“You know Dylan?” I ask. “How?”
“We went to high school together in Chicago.” He leans forward. “We’ve been friends for a long time.”
“That’s surprising,” I blurt out without thinking.
His eyes widen. “Surprising? How so?”
From what I remember, Dylan is charming and funny. He hugged Rocco when he arrived and ordered pizza for everyone at the table. It’s hard to imagine that he has anything in common with my boss.
I shrug a shoulder. “You two seem different.”
He looks to the elevator when it dings. “We are different. I’m nothing like him.”
“You can say that again,” I whisper under my breath.
“What was that, Isabella?” He tilts his head, cupping his hand over his ear. “I didn’t catch that.”
I turn my attention to the approaching footsteps. It’s Linus Adamsen, the Assistant Director of Quality Control for Garent and the first name on the list that Barrett sent me last night.
I look down when Linus raises his hand in a friendly greeting. He’s on top of the world right now, but when he steps back on that elevator, his life will be forever different because of my boss.
***
I’m waiting around until Barrett’s office door opens because I know he has something he wants to say to me.
I’m not a mind reader. I am very diligent about reading every last word of the emails my boss sends to me. The last one sent ten minutes ago at six-fifteen p.m., told me to stay in place until he was done with the call he’s on.
He has to be talking on his cell because the office line is free and clear. I know that because I tried to connect him with a woman who heads development for one of the country’s biggest beverage companies, but he didn’t pick up.
I even emailed him to tell him that he needed to take the call. He responded almost immediately with three simple words: Take a message.
I slide the half-finished crossword puzzle from under the file folder on my desk. Giving it a glance, I hone in on the clue I’ve been stuck on for days. “Five letters for busy.”
I tap my pen against the side of my lip. “Not me.”
I laugh to myself. When I worked for Duke, I always had something to do. Barrett doesn’t delegate nearly as much as my previous boss. It has to be a control issue. That, or he doesn’t trust me as much as Duke did.
The sound of heavy footsteps sets me in motion. I drop the pen, slide the crossword puzzle back into it’s hiding place, and open an already completed document on my laptop.
My fingers jump to the keyboard. I might as well appear to be busy when Barrett comes out of his office.
“Listen to me.” His voice carries through the wooden door. “It’s not your damn decision.”
The door flies open, revealing a man on a mission. His gaze doesn’t land on me as he charges right past my desk. “Say what you need to say, but it changes nothing. Do you hear me? Nothing will change.”
I stare at his back as he heads toward the elevator. When he jabs his finger into the call button over and over again, I rise from my chair.
I should stop him, shouldn’t I? He said he needed to talk to me.
Before I can round my desk to chase after him, the elevator doors pop open, and he steps inside. The doors glide shut, and I watch as the car climbs to the penthouse floor, leaving me with questions I don’t think I’ll get the answers to tonight.
Chapter 22
Bella
I wait a full thirty minutes before I turn off my laptop and lock my desk drawers for the night. Shouldering my purse, I skim my hands over the front of my short sleeve black sweater, tucking the hem into the waistband of my skirt.
I make my way to the elevator and push the call button. I should go straight home and cook a quick stir-fry with all the fresh vegetables that are sitting in the fridge. I bought those days ago to make a tofu dish for Gina. She stumbled on the recipe online and sent it to me via text message. She didn’t have to ask if I’d cook it for her. I always do.