“I don’t know if you’ll love it, but I will.”
“Then it’s worth it.”
He sits back but doesn’t release my hand. I’m worried that the silence will be awkward, but his dad fills the void.
“Heaven?” The mossy-eyed, older Axel calls my name to get my attention.
“Yes?” Normally, I’d say, ‘sir,’ since it is the Texas way, but it gets me in trouble with Axel.
He squeezes his wife’s hand. “We’d like to apologize for our behavior yesterday. We were out of line…”
“And holding you accountable for the last girlfriend,” Hanna adds to finish Alger’s sentence.
Wow.
Talk about a turnaround. Less than twenty-four hours from the incident. Axel wasn’t playing. Hanna’s statement sticks in my head.
“Last girlfriend?”
“Janet,” Axel clarifies.
My face twists before I think to control it. “That crackhead? I meantroubled woman?”
I must be hilarious because everyone is laughing, but it was a serious question.
“Yes. We never liked her and should have considered you on your own merit.”
I can understand Hanna’s admission even if they went about it the wrong way. Janet is a piece of work.
Nodding, I respond to the original issue at hand, “I know apologizing is never easy, so I accept. Thank you.”
“Now that that’s over, we can have dinner like we were supposed to last night,” Axel says, ending the conversation.
* * *
Axel
A shot of disappointment, followed by a betrayal chaser, joins my morning smoothie as I read the headline. The sun lost some of its luster, but anger heats my body. It’d be easy to rage out and knock shit over, but I’m not that kind of person. I hate when bad feelings are verified. I stare at the screen until it feels the pixels are staring back at me, and the headline is screaming.
Surf Mogel is Sterile.
The reality that Allie is a mole is far more painful than just the possibility. I’ve trusted her with so much. I’m happy that I’d kept the decision to sell very close to the vest. I instant message my H.R. Manager who appears shortly with a frazzled Allie in tow.
“I’ve already spoken to Diana—” Allie begins, but I lift a hand.
Rea looks between us, trying to catch up.
“I have a feeling I won’t need P.R.’s attention as much after today.” I turn my screen for Allie. “You don’t find it funny that something I told you is a headline a couple of days later?”
Allie blanches then fixes her face with indignation. “What? You’re blamingmefor this?”
“Yes! This hasyouwritten all over it.”
“I’ve been your trusted assistant for over five years!”
“Which makes it hurt worse.”
I’d followed Heaven’s advice and told Allie, and Allie only, a complete lie. There isn’t an inkling of truth she would be able to find to support getting this anywhere else.
