Page 29 of Entangled By You
I leave Beth to her ass kissing and haul the decor into the small office we use as a break room and storage. I’m not going back out there until that woman is gone and I don’t have to see her smug face.
Finally getting to sit and get off my feet, I pull out my phone to check my messages. Things have been awkward between Pierce and me since he declared he expects me to give him a perfect happily ever after.
We might be having a baby, and there’s no denying the sexual tension that runs wild any time we’re in the same room, but the other stuff, I don’t know if that’s in the cards for us.
It doesn’t make sense to me how he can put everything I did behind us. He hasn’t brought it up and addressed things head-on. Instead, it’s offhanded comments under his breath. I don’t think he realizes when he says them. That doesn’t mean they don’t dig deep between my ribs and poke straight through my heart. They’re a reminder that no matter what pretty promises he makes, he’s still not entirely over it. That’s what leaves me unsettled on how to move forward.
Hey. You coming straight home from work? I’m thinking fried chicken, thoughts?
Sounds great. I could use some comfort food after today. A foot rub, too.
His text is from over an hour ago. I don’t expect the little white dots to pop up immediately, but they do.
Why? What happened?
Noted on the foot rub. How about I draw you a bath, and you can soak while I finish dinner?
You’re gonna lose your club cred if you keep up this Mr. Homemaker shtick.
Don’t care what the guys think, Princess. Last time I checked, a man, isn’t worried about what a bunch of guys think, as long as the woman in his life is satisfied.
Satisfied, huh. If only I could tell him, the real way to satisfy me isn’t through a relaxing bath or the delicious home-cooked meals that are probably the real culprit for the twenty pounds I’ve put on. It’d be for him to finish what he started that night on the couch, before he blew things to pieces with his ultimatum.
I don’t get a chance to skirt the dangerous side of this conversation, because Beth comes barging into the office, eyes wild.
“Lexi Kane, how could you behave in such a way with a customer like Mrs. Montgomery. One negative word from her and I’d have to close this place.”
“Beth, come on. I helped her like any other customer. She came in here ready for a fight with me. She’s certain I had something to do with Evan’s disappearance or that I know where he is. That’s all she was in here to do.”
“Then why did she just run up a twenty-five hundred dollar bill?” she deadpans.
“Uhh.”
“Exactly, I can’t have an employee who can’t put her personal business aside and help customers. I don’t think this is going to work anymore.”
“What!?” I screech. “You’ve got to be kidding me. I’ve been working here for three years, Beth. You’re going to let one bad customer experience cost me my job?”
“It’s nothing personal, Lexi. This business is my everything. I just can’t have you working here anymore. I’m sorry.” She nods as if that’s the end of that.
My eyes begin to burn, but after everything today, the last thing I want to do is cry in front of this woman I used to think of as more than just a boss. I thought she was a friend.
I snatch my purse and sweater from the break table and shove past her for the door, but before I leave, I whip around.
“I hope you know who you’re getting in bed with. That woman is a snake who would eat her young if it got her the results she wanted. You can send my last check to my address on file,” I say, and slam the door on my way out.
SLAY HER DEMONS
PIERCE
The front doorslams shut with enough violence to rattle the artwork on the walls. She hinted at something earlier; whatever it is must still be festering.
“Dinner should be done in a few. I know I said bath first, but you might want to wa…” The word dies on my tongue when I finally turn from the stove and see the wet streaks pouring down her face.
“What happened?” I demand, eating up the distance between us to take her bags and pull her into my arms.
She doesn’t fight me on the embrace, and that only intensifies the storm brewing in my veins.
Her sniffles are her only response as she burrows in closer to my chest. I haven’t held Lexi like this in years, and I can’t even enjoy the way her hair smells or her soft curves contorting around my frame because there’s something wrong she’s not telling me.
