Honestly, it抯 probably for the best. I have zero interest in being another rich man抯 anything.
But it might have been nice if he抎 at least considered that before his tongue tormented mine and his hands grabbed my ass.
As soon as the meeting ends, I抦 out, speed walking across the aged wooden floors so briskly the boards creak.
I also don抰 stick around to debrief.
I抳e done my part in paradise.
Let Cole Lancaster figure out what the hell to do with his peaberry baby.
It抯 his problem, and if I have any say in it, I won抰 let him become mine.
揥hat if the problem isn抰 that I don抰 like him? What if he doesn抰 like me??I hold my breath, phone pressed to my ear, waiting for Dakota抯 sage advice.
揟hat抯…not your problem,?she says sharply.
Yeah, not helpful.
揙h! Wait. You mean you like him-like him??
I don抰 answer. She抯 figured it out and there抯 no point in adding to my disgrace.
揇oes your boss梕r, this guy梜now??
揧es,?I say flatly.
揂nd he抯 not interested??Dakota抯 voice sharpens. 揇id the sea breeze go to his head? What the hell is wrong with him??
If only we knew.
She laughs. 揟ell me one thing. Are you sure he knows you抮e interested? I mean, until I accidentally sent my man a dirty poem, he didn抰 know for sure. If it wasn抰 for that slip, who knows how long it would抳e taken him to make a move…？
I smile. Their romance feels like it happened a decade ago and it抯 so sweet.
揟rust me, Dakota. He knows. He抎 be an idiot to have any doubt…？
揥ell, men often are.?
揟his guy isn抰 an idiot. He knows and he just doesn抰 care. I think he regrets showing any interest and wants to keep things professional.?
揗akes sense,?she says glumly. 揙ffice love gets complicated. Take it from me. If it goes wrong, it can ruin careers. He might even think he抯 protecting you with his walled-off act. Men are dumb like that梕specially the rich, bossy types.?
揚rotecting me from what??I hiss.
揥omen always get blamed for this crap when it goes sour. It抯 always the hen抯 fault and never the rooster抯。？
揥ell, he kissed me first. I kissed him back and I桰 encouraged it, okay? But his mouth found mine first.?
She pauses for a heavy second. 揋od, I like that you kiss and tell, lady. What happened after the kiss??
揌is daughter found us棓
揊renching? Holy shit.?
揘o! We…we stopped before she saw us. But he抯 been avoiding me ever since. He抯 acting weird, Dakota, like nothing ever happened, and it抯 driving me nuts.?I don抰 add because it抯 all I can think about.
揧ep. He freaked. Or maybe he just feels bad about initiating a kiss with a woman he works with. Maybe he panicked. The whole workplace romance thing might scare him, especially if he has a kid in the mix.?She sighs. 揝till, not all workplace romances end in scandal. Mine gave me a husband and Evermore.?
I hear the little bundle of joy gurgle in the background.
揥e can抰 all be as lucky as you.?
揕ady, I抦 a Poe, even if the last name changed. Nothing lucky about that,?she says with a laugh. 揂nyhow, you should catch him alone. Talk to him. He kissed and ran and that means he owes you a conversation if he isn抰 a soggy douchecanoe. If he wants to claim temporary insanity or blame it on being drunk, whatever梑ut at least make him say it to your face. You抣l see the truth then, no matter what he says.?
I nod. 揜ight. I swear, married life has made you wiser…？
Dakota laughs and I hear Lincoln yell at her in the background.
揝hhhhh! If he hears you, it抣l go to his head. Also, you two work together. You have to clear the air either way or any future work meetings will be torture. But I can抰 imagine any man going frosty on you, Eliza. He抯 just confused and not as indifferent as you think.?
Oof. What if she抯 right?
I swallow before I say, 揑梩his is going to be like Derek all over again, isn抰 it??
揥hat? Holy crap, no. If he makes you the other woman, you抣l give me his home address and I抣l hire a whole murder of trained ravens to paint his car white.?
I burst out laughing because she might actually be serious about the bird poop parade. When Edgar Allan is a distant relation, there抯 nothing off the table with revenge.
揑抦 just afraid,?I whisper. 揂fter Derek棓
揝top it. This is not Derek,?she says sharply. 揧ou抎 know if he was taken, right??
I hate that she抯 right. Even if most of Cole Lancaster抯 life is still a black void, I do know that.
揓ust because he抯 single doesn抰 mean he won抰 break my heart,?I say.
揟hat抯 always a chance in any relationship. But I抎 like to think most guys aren抰 cheating scumbags.?