Page 27 of Five Minute Man
No, as much as he wanted to remind Eve there was nothing between them and never would be, the crowded corridor was neither the time nor the place to set her straight ... again. He knew from experience, and the several polite times he had tried to convince her he wanted nothing more to do with her, that Eve tended not to take rejection well. The last thing he wanted was a scene.
Adam really didn’t give a shit what anybody thought, but he didn’t want to chance Holly witnessing Eve’s theatrics. It was far better to diffuse and redirect now, then handle the heavy stuff later.
“It was business.”
“Oh,” Eve said, her features changing from stormy to friendly again in an instant. Adam breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s different. Why didn’t Brandon just say so? Want to go out this weekend? My friend’s band is playing downtown.”
Adam didn’t hesitate. “No.” He looked over Eve’s shoulder, scanning the faces.Shit. Was that Holly’s friend coming toward them?
“Then how about we just go to my place?”
“Sorry, Eve. I have to run.”
Adam was not by nature a rude man, but sometimes there just was no choice.
He spun around and made for the door. As much as he wanted to see Holly, he didn’t want her anywhere near Eve. He would wait in the parking lot. With any luck, Eve would be gone by the time Holly came out.
* * *
HOLLY DUCKED OUT OFsight around the corner, thankful for the tall potted plant that hid her from view, wishing it absorbed the sound of voices, as well. She had come out a few minutes earlier to refill her water bottle while Liz chatted—i.e. flirted shamelessly—with the svelte male yoga instructor. She had only just spotted Adam, looking exceptionally hot in his shorts and wife-beater tank, coming out of the gym with his friend.
Muscles and a physique that she had only guessed at up to this point made a lovely display indeed, formed and honed by years of manual labor. Broad shoulders, solid chest, naturally sculpted but not gym-ripped. It was the whipped cream icing on a very delectable Adam cake.
Holly was about to approach him when another woman beat her to it.
Fighting back an irrational surge of both jealousy and envy—the woman looked like something right out ofPlayboyorPenthousewith mile-long legs and a set of double-Ds that defied gravity—Holly had stepped back into the shadows. A quick exit was preferable, but there was no way to accomplish that without being seen. To reach the main doors, she would have to cross right in front of them.
Who was that woman? Judging by the way she leaned close to Adam and was touching him, they were more than casual acquaintances. Holly couldn’t see Adam’s face, but she could see the woman’s. There was no mistaking what was onhermind.
“When I called the other night, Brandon said you went to a woman’s house. Should I be worried?”
Holly’s her ears involuntarily tuned into the dialogue taking place only a few feet away. She turned her back to them and raised her hood, trying to untangle the earbuds she carried in her pocket.
Eavesdropping was not her thing on the best of days, and she was quite sure she didn’t want to listen in on this exchange. If she could just get her buds in, she could listen to music until they moved on and pretend that crampy, sick feeling in her stomach was from that last set of locust poses.
“No.”
Holly heard Adam’s answer clearly. Despite her best attempts, her fingers weren’t moving fast enough to get the buds plugged into her phone and into her ears in time.
“Who is she? Do I know her?”
“It was business.”
Shit, shit, shit! La-la-la! Stop listening! Goddamn made-in-Taiwan pieces of shit!No matter how carefully she wound them, they always got tangled.
“Oh, that’s different. Why didn’t he just say so? Want to go out this weekend? My friend’s band is playing downtown.”
Holly didn’t wait to hear his answer. Ensuring her hoodie was in place, she slipped in front of the group of guys coming out of the gym, being extra careful to keep her back to Adam and his ... whatever. For once, she was thankful for her lack of height; it would be all but impossible to see her in front of the guys.
She climbed into her Sportage and sent a quick text to Liz.Good luck with Mr. Flexible. I’m heading out. Call me tomorrow with details.
Holly took a deep breath and turned the key. At least now she didn’t have to wonder anymore why Adam hadn’t called her.
In the twenty-minute drive back to her place, Holly refused to think about what she had just seen and heard, forcing herself to concentrate on the road. Once she got home, however, it was a different story.
“He’s probably feeling guilty,” she told Max later, putting a scoop of special doggy “ice cream” into his dish, then two scoops of the real thing into hers.
She blamed herself, at least partially. She had never bothered to ask if Adam was involved with anyone. She had just assumed otherwise, which was stupid on her part.
