He strode into the building with a feigned confidence that tricked everyone. Head held high, smile pasted on his face, wearing his favorite suit and lucky tie. He clutched a Starbucks cup in his hand, hoping like hell the caffeine would give him the necessary jolt to last through the morning.
The Worth building was quiet since it was still early, but his assistant was there. Sitting behind her desk and typing furiously at her keyboard, she glanced up when he passed by and offered him a glimmer of a smile.
“Messages are on your desk,” she said.
“I already have messages?” It was just after seven. “And what are you doing here so early?”
Gloria smiled. “I have a dentist appointment this afternoon, remember?”
“Right.” He nodded, his gaze wandering around the cubicles. Looking for a distinct dark head bent over her desk. “What time is the appointment?”
“Three-thirty and across town, so I’ll need to leave extra early. I’m not taking a lunch.” Gloria returned her attention to her monitor, her fingers once again clacking on the keyboard. “Oh, Gracie Hayes said she wants to speak with you as soon as you get in.”
His stomach instantly knotted up. “She’s here already?” He didn’t spot her at her desk.
“She was here when I arrived, and that was fifteen minutes ago,” Gloria said wryly. “I think she’s trying to make us all look bad.”
He scowled at his assistant. So Gracie was dedicated, so what? “If you see her, tell her I’m here.”
“She went to grab some coffee real quick. I’ll let her know you’re in when she comes back and send her to your office.”
He went into his office, going straight to the window. Opening the blinds, he gazed down at the busy maze of streets filled with cars below. It was a cold and rainy morning, a perfect gloomy backdrop to his melancholy mood and he took a sip of his coffee. Wished like hell she wasn’t the first thing he had to deal with this morning.
Coward.
Hunter scowled. He was really beginning to hate that word.
A knock sounded on the door, and he turned to see Gracie standing just inside his office. Confident and beautiful, the wariness in her gaze the only thing giving her away.
She was nervous. Great, so was he.
“Can I talk to you?”
“Of course. Come in.” He settled behind his desk, and she sat down as well. In the very chair he’d had sex with her in almost two months ago.
His lips, his emotions flattened at the memory.
“I—I don’t know how to tell you this.” She wrenched her hands together in her lap and bent her head as if afraid to look into his eyes. “I don’t think I’ll be able to go to the Worthwhile spring launch.”
“Why the hell not?” The words left him before he could think and she jerked her head up at his harsh tone, her eyes wide. “I mean. Well—” He cleared his throat, searching for composure. “You’ve worked so hard on this already. Why wouldn’t you want to see the final completion of the project?”
She shrugged and gazed at her lap once more. Docile and timid, completely unlike her usual self, he frowned at her bent head.
What the hell was going on?
“I’ll see this project through to the end, I promise, being I’m in charge of it all. But I don’t think it’s necessary for me to attend the actual event. You’re more than competent to handle everything, as is Rhett. You don’t need me there.”
“I want you there,” he said, his voice low, anger and frustration bubbling inside of him. “You deserve to be there, Gracie. You’ve put in too many long hours to let it go and have Rhett in charge of it, for Christ’s sake.”
She met his gaze once more, her lips pursed, anger radiating off her in subtle waves. “Why do you keep underestimating Rhett? He’s a lot smarter than you give him credit for.”
He literally growled with frustration. She automatically defended Rhett and she had no idea the shit he’d been through with his brother. “I’ll answer your question when you answer mine.” Leaning across his desk, his gaze locked with hers. “Why do you keep avoiding me and playing this game?”
“I don’t avoid you.” She sat up straighter, visibly bristling.
“That’s the reason you don’t want to go to the launch party, right? Fly all the way to California, stay in a hotel for a couple of days—because you’ll have to be with me.” He paused, letting his words sink in. Her lips parted, she gaped at him like a fish and he pushed on. “Plenty of other employees from the New York office will be in attendance as well, including Alex. I’m sure you can use whoever you need to as some sort of buffer between us. I already said I wouldn’t cross that line ever again.” He’d said it only to make her happy and ended up making himself completely miserable in the process.
Her face appeared ready to crumple, and she turned away, glancing over her shoulder as if to make sure no one was in the doorway lurking about before she turned to face him once more. “It’s too hard for me to go, Hunter. I can’t do it and I’m sorry. I don’t mean to disappoint you, but I just…” Her voice trailed off, and she stood, looking ready to run. “I can’t,” she whispered before she darted toward the door.