Bristling, I stare back at her. “Isn’t this a little personal for the office?”
“Like I said in the main area, private topics can be discussed as long as they’re privately discussed.” She lifts her chin to the closed door. “And this seems private enough. What’s going on, Levi? How can I help?”
With a subtle shake of my head, my shoulders hunch, and I slump back into the chair. “Not sure there’s much you can do. I made a huge mistake.”
“And what mistake was that?”
I open my mouth to tell her, but she cuts me off.
“Actually, let me guess. You let your friend slip through your fingers. And after seeing her date someone else, you’ve finally realized how badly you screwed up. And now you’re trying to wrap your head around the fact that the girl of your dreams is in the arms of another man. Am I close?”
Ugh.
When she puts it like that, I get the overwhelming urge to bang my head against a wall.
“Yup,” I reply, bluntly. “Sounds about right. How the hell did you know I had a thing for her, though?”
“Classic best friend scenario. Besides, I saw how you looked at her when I was at the bakery. In all honesty, I’m surprised you didn’t see it for yourself. What’s your story?”
My story? How the hell do I sum up twenty-three years of life into a few mere sentences?
Clearing my throat, I try. “My dad left right after I was born, and daycares are expensive as hell, so my mom would take me with her to clean houses and do odd jobs for people like cooking and babysitting little kids around the neighborhood while the parents went out. Then Charlie’s mom died, and her dad needed to go to work still, so the two of them figured out an arrangement where she would watch Charlie during the day for a bit of money. Charlie was only, what? Three or so?” I laugh dryly as memories of the little girl who would follow me everywhere assault me. She was a cute little shit. “Anyway, we did everything together and became best friends. I basically looked at her like my little sister, who was less annoying than the ones my friends always complained about.”
“Then you both grew up,” Alexandra surmises.
“Yeah. We did.”
“And you realized you didn’t like other boys touching her.”
“I didn’t think I cared,” I reply honestly. “I know that’s an asshole thing to say, but it’s the truth. Hell, I thought she did date, but she was just better at keeping it hidden than I was. And I was okay with that. I didn’t really like the idea of her dating anyone in the first place, so it worked for me. Then, when I found out she didn’t, I figured it was because she wasn’t interested.”
“So how’d she start dating Conner?”
I rub my palm over my face roughly, regret pooling in the pit of my stomach. “I convinced her to.”
Alexandra’s eyes widen in surprise, and she doesn’t even bother to cover it up. “I’m sorry…you convinced her to date Conner? The guy you were two seconds away from punching in the face? Why the hell would you do that?”
“Because I’m a dumbass?” I offer snarkily.
With a dry laugh, she quips, “Apparently, you are. Seriously, Levi. What were you thinking?”
“Conner was into Charlie, but she wasn’t interested, so he asked if I could put in a good word.”
“Why would he ask you?”
“Because he knew she would trust me,” I choke out.
“But why would you do it? Why would you put in a good word? Conner isn’t a bad guy, don’t get me wrong. But still. It doesn’t make any sense. What was in it for you?”
I catch Alexandra resting her elbows on the table and balancing her chin on her closed fist as she watches me curiously.
However, it doesn’t make it any easier to admit what an asshole I am. Running my tongue between my lips and the front of my teeth, I search for a response that doesn’t make me sound like the worst best friend alive. I can’t think of one.
After a few seconds, I scratch my jaw and spit out the truth. “Conner offered to back out of the contention for the job at the end of the internship if I convinced her to date him.”
Alexandra’s jaw drops. She doesn’t say a word. She simply stares at me with wide eyes.
Fidgeting with my collar, I snap, “I know! Okay? I know!”