“Yes,” I whispered, and the look on his face was one of anger.
He closed his eyes for just a moment, as though he was trying to control his reaction.
When he opened his eyes, they looked pained. He had the look of a man admitting a regret he never voiced out loud. “If our situation were any different?—”
“If you weren’t my boss,” I clarified as he stepped in closer. My hands instinctively reached for the lapels of his jacket, wishing I could keep him here longer.
An expression crossed his face as he leaned in, his minty breath on my cheek. “Right. If that weren’t the case, I’d be the one taking you out for a date.”
I nodded, feeling his eyes burning into mine. “I see,” I said, letting go of his lapels as disappointment took over me.
His jaw worked, and I could see his body tighten.
“We’re playing a very dangerous game,” he said, stepping sideways. “I think it’s better we remain friends.”
20
AVA
When Desmond had kissed me yesterday, I’d been vulnerable. I’d been reeling from hearing Kyle’s voice and relieved to see Desmond’s concern about me. I’d been more than ecstatic when he kissed me. But all of that had shattered when he ended it abruptly.
I wished I hadn’t confided in him about Kyle in the first place. If I hadn’t, Desmond wouldn’t have been worried for me. He wouldn’t have followed me out to the restroom. At the memory, I hung my head.
What were we even thinking?
He was worried about me. That’s why he wasn’t thinking when he followed me to the restroom.
I stared at the cash register in front of me and knew I had to stop thinking about this. I regretted confiding in him about Mom. Desmond had done the right thing in putting an end to it even if I felt miserable about it. If we were found out, he’d ruin his reputation as a CEO, and I’d never find a job anywhere else. So, I took a deep breath and turned asone of Luxe Hotels’ employees approached me with their order.
“Two dark chocolate mochas and one espresso,” I called out as I rang up the drinks on the cash register and turned to check if Carolyn had heard me.
She gave me a thumbs-up and steamed the milk at the espresso machine, saying, “I can’t get over how noiseless this thing is now.”
The steamer wasn’t noiseless, but it was definitely a step up from the noisy mess it had been a week ago. I wasn’t covering my ears every time Carolyn approached the machine with a jug of cold milk.
Before I could respond, I heard an irritated womanly voice asking for attention. I turned to the customers and saw Ellie Hunt standing there at the head of the line with Thomas.
“Are you working today?” she asked pointedly while Thomas gave her a cautious look.
“Of course she is,” he responded for me. “I’m single-handedly responsible for reducing her espresso bean stash in half with the amount of coffee I’ve had today,” he said with a calming chuckle.
I rang up Thomas’s order, which was his fourth espresso for the day, with some concern. Ellie asked for a cup of water and wandered off to my left to scrutinize the pastries on display.
“Bad day?” I asked Thomas sympathetically as I ground the fresh espresso beans in preparation for his cup.
Thomas groaned. “Ellie’s set up a new campaign to revamp our PR image with the media. She’s having me interview withManhattan Timeslater this afternoon. I’m terrible at interviews.”
I’d heard through the grapevine that Ellie was fantasticat her job, but everyone who worked for her seemed eager to get out of her way as soon as they praised her work ethic.
When Thomas gratefully accepted his cup of espresso and waved goodbye, Ellie turned to me.
She pulled up her phone in a brisk move. “Have you seen this?” she asked, her eyes fixed sternly on her phone as she tapped a few times before showing it to me.
I looked at the phone and saw a picture of her and Desmond arriving at the party together a few nights ago.
I felt my cheeks go flaming hot. “That’s a picture of you and Mr. McKinley in the papers.”
Ellie waved her hand dismissively. “It was a working dinner party,” she said. “We were trying to network with a design studio to create the first vegan-friendly suite in Luxe Hotels.”
