Page 33 of Stick to the Plan
Brianna is still sitting in the chair I’d left her in. Her color is still too gray for my liking, but she’s stopped wringing her hands at least. I hook theother chair with my foot to turn to face her, as I press the warm mug into her hands.
Mechanically, she lifts the mug to her lips and takes a sip. Her eyes widen with surprise. She looks down at the mug for a moment, before taking another sip and looking up at me.
“Tea?”
“Yea, I know you said you were going for coffee, but you usually go for tea when you’re stressed.” I swallow around a sudden lump in my throat.
She silently studies my face and it makes me nervous enough to keep babbling. “I grabbed the herbal bag you like, squeezed the honey for 15 seconds, and then added one ice cube so it isn’t too hot.”
Her lips part slightly as she continues to stare at me like a puzzle she can’t quite figure out. By now, I am very familiar with Brianna’s thinking look. That particular look she gets when she’s turning a problem in her head and looking for the solution. I can’t begin to guess why she is looking at me that way, though.
“It’s not poisoned or anything.”
Her eyes widen more before she starts laughing. The sudden noise startles me, but seeing her react with emotion quickly relieves the tension in my shoulders. Soon I am smiling and chuckling with her. She is still smiling after she calms enough for another long sip of her tea.
“Thank you. This is perfect. Now, what were you saying about budget numbers?”
“The budget’s fine. There’s no meeting. I…uh…” I can’t really tell her I just didn’t want her talking to the maggot.
“You just read the room?” Her eyes are downcast, staring into her tea.
“Yea, I guess. Didn’t look like a pleasant conversation.” I’m trying not to pry. Truly, I am. All I want to do is ask her what the hell she ever saw inthat guy. Nic’s grilling over the weekend makes a lot more sense, now. This Chris guy had fucked up.
The question was, how does Brianna feel about him now?
“It wasn’t.” Brianna nibbles on her bottom lip as she darts a little look up at me.
I can tell she’s mulling over what to say. How to explain that interaction. How much to trust me. God, I want her to trust me. I also want to pull that full lip from between her teeth with my thumb.
Decision made, Brianna looks back up at me. “He just surprised me while my back was turned. Gave me a bit of a shock, and no, I’d rather not talk to him. So the interruption was welcome.”
She gives me a half smile; the color is slowly coming back to her cheeks and eyes. My stomach twists with disappointment that she didn’t share the whole story with me. I force a small smile, desperate not to add my emotions to her burden.
Chapter twenty-five
What the Foxtrot
Brianna
Still feeling unsteady, and cheeks burning with embarrassment, I silently sip the rest of my tea. I can tell that Colin wanted to ask more, but I don’t want to discuss Chris with Colin.
It’s not that I still have feelings for Chris. Far from it. Frankly, I can’t even remember a single reason I agreed to marry him, besides it fitting into my five-year plan. No, I am embarrassed that I didn’t see through Chris’s bullshit, and I don’t want Colin to judge me for it.
If I am being honest, my thoughts are more stuck on Colin than Chris right now. He has this uncanny way of knowing what I need and just doing it. Like the tea. He’s right. I prefer tea when I’m feeling stressed. Caffeine and nerves don’t exactly mix. More than that - he memorized precisely how I take my tea. He’dnoticed. A warmth that is both comforting and terrifying fills my chest.
My pocket vibrates, pulling me from my self-reflection. I am mildly relieved to see a text from the production manager asking me to call him right away. Production issues are never a good thing, but in this case, I willhappily take the distraction from my blast from the past encounter. I stand to leave and cut a quick exit.
“I really need to take this. There is a problem with one of my other projects.”
“Brianna - are you sure? Can I do anything?” Concerned creases still mar his brow.
He’s already done so much for me, I can’t stop myself from offering him some comfort, too. With only half a thought, I lay my hand on his firm biceps and gave a slight squeeze. “You’ve already helped. The tea was perfect, thank you.”
Colin’s green eyes search mine. His hand covers mine and squeezes.
Excusing myself, I walk towards the door, my phone already up to my ear before I cross the threshold. On the second ring, Stan Meyrick picks up, and I smiled at the gruff hello from the production manager.
“Hey Stan, how can I help?” I weave through a few people milling the halls as I walk to my cubicle.
