“Got a minute?” he asks softly.
No.
I force a smile and gesture to the seat at my desk. “Sure.”
He sits down and leans back and crosses his legs; his eyes hold mine.
He knows something.
“What is it?” I ask.
“Have you heard from Elliot?” he asks, his voice soft, cajoling.
I press my lips together hard. “No.”
He narrows his eyes.
“Why do you ask?”
“We haven’t been able to reach him.”
I frown.
“I’m a little worried, to be honest.”
I turn back to my computer and act busy. “You don’t need to worry, he’s in France with his artist.”
He stays silent, so silent that I look back.
His eyes hold mine, and I know that he knows just how broken I am.
My eyes well with tears. “I’m sorry. I just . . .”
“It’s okay—”
“It’s not,” I cut him off; this is the most degrading moment of my life. My boyfriend’s brother coming to comfort me after he ran off with another woman.
I just want to be out of here, away from all these . . . snakes.
“I’m giving you my notice.”
His face falls. “Kate, no.”
“I can’t be here, Chris.”
His haunted eyes hold mine.
“I just . . .” Words fail me, because there are none. None that will make sense anyway. “Today is my last day, I’ll be out by close of business.”
“I don’t want you to leave,” he whispers. “Elliot wouldn’t want you to leave.”
“Elliot is not here, is he?” I snap sharply. “I’m sorry.” I shrug. “I don’t mean to snap at you but . . .”
“It’s okay.” He watches me for a moment. “What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know.” I sigh. “Get the hell out of London for a while.”
He leans his face on his hand as he watches me. “Mom’s upset.”
That makes two of us.
I nod, unable to push out words in fear of a full-on meltdown.
“Can I help you pack up?” he asks as he looks around my office.
I smile sadly, Christopher is so kind. “No, I’m okay.”
“Are you?” His eyes hold mine.
“Not really.” I smile through tears. “But . . . I will be.”
We stare at each other for a while. “Kate, for what it’s worth . . . I know he’ll—” He cuts himself off as if reconsidering what he was going to say.
“What?”
“He’ll regret this.”
“I know. I do.”
He frowns. “Do you?”
I puff air into my cheeks. “Actually, that’s not fair, I can’t say that. Elliot showed me what it was like to feel again. I’ve been numb since my parents died, so in a way”—I shrug—“I have to be grateful for that.”
He smiles sadly. “You’re a pretty cool chick, Landon.”