Page 41 of Unmasking Secrets
My eyes flicker between the screens. I keep coming back to her—always her. A huge smile covers her face as she works and talks. She’s clearly in her element. She looks so fucking happy for the first time in weeks.
If only I could be the one to make her happy like that.I shake the thought from my head. I need to focus.
Unfortunately, my need to keep eyes on Tabitha means I also watch how others interact with her. It wouldn’t be a problem except for the one guy who keeps getting too close for my comfort. He clearly has a thing for her, and it’s irritating. That frustrates me even more, since I shouldn’t have a problem with it.
I pushed her away too.
I thought it would be easy to act like we weren’t friends, to keep things professional. Clearly, only she’s capable of doing that. She’s so wrapped up in her protected little work bubble. Meanwhile, I’m forced to watch her slip away from me all over again.
This has to be for the best.
“How’s it been going?” Tyler questions next to me.
I peek over my shoulder. “Which part?”
“Over the past week.” He shakes his head. “You never said where you were, but I can take a wild guess.”
It’s possible he would guess correctly. I told him about the club a while back, when I was still trying to decide what to do. I don’t remember bringing up Tabitha, though. That’s a separate conversation. It’s hard to explain without starting from the beginning, and I’m not ready to dive deep about her. Not yet.
“Until recently, I hadn’t seen her in years.” I clear my throat. I know I need to start somewhere. “Our moms are best friends; they grew up together. So, we grew up together. Our families are close. After high school, we just went our separate ways.She went to college and got married. And, you already know my story.”
“So, nothing ever happened between the two of you?” Matt smirks.
“We’re just friends—or—we were, growing up. Life happens, people grow apart.”
“Sure.” Matt nods, but the look on his face tells me he doesn’t believe me. He goes back to looking at his laptop with a grin on his face.
“The way you reacted when you saw the email, I thought there might be more there.” Tyler speaks up.
“Looks like she has something going on with that other guy anyway.” Matt interrupts, his eyes are on one of the screens.
My head snaps up to look at the screen to see her getting close to someone. “Good for her.” I grit out. I turn to look at another screen. Any. Other. Fucking. Screen.
She needs to move on. It’s better for both of us. I don’t want to watch it happen, but I didn’t really give myself much of a choice. We’ve pushed each other away.
But, fuck, if I thought it was hard watching her get married years ago, it’s worse now just watching her flirt. Before, I didn’t know how she felt. I’d kept her up on this pedestal because she fucking deserved the world. Now, I’m stuck in my misery without a clue of how to proceed.
I stand up from my chair, nearly knocking it over. “I’m going to grab some water. Anyone need anything?”
They all say no, but I’ll bring some back, just in case. I need an excuse to get out of this room. The kitchen will give me a temporary reprieve. I’ll grab some water and snacks, then get out.
I ignore the voices and laughter coming from the next room as I make my way into the kitchen and head straight for the fridge. I grab a few bottles of water, then a few protein bars from the counter before turning to leave.
“Hey.” Max enters.
He’s Tabitha’s friend, probably the new best friend. At least I don’t have to worry about this one falling in love with her. It helps put me at ease around him.
“Hey.”
“I know she’ll never say it, but it deserves to be said. Thank you for keeping her safe.” He steps further into the kitchen and grabs a bag of chips off the counter. “I feel like it’s obvious to say thank you for your service too, and I’m appreciative. It’s just—you’ve known her longer than I have. So, I know you already know what I’m about to say.” He sighs. “She enjoys being liked and needs to feel accepted. But, she also has the biggest heart and would give the shirt off her back to help someone else. Her ex took advantage of her. It’s good for her to have someone like you back in her life. Someone who won’t take advantage of her and will help make sure nobody else does ever again.”
I turn and pause. “Max, we’re just friends.”
“Considering she’s flirting with Luke, I assumed.” He chuckles.
“Good for her.” I grind my teeth together as I leave the room and head back to the security office.
So, the guy has a name. Luke. It’s not even a dorky name. It’s a good name. This would be easier if the guy had a name I could make fun of, in my head anyway. It’s not like he’s a bad guy either. We ran background and security checks on everyone who would be here this weekend. There’s nothing evil about any of them. Maybe spending more on action figures than some people do on rent, but to each their own.
