Page 71 of A Murderous Crow
“The man I’ve been…seeing… is Corbett Prescott.”
Fabian gasped and leaned forward, putting both hands flat on my desk and whispering harshly, “Girl, shut the front door!” he looked at me aghast.
I squeezed my eyes shut and said, “I know, I know! Just, one thing led to another and now here we are and, oh Fabian – I’m afraid I actually reallylikehim. Like,like, like him, and I don’t know where to go from here.”
“How?” he asked, and he still hadn’t picked his jaw up from off the floor.
“Just one thing led to another and, you know… we ended up…” I rolled my eyes and gave him a pointed look and said, “You know.”His eyebrows went up. “It was all supposed to be just some no-strings-attached fun, but believe it or not, he’s really not what he seems and we really just misunderstood each other and then this morning?—”
He gasped. “This morning?”he demanded. “We’re staying out late onschoolnights now?” he leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest and I rolled my eyes.
“My power went out at my place from the severe thunder storm, and my bedroom ceiling sprang a leak and then my bedroom ceilingcollapsedand now I’m supposed to move into the apartment above his carriage house just until I can figure something out and anyway, this morning we had sex, and I asked him if it would be such a terrible thing, him and I together and all he said was‘no, it’s not,’ but then he got all distant and cold as we got ready for work and I think I fucked up and now I don’t really know what to do about it, and I’m afraid things are going to be so awkward living so close together and that’s notreally what’s all consuming my brain – it’s that Ireallywant to be a part of his life and I want him to be part of mine and it came out of nowhere and I feel so stupid, but I can’t help how I feel and?—”
“Savannah!” he barked and I snapped my mouth shut. He tsked, sighed, and shook his head.
“Girl, I take my eyes off you for asecondand you get in bed with Corbett-fucking-Prescott?”
He looked at me pitying for a second, and then sighed and said – “I mean, if he were gay, I would have already tried; let’s face it, the man is gorgeous, but he’s also anassholeand Bright Eyes, you deservemuchbetter than that.”
I smiled faintly, I couldn’t help it, and said, “That’s what he calls me, too.”
“Oh.” Fabian looked dubious and then said,“Oh!” like it meant something.
“What?” I asked.
“Oh, Girl – pet names and I have to ask, were those hisexact words?‘No, it’s not’ or did he say ‘No, itwouldn’t’?”
I played with the necklace that Corvus had given me, and said, “Trust me, I’ve been playing those words over and over in my head since he told me this morning, he said ‘no, it’s not’; why?”
“It may be nothing. It may be something…” he looked thoughtful.
“What, Fabian? What could it possibly mean?” I hated how desperate I sounded.
“It could mean, either A, he has it just as bad for you as you do for him but he’s got commitment issues. Or, B, he really loves the sex but doesn’t feel the same way about you that you do about him, at all – from the sounds of it and the lack of past tense… I want to lean toward option A, but honey, I don’t know that I would get my hopes up.”
I sat back in my seat and rubbed my forehead as much to hide from him as to try and ease the burgeoning headache I was giving myself, worrying myself sick over the whole situation which was honestly stupid.
“Why do feelings have to be so hard?” I complained.
“I ask myself the same question, too…” he said. “Now moving past the whole Corbett Prescott bombshell – your ceiling collapsed? What’s that about?”
In for a penny, in for a pound…I thought to myself.
“About that…” I said, reluctant to get intoallof my business all at once; but honestly, Fabian was the only one I felt like I could talk to about any of it. I’d done a pretty good job of isolating myself out of pure ambition since moving here – part of that was out of necessity. I had lied like a rug on my resume to get my foot in the door here a little over a year ago just to get the chance to prove myself.
I had – don’t get me wrong – but I actuallylikedMr. Beauregard and my other coworkers here, and I didn’t want to devastate them.
“Nope!” Fabian stood. “It sounds like you’ve got it handled, and honestly, I think I can handle only so much in one afternoon or you’re liable to send me into all sorts of airs and graces. Speaking of… you’re clear to leave early if you need to go handle things at your place. I can’t imagine…”
“Thank you, I know there’s an all-hands staff meeting—” Fabian held up his hand and retrieved his folio from the floor.
“I will send your most sincere regrets at your inability to attend, and I will take copious notes. Thatiswhat I’m here for, after all – but you owe me drinks and a whole lot of explaining by Friday, if you please.”
He gave me a baleful look and I had to laugh.
“It’s a deal. I have a thing on Thursday night…”
“A thing, or a date with a certain competitor?” he asked.
