As the meeting ended and Samuel, Simon, and I headed out into the hallway where Parker and Morgan were discussing something, Morgan didn’t so much as spare me another glance.And that, more than anything, told me exactly how deeply my actions had affected her.
Starting next week, I’d be in this office.Every day.Working beside her.Seeing her in meetings, hearing her voice, and watching her act as though we were strangers.But we weren’t.Not even close.
We parted ways with Samuel, and Simon and I made our way to the elevator.Once inside, Simon pressed the button for the lobby and glanced at me.
“Let’s go catch an early dinner to celebrate,” he suggested.
“Like we haven’t spent enough money today already?”I asked, forcing myself to grin so Simon didn’t suspect that anything was wrong.
Simon snorted.“Please.The day I pass up an excuse to eat a good meal is the day I no longer have a pulse.”His mouth curved into a self-satisfied smile.“We closed a good deal and I’m celebrating whether you come with me or not.I was thinking Italian.There’s a place not far from here that I want to try.”
Simon made the decision without asking my opinion, which was typical of his detail-obsessed personality, but I didn’t care, especially not today.My mind was too preoccupied with thoughts of Morgan.As we taxied to the restaurant, Simon kept talking about timelines, projections, and product specs, but it all washed over me in pieces.Every word reminded me that in a few days I would be working alongside the woman I hadn’t been able to forget, and that I’d already screwed up any possibility of a second chance with.
The restaurant Simon picked was an upscale establishment with the smell of garlic and tomatoes thick in the air.Once we’d settled at the table and ordered an expensive bottle of red wine, Simon leveled me with a serious look.
“What’s going on with you?”he asked, clearly noticing how distracted I’d been.“Is there an issue with the investment deal that I’m not seeing?”
Of course he’d think my quiet mood was business related.“No.”I shook my head and quickly reassured him.“The deal’s fine.”
“Then what is it?”he persisted, swirling the red liquid in his wine glass.“Because you’ve been off since the second half of our meeting with Samuel, and definitely pre-occupied since we left GalvaTech.”
My stomach knotted and I exhaled a deep breath, knowing I needed to come clean with Simon.“I just…wasn’t expecting to see someone I knew at the office.”
Simon blinked at me in surprise.“Who?”
“Morgan.Samuel’s daughter.”
His brows raised in surprise.“And how do you know her?Because the two of you didn’t exactly seem friendly when Samuel introduced her to us.”
I hesitated.Simon was my business partner, but he was also my brother and one of my best friends.And he had a sixth sense for when I was holding something back.I didn’t want to lie to him about the details of how I knew Morgan.
“We met a few weeks ago,” I said carefully.“At a bar.”
It didn’t take long for understanding to dawn on his face.“The night of Noah’s wedding.”
I nodded, my fingers tightening on the stem of my wine glass.
“And you didn’t think to mention the fact that you hooked up with Samuel’s daughter before we signed a three-million-dollar deal with her family’s company?”
“I didn’t know she worked there.I didn’t know her last name.”I ran a hand through my hair, my own frustration getting the best of me.“We didn’t exactly exchange a lot of personal information.”
Simon swore beneath his breath.“Please tell me you didn’t do your usual fuck ’em and leave ’em routine—”
“Yeah, I did.”I opted for honesty and full disclosure, as painful as it was to admit.“Even worse, I ghosted her without an explanation.While she was sleeping.”
“Jesus, Liam.”Simon sat back in his seat, staring at me with blatant disbelief.“Of all the women you could have fucked, literally and figuratively, it had to be the daughter of the man we’re now in business with?”
I grimaced, because yeah, when he put it that way it sounded even worse than it already was between Morgan and me.
Thankfully, the waitress arrived with our orders, setting our plates of pasta in front of us.Simon took a few bites of his carbonara before returning to our conversation, which I’d been hoping he’d drop.
“Are you going to be able to handle working with her every day?Because if this is going to be a problem—”
“It won’t be.”I met his gaze from across the table.“I’ll handle it.”
Simon let out a dry laugh.“Handling it means more than ignoring the situation, Liam.You need to actually fix what you fucked up.”
“I know,” I said, my tone defensive.
