Page 9 of Caught in the Axe
It had been years since I’d felt like this, so I’d embrace it. After the stress of the past few years, having a reason to look forward to the long workdays in this hellhole would be a relief.
I was talking her through some of the priorities when the elevator dinged, which meant Gus was back.
“Lila,” Gus said, striding into the room. “I’m so happy you’re here.”
She stood and gave him a big hug. The move sent a wave of confusion through me. And right behind it was a rush of jealousy.
“Owen’s been catching me up,” she explained, releasing him and taking a step back. “Nothing I can’t handle.”
He smiled down at her like a proud big brother.
And that’s when my brain screeched to a halt. “Lila?”
“Yes. Lila Webster.” Gus put his hands on his hips and cocked a brow. “You know Lila.”
Recognition dawned on me, bringing with it a hint of the anxiety I’d only just felt relief from for the first time in years.No.No fucking way. Of all the shitty office buildings in all the shitty small towns.
“Cole’s Lila?” I asked.
Her eyes flashed with anger. “Just Lila. I don’t belong to Cole, or any man, for that matter.” Her defiant tone was adorable. Despite all the smiles and the lattes, she had a backbone. I liked it.
“Sorry,” I mumbled, embarrassed at my gaffe. In my defense, I’d barely spoken to Cole and had been pretty fixated on my criminal father and his crumbling empire for the last year or so.
“Yes, I dated your brother,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. With her bottom lip caught between her teeth, she looked from me to Gus. “Is that going to be a problem?”
“No,” my brother grunted.
At the present moment, I couldn’t form the words to respond. My brain was too busy spinning.
I squinted. The lovely woman before me bore no resemblance to Cole’s on-again, off-again girlfriend. I’d never spent much time with her, I guessed, but the girl I remembered was different in every way. She was all long blond hair, fancy clothes, and pounds of makeup. Always by his side and always dressed to the nines. If I wasn’t mistaken, she’d won some beauty pageants or something.
The woman before me was so different. A smiling, bare-faced brunette with an eyebrowring.
I hadn’t even realized they’d broken up. That was how distant my relationship with my half brother had become over the years. He and I stayed far away from one another for good reason.
She ran a hand down a lock of her dark hair. “I look different. I should have realized you didn’t recognize me.” The way her voice faltered was like a punch to the gut. Fuck, I was an asshole. I’d been gawking at her like she was an animal at the zoo. And based on the angry stare Gus was leveling my way, now I was acting like a fool.
“No, it’s my fault.” I hauled myself up from my seat, banging my knee on the table in the process, all but tripping over myself to make this right. For a moment, I got hung up on her rosy cheeks, her plump pink lips, and the dark eyelashes rimming those gray eyes.
I blinked myself out of my stupor and cleared my throat.
Why hadn’t I realized how young she was? She was definitely too young for me, but she had a kind of steely confidence that I respected. And while I had no idea what had happened with Cole, I could guarantee he was to blame.
Her history made sense now. She had been with Cole for years, traveling with him all over the country while he played in the minor leagues, chasing his hockey dreams. I’d never paid her much mind, always assuming she was some kind of hanger-on.
But now? Now I didn’t know what to think. Had I offended her?
“I, um. Sorry,” I mumbled, unable to string a full sentence together. Determined to apologize correctly, I cleared my throat and opened my mouth, but before I could force another word out, a hot, wet substance hit my chest.Startled, I jumped back, realizing only then that I had squeezed the paper cup in my hands, popping the top off and spraying my latte all over my dress shirt.
On instinct, I dropped the cup, and it hit the floor.
“Get some paper towels,” Gus barked at me, then he turned to Lila and softened his expression. “I’ve got to get Owen to a meeting. We’ll be in touch with the details. Let me walk you out.”
Heat crept up my neck and into my cheeks as I scrambled to clean up the mess I’d made. Shame flooded my body. I’d flirted with her and daydreamed about taking her out, all the while failing to recognize her. And then I’d topped it all off by drenching myself in coffee. Disgraceful.
She stepped forward and offered her hand.
I took it, savoring the feel of it in mine, her smooth skin against my calluses and the small connection between us. Lila was something, all right. Something fresh and energetic and a bit terrifying.
