Page 45 of Meet Me in the Valley
I dig the heels of my hands into my eyes, giving myself a second to deal with whatever she needs to say to me. Taking out my ear buds, I prop my elbows on my desk and rest my chin on my fists, faking a smile.
“What’s up, Krista?”
She pushes her chest forward a bit, making sure I get a nice eyeful of her pert breasts right in my face. I back away slightly. I’ve got less patience today than usual for dealing with her antics.
It’s no secret that Krista has been pining after me for years. After everything that happened over the weekend with Tia, I’m more tuned in to notice the undercurrent of jealousy and possessiveness Tia always had toward Krista all these years.
Now, with Tia out of the office, I see Krista has dialed up the flirting to another level than her usual day to day.
“Roy wants to see us. You look tense, Lo. Do you need a shoulder rub?” she offers sweetly, inching her fingers toward my arm.
“I’m good.” I lean back in my chair, putting more distance between us before my body betrays me. My head is all over the place, and there’s no way I can think straight with Krista this close to me. She makes an exaggerated pouting face before sliding off my desk.
“You really need to relax, Logan.” There’s a teasing lilt to her voice, but I’m not in a mood to find it amusing. Still, if she didn’t throw herself at me so blatantly—and if Tia didn’t hate her so much—I may have entertained this girl a long time ago.
She’s right, though. I need to chill the hell out.
Krista grabs my arm, tugging me up from my chair with a playful grin, her fingers smoothing out the wrinkles in my shirt like she has every right to touch me. I sigh and give her a pointed look, but she just smirks and bites her lip in a coy way. Her cheeks flush a soft pink. And yet, even with Krista right in front of me, her hands still on my shoulders, all I can think about is Tia.
Tia—who’s never needed to bat her lashes to get attention, who can have any man eating out of her palm with half a glance. I’ve watched it happen, more than once, and every damn time I’d say to myself,whoever she ends up with will be one lucky son of a bitch.
Krista’s hands trail down, stopping to squeeze around my biceps, but I’m barely aware of it because my mind is already somewhere else.
On someone else.
And the cruelest part is I suddenly realize I wouldn’t just admire the guy Tia will choose one day.
I want to be that guy. Shit.
“Okay, Krista. Let’s just go.” I shrug her off of me and march toward Roy’s office, leaving her to trail behind me.
I move on auto-pilot, only giving a simple nod to my colleagues who greet me with too-big smiles and too-chipper attitudes. I don’t know what’s in the water cooler today, but maybe I should drink from it—clearly, I’m such a ray of sunshine today. It’s like I pissed in my own Cheerios this morning and made myself eat it.
Rolling my shoulders back and straightening my spine, I knock on the door frame of Roy’s office with Krista nearly pushed up against my back. Her perfume is strong, almost too flowery. I stifle a sneeze as her smell snakes up my nostrils.
Roy peeks over the blueprint he’s holding, squinting through his glasses as he waves us in. His office is lived in, which is a nicer way of saying a mess. There are swatches of textiles spread across his desk along with 3D models of projects from the last six months. There’s a method to his madness, which is why he’s the most successful architect in South Texas.
“Come sit. I have some updates for you both,” Roy sighs, exhausted.
Shit. Bad news?
He rubs his temples with the pads of his fingers, his head hung low between his shoulders. Krista and I sit nervously across from his massive desk, and I fidget with the belt loop on my jeans. Krista’s picking at the rings on her fingers, then goes to chew her thumbnail, which reminds me of Tia’s nervous tick. A smirk appears on my lips at the thought, but I quickly stone my face when Roy clears his throat before speaking.
“I’ll give it to y’all straight. With Tia’s situation, I have to make sure all our bases are covered. Krista, I’m pushing you up to be the lead designer on this.”
The second I hear Krista’s name tied to the project, my jaw tightens. I don’t react—not outwardly, anyway. Blood pounds in my ears, stinging my face with a surge of heat. I grip the arms of the chair like a vice.
Krista, however, is ecstatic and thrusts her hand in Roy’s. Her overly eagerthank yousreverberate through my hand like a painful loop.
I knew this was possible when I put the plans in place for Tia’s absence. But I wasn’t prepared for the gut punch that would come from hearing Roy speak it outloud. I nod like it’s no big deal, like I didn’t just feel the floor shift beneath me. I force my shoulders to stay relaxed, even as everything in me coils.
I listen to Roy explain the new timeline, expectations, and adjustments, but the thoughts in my day drown it all out. I let Tia down. How much worse could this day get?
Donovan is always telling me you get what you put into the world. Well, if that ain’t the truth. Since I arrived back in Austin, it’s been one shit thing after the other. I’m fully convinced now it’s because I can’t get my attitude in check.
“Any questions?” Roy interrupts my thoughts, and I shake my head. All I can think about is getting the hell out of here, hopping on my bike, and taking her for a long ride until the gas runs out.
“Not a question, but a suggestion,” Krista chirps. “I say we have a staff happy hour tonight. What do you say, Roy? We haven’t gone out as a staff in such a long time.” She turns on the puppy dog eyes full throttle. Roy leans over his desk with his hands laced together as if he’s mulling it over. He flicks his eyes back and forth between Krista and I before drumming his hands enthusiastically on the wood top of his cluttered desk.
