“Well, how fucked is that?” Hope says after a moment of shocked silence. “He started everything then blamed you guys. What an asshole! And they didn't even stick around to hear what’s going to happen next. Damn it, I wanted to see his face when he realized he was being replaced like that.” She accompanies the last word with a snap of her fingers, a dramatic little move but certainly fitting. I have zero doubts that it will be easy to replace that dickhead. Ninja Starfish is hot right now; people would kill for the chance to get the publicity of being part of their band.
The tension breaks with her blunt words, and relieved laughter fills the room. Phew, that was full on.
We spend the remainder of the meeting hashing out the details of their new contract, and then it’s finally time for me to leave.
“Sorry, but I have to run. I’ve got another appointment.” Holden stands up with me as I say my goodbyes and walks me to the door while the band waves me off.
“Thanks for your help, babe. Have fun playing matchmaker.”
He gives me a kiss, and Hope shouts out behind me, “I’ll be up in twenty minutes, okay? Oh, and I ordered food for everyone because I know you forgot about it. It should be delivered soon.” A moment of panic hits me, but it eases with her words.
“Thank fuck, you might just be right about the forgetting thing.” She winks at me in return. “I’ll come find you later,” I tell Holden. I don't trust him to be honest about whether he has to wear his sling or not since I know he’s fed up with it. For my peace of mind, and Oli’s, I want to hear exactly what his PT has to say.
I give him another kiss and head toward the elevator, happy with my morning and even happier about the task in front of me. I’ve never played matchmaker before, and I’m excited about it.
* * *
When I get to the conservatory, I realize I've been so busy that I left my laptop in Holden’s office and haven't applied for my license like I had planned. So after I’ve had lunch with Hope, I’ll have to do that.
I stop at the reception desk before going forward. “Hey, Lucy, did things get better or worse as the day progressed?” I ask quietly, and she giggles.
“Um, I’m not sure it got better, but it didn't get any worse,” she says diplomatically, and I cringe again. “If it’s any consolation, Lindy and Rowena just left to get lunch.”
A sigh of relief leaves me. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do if they crashed our party. “Thank goodness for that. I’ve got food coming up, and Alex Winters and Shane Silver are both joining me for lunch. Could you send them to the garden room when they get up here?”
“Of course, Harlow, and I just got a call saying your food was on its way up. I’ll be happy to show them to the garden room.”
“Thanks, Lucy, you’re awesome.” With that, I make my way toward the garden room. When I get there, the humid air rushes out of the entrance as soon as I push the door open. I can hear murmured voices but can’t see anything yet, so I follow the path through the plants until I get to the little clearing where there's a table and chairs. A memory of me having one of my first meals with Dad flashes into my brain, bringing a smile along with it. The last time I was in here I didn't really get to explore, but now that I have a spare couple of minutes, I decide to have a little look around. Behind the clearing is another area which has actual trees planted in it—hibiscus and frangipani and big leafy foliage. So I continue to follow the path through, searching for the voices, until I reach a T-junction and need to pick a direction. Choosing to go right, I follow the path until I get to a little man-made waterfall. It’s not very high, maybe to my waist, but it’s flowing over some rocks and into a pond.
All of sudden, I’m grabbed and shoved up against the wall, a hand over my mouth stopping me from screaming. I thrash my body about, trying to dislodge the person who has their weight pressed against me.
“Stop moving, Harlow, and I’ll remove my hand.” Thomas’ voice is harsh and low, but I still my body as he demanded.
Once he’s sure I’ve stopped, he removes his hand, but his body stays pressed against mine. And although I’m still breathing heavily from fright and just about ready to knee him in the balls, my body is also responding to the weight and heat of him.
I look up at him, and he’s scowling at me. “What the hell?” I try to move him off of me, but he doesn't budge.
“What were you thinking? I could have been anybody,” he growls. “Are you not taking your safety seriously?”
I take a deep breath and let it out, trying to calm my rapidly beating heart and traitorous body.
“I wasn’t thinking. I just assumed I’d be all right.” Our eyes meet, and I’m surprised to see that anger is not the only thing in them. In fact, the rapidly hardening length in his pants tells me that he may not be as indifferent as he pretends to be. I adjust myself so that it pushes against my throbbing core, but his eyes widen and he rips himself away from me when he realizes.
“Do better,” he snaps before stalking back down the path in the opposite direction. I guess he wants to continue this aloof facade. Well, that’s his problem.
Letting out a huge breath, I follow after him and head back to the table. With Thomas’ warning in my head, I probably shouldn't search out the voices I heard since they may not be friendly. But then I bet the few dollars in my purse that Thomas already knows who it is and has deemed them safe. He’s too extra to not have beat me here and checked out the place before I even got into the elevator.
When I get back to the T-junction, I find Jace and Jacinta coming from the other direction. Jace has a smile on his face, but Jacinta is quite frazzled. In fact, for a woman who is usually stylish and put together, she looks… wrinkled. I try to peek around them to see where they came from, but Jacinta grabs me by the arm and propels me forward.
“What were you…” I try to ask, but she cuts me off.
“Oh, Harlow, you’re here! Great. I’m starving.” She quickly changes the subject, and Jace chuckles. When I turn back to him, he winks.
By the time we get back to the table, Alex and Shane are chatting with Thomas and there’s a mountain of food on the table.
Jacinta stops shortly, a little gasp escaping her mouth, and her breath stutters once more when Jace passes us to greet both Shane and Alex with a kiss. Holy wow. I fan my face then stop and look at the woman next to me, my eyes widening when a growl slips out of her mouth.
“Did you…” Again, I try to ask a question, but she cuts me off. Stepping forward, she puts on a bright smile that I can tell is slightly forced.
