must go off in Bryan’s head. “Are you kidding me? Seriously. Are you freaking kidding me? This is like déjà vu.”
I frown at him. “Umm, what?”
He rolls his eyes. “Cheyenne. Long, long story short: Cheyenne and Sawyer had a thing before she went off to Cali for college. Yadda, yadda. They lost touch for, I don’t know, six or eight years? Anyways, our first day at WC, lo and behold, meet your new CFO, ladies and gents. I thought Cheyenne was going to pass out, and I didn’t even know anything about the guy. We leave for lunch, he chases her in the lobby, she runs away.”
“No one was chasing me.”
He raises an eyebrow. “But you were running.”
I blow out a breath, which pushes my bangs out of my face. “I saw someone back there that I’d rather avoid.”
He doesn’t say a word, but I can see the curiosity crossing his features.
“Remember how I came home from Florida early?”
Bryan nods. “Yeah, you said something about your sister getting food poisoning.”
I wince, hating the lie. “It wasn’t true.”
His eyebrows rise. “Oh, really? What was it?”
“I met a guy… And, well, before I knew it, he was in my bed.”
“Oooh, that bad?” he asks, giving me a sympathetic grimace.
“No!” I will myself to calm down. “No, it was perfect. Really…”
His expression is skeptical, and it’s not surprising. “Uh huh. If it was so perfect, what sent you packing?”
“Turns out he lied to me about who he was. It’s not important, but it wasn’t worth sticking around for.”
“You’re so full of shit.”
I’m taken aback. “Excuse me?”
“I know you, Alyssa. Something spooked you and you ran. I won’t pry—not my style. But if you ever want to talk about what really happened, I’m all ears.”
I offer him an appreciative smile and think,Nope, that’s never going to happen.
Because as much as I know Bryan loves me, I have no idea how he’ll react if he knows that the man I’m pining for the way he does for Cori is his current self-described professional nemesis.
