“With Rich. Is he causing problems for her?”
“I don’t . . . I’m not—”
“What are those?” I ask, walking around her desk. On the corner is a vase with—that fucker—vibrant purple and white roses complemented by baby’s breath and lavender.
“They’re mine,” she says.
I read the card. “This saysLove, Rich.”
“We’re in love,” she says and then shudders. “Nope. I can’t even say it without getting the creeps.”
I ball my fist into my other hand. “Call him.”
“What?”
“Rich. Call him down here. Tell him it’s important.” I’m not sure how Halston will react to me confronting Rich, but at the moment, I don’t care. I was blindsided when Sadie chose Nathan, and this time, I intend to know what I’m up against.
I can see Benny doesn’t want to make the call, but she does. After she hangs up, she says, “He’s coming.”
“Don’t mention it to Halston.” I pick up Rich’s vase and hand it to her. “Trash these flowers. We need the vase for mine.”
She gets up slowly, glancing at Halston’s office door. “Oh-kay . . .”
“I’ll hang onto this,” I say about my bouquet as she leaves.
I settle against the edge of Benny’s desk, cross my arms, and wait. I trust Halston. I don’t trust this guy. I’m not even sure how I feel about her dad from what I’ve heard. Halston is with me now, and I’m not going to sit back while Rich tries to sneak back in.
I spot him weaving through the cubicles. I know it’s him. He looks younger than me—that’s a point in my column as far as I’m concerned. Halston isn’t just any girl. She’s a lot to handle and worth the effort. Her dad couldn’t do it, so he put her on drugs. Rich couldn’t do it, so he convinced her to stay on them.
He slows down when he sees me, his eyes darting between my face and the roses.
“Rich?” I ask, in case he’s thinking of retreating.
He frowns. “Yeah? Who are you?”
I set the bouquet on the desk beside me. They’ve served their purpose. I wait until he’s close enough that we won’t make a scene. “I’m Finn. Halston’s boyfriend.”
“She doesn’t have a boyfriend,” he says right away. “Well, she did, and still kind of does, and it’s me.”
“Kind of?” I have to take a deep breath to keep from raising my voice. This guy needs to get a clue, and I guess I’ll have to give it to him. “What exactly does that mean? Be precise. Does she know she’s your girlfriend?”
“Yes.”
I shake my head. “Try again.”
He stands up straighter. “Look, I don’t know who you are—”
“I’m Finn.”
“Okay, but—”
“Listen, I don’t have a lot of time.” I scratch my jaw, fucking itchy stubble. “Halston tells me you’ve been coming around lately, trying to talk your way back into her life, bringing her shitty flowers. That stops here. Today.”
“Does she know you’re talking to me?”
“Not your business. Your business is this.” I hold up a finger and count off. “One—she’s not with you anymore. Two—she’s with me. Three—it’s over between you.”
He narrows his eyes. “You don’t know shit about my relationship.”
