But as soon as the line that I’ve spewed a hundred times before passes my lips, I know it’s a lie. That’s not what makes me happy. Not anymore.
“I owe my full attention to my clients.”
“No, you don’t.” Her tone is firm, raised to be heard. “You owe them the hours they paid for. They don’t own you outside of the business day. Day. Not night.”
“Coming from the woman working on Sunday.” I sigh, not wanting to argue with her. “My entire fucking career has been built on being available twenty-four seven, Ashleigh.”
“Your career is going to be the death of you,” she snaps back.
“It already is.” I drop my head into my hands, resting my elbows on the island. Squeezing my eyes shut, I say, “She left me, Ashleigh.”
There’s a pause, and then she whispers, “Who?”
“It was our secret, only for the time being.”
Her sigh has me clamping my mouth shut. She knows without me saying the name. “Tealey. Oh Rad, I’m sorry to hear your pain. I can hear how much you care about her.”
“I love her.” The words came out quieter than how I feel when I say them. Shouting my love for Tealey Bell from the rooftop has always been the goal when it comes to her.
“Aw, boss,” she says, her tone not as heavy as before. “Love is an amazing thing. It can make you feel on top of the world or cut you to the bone. Sometimes the right person makes you experience both.”
“The right, or do you mean the wrong person?”
“The wrong person doesn’t make you feel anything at all.”
Tealey’s words from last night come back to haunt me—you don’t feel anything at all. Right, Counselor?
I do feel, though. Because of her, I feel alive for the first time. “I feel everything for her.”
“Talk to her.” There’s an edge of excitement to her tone, a confidence that I needed to hear. “If you can be as open with your heart and emotions as you have been just now with me, she’ll hear you.” Seeming satisfied, she adds, “And I’m taking the rest of the day off to enjoy it. I’ll see you tomorrow bright and early?”
“Unfortunately, for you, yes.”
She laughs lightly. “Good luck, Rad.”
“Thanks.”
She’s right. I must find a way to reach Tealey and beg her to give me a second chance. But first, I need to shower. No way am I facing her smelling like whiskey and looking like shit.
* * *
It takes me too long to figure out what to wear. I gravitate toward button-up shirts and dress pants, and although I know Tealey thinks I’m attractive when I’m put together, I need to appeal to her senses. I see the way she stares at my arms and ogles my ass when I’m in a T-shirt and jeans.
The problem is, my wardrobe, like my life, is bland without her. I’m desperate to get to her, so I grab my wallet and keys, needing to make a stop on the way to see her.
I lower my sunglasses when the sunshine hits my face and stop altogether when I hear my name called from behind me.
I turn to see a woman waving her arm in the air as she runs toward me. “Rad, wait.” The voice sounds familiar, but nothing about her is . . . holy shit!
Looking like I’ve never seen her, Marlow is wearing a tank top, leggings, and flip-flops. Not a stitch of makeup graces her face, and her hair is pulled into a mess on top of her head. She looks younger, like she did back in college, and a lot like Tealey has rubbed off on her.
Tealey. I have to get to her. I have to make this right. “I don’t have time for this today, Marlow.” I start in the opposite direction of her.
She runs, flanking my side. “I need to talk to you.”
“No. I need a break from you.”
“Please.” She tugs my arm, but when I pull free, she stays where I left on the sidewalk. “I’m sorry, Rad. I didn’t know about you and Tealey. I would have—”
“You would have what, Marlow?” I ask, turning around. My blood boils. “I’d really like to know what you would’ve done because this scheme was never about anyone but you. It was about Marlow getting what she wanted at all costs, even if that meant roping me into a fake relationship and then nearly into a fucking engagement.” I raise my brows, causing her to flinch. “You screwed me over, and now you’ve done the same to Tealey. And maybe you didn’t know about us, but you might’ve if you would’ve paid a little attention to anyone but yourself.”
I cross my arms over my chest and glare at her.
She comes close enough for us not to need to yell. Not making a scene is probably wise, so I try to temper the anger I have toward her. She says, “I would have never asked you to be a part of this if I had known you and Tealey were together.” Shading her eyes with her hand, she asks, “Why didn’t you guys tell us? I thought we shared everything.”