CHAPTER7
“We need to discuss today,” Pedro told her quietly as they walked back to Tower C after their last meeting.
“I’m afraid I have some work to do to get caught up from being out of my office all day,” Belinda said quickly. She wasn’t ready to talk yet.
“If you promise me our conversation will take place soon, I’ll give you some alone time,” Pedro suggested.
She stared at him. “You always know what I’m thinking.”
“I’m glad. That makes it harder for you to hide from me. Now, do I have your promise that we’ll talk later tonight?”
When she nodded, he said, “Then I’ll go to check out the gym this evening, Knox invited me to join him earlier. He’s going to kick my butt. I haven’t been to the gym in a while.”
“I’ll get notes typed up while it’s fresh in my mind,” she shared, forcing a picture of Pedro’s muscles rippling as he lifted weights out of her mind.
“We will talk soon,” Pedro promised, capturing her gaze.
“Soon,” she echoed, before turning to disappear into her office. She held her breath, hoping he would continue down the hallway. Belinda heard silence for a few seconds and then footsteps that faded away.
Forcing herself to focus on the meetings, Belinda opened her computer and refined her notes. She added details to the quick items she’d written during the meetings. Working methodically, she ignored the called goodnights and dings of the elevator arriving and carrying people away. Her personal life sucked. She might as well focus on her new position. She was so much better at that than being a Little girl.
By eight, she’d exhausted the details in her memory. Belinda carefully saved the file and closed down her computer. Standing up on the tall pumps she’d covered the campus in today walking as she moved from meeting to meeting, Belinda promised herself she could wear flats tomorrow.
They’d contacted Sharon at lunch to give her the okay to continue the combined meetings. Each conversation with the department heads had gone swimmingly with both Pedro and her, gathering information that they would not have heard without the joint focus. There was no way Belinda could legitimately ask for Pedro to be scheduled separately.
Another day of waiting to see Pedro’s disappointment with me or his anger at my rush for judgment against him, Belinda thought as she walked across the green space between Towers C and B.
Maybe it’s time for me to move off campus.
That thought made her look around sadly. It was so pretty here. She hated to lose all this and the convenience of being close to work. Waving to the security guard on duty at the desk in Tower B, she headed upstairs to her apartment. Tinkerbell meowed loudly from outside her balcony door as she walked in.
The sight of the beautiful cat made her smile genuinely for the first time that day. Opening the door, she asked, “What are you doing here? You should be at home.”
Tinkerbell sauntered in and elongated himself in a full body stretch before flopping over to show his belly. “Meow!”
“Are you lonely? Pedro must still be at the gym.” She talked to the now purring creature as she sat down on the floor to pet Tink’s tummy. “I really screwed up today, kitty. I ruined everything. I was a total bitch.”
“Language, Little girl.” Pedro stood in the balcony doorway. He wore shorts and a T-shirt. His hair was wet, cluing her in that he’d had time to work out and shower.
“Knox didn’t kill you,” she commented.
“He tried. That man is too tough for his own good.” Pedro laughed before asking, “Can I come in?”
“I don’t know why you want to,” Belinda answered, keeping her head down as she stroked the cat in an attempt to keep him from seeing her cry.
Pedro accepted that as an invitation and settled next to her on the floor. He waited quietly for her to talk. When a sob escaped her lips, he lifted her easily onto his lap and rocked her slowly.
“Little girl. You are so hard on yourself.”
“I ruined everything,” she sobbed.
“What did you ruin?” he asked, smoothing back the hair from her face as she hid against his chest.
“Everything. I accused you of taking over my meetings and trying to sabotage me. None of it was your fault, and you were wonderful all day long.”
“We figured it out. Misunderstandings happen, Little girl.”
“You can’t still want me to be that!” she wailed.