Everything was too good, too easy.
I should have known.
“Lowell? What the fuck, man?” Lance mutters as he steps into my office, eyeing the mess. “What’s going on?”
“Cara—she’s here in London. Fucking find her or find me someone who can.”
“What? Is she fucking stupid?”
“Turns out she isn’t as stupid as we once thought.”
TWENTY-THREE
Nina
The sun is out in full force when I leave The Elm, so even though I’m cutting it fine, I opt to walk instead of calling Vinny. I pull the straps of my vest top off my shoulders as the warmth seeps into my skin.
Mason seems to be ignoring my messages, and I refuse to ring him. I’d rather save that argument for later. I can’t believe he just walked out when he said he would be there. I thought he knew that it was for my benefit just as much as his—I wanted him there. He told me that Joey had an allegation made against him in the past, but I never pressed him on it. He said it never came to anything, but somewhere in the back of my mind I wonder what happened.
I felt like I saw a completely different side to Joey today. If I’m being fair, then that’s all I can judge him on. He seems harmless.
With the sun on my back, I head off in the direction of my studio, ready for my last session of the day with my girls.
Once in the studio, I set the mats up for the girls and make sure everything is ready for my class, then I go to the office to find the note Erin said she left me.
I scan the desk and move the files, but nothing shows up. I will have to ask Henry later, but there’s no way he would have come up even if he found it.
“Girls, you do that in two weeks’ time, and you will be taking home the trophy. That was insane!”
“We will, you mean,” Bethany, the eldest of the group, calls over at me.
I smile, pulling her into my side. “I’m proud of you, girls. Honestly, this past year you’ve come so far. I’m feeling quite emotional.” I start to flap my hand in front of my face as the girls all stand awkwardly watching me. “You guys head out, don’t mind me. We have a session Friday now. Don’t overdo it at the gym, okay?”
As always, the girls help me to put the mats away before leaving. I’m just packing up my things when my phone rings.
It’s Mason.
A gut feeling tells me not to answer. I don’t know if I have the energy to fight tonight. But I relent, accepting the call and bringing the phone to my ear.
“Nina?”
“Yeah, I’m here,” I tell him, resting my back against the piano.
“I’m sorry about earlier. I wanted to be there, but Elliot needed me at the office, and I’ve been flat out ever since.”
I roll my eyes even though he can’t see me. Does he think I’m stupid? “You can just say you didn’t like the fact I was with Joey, you know. Not that there’s any reason for you to be jealous. You knew what you were walking into, Mason. He was just positioning me, and it was the first time he touched me the whole session.”
“He fucking touched you?”
I bite my tongue, my eyes zeroed in on a small mark on the floor. “Uh, yeah. You seemed pissed when you left—jealous.”
“I had a shit day, Nina. I’m not jealous.” I hear him blow out a breath. “Things are just a little crazy here at the minute.”
Shit.
I feel bad. Maybe I read him wrong earlier. He sounds so stressed. “Do you want me to come to you? I’m finished for the day.”
“No, get yourself home. I’ve booked you a cab, but it’s not until five. I can rearrange it for earlier?”
