I shrugged, something I knew Dr. Anna disliked. "Maybe he saw me that night at the bar, you know, when he was with Lissa. Maybe he wants to apologize again. Or maybe –"
"Maria." Her gentle summons stopped me mid-sentence. "You know there's no point in speculating."
My heart sped up. "So you think I should talk to him?"
"Only you can answer that." Damnit, I knew she'd say that.
"But before you do," she continued, "ask yourself: will knowing make me feel better about my situation? Will seeing him hinder my progress or enrich it? Do I want to see him because that's whathewants, and I feel a courtesy to hear him out, or do I genuinely care about what he has to say?"
With that homework ringing in my ear, I left her office with a splintered mind. I delayed going home. Instead, I did what I always did when I was anxious, conflicted, happy, sad, angry...and that was some good old-fashioned retail therapy.
Since I planned on putting a small dent in my bank account, I headed to Helensville, the closest town with a decent shopping complex.
Walking around the mall with twoVictoria's Secretbags—lingerie never failed to cheer me up—I suddenly remembered that Simon lived in Helensville. I snickered to myself as I thought of how panicked he would be if he spotted me out in the wild on his turf. His ego was that inflated; he'd probably think I was stalking him. Of course, if I wanted to stalk him, I'd just hang around his apartment.
Except...I didn't have his address. I didn't even know if he lived in an apartment or whether he had his own house. That was how much I rated in his thoughts. That was how superficialour relationship had been. He held all the cards, the power. When he beckoned for me, I came running like a kid following the Pied Piper.
When the sun started to set, I decided to call it a day and head home. As I drove, I finally allowed myself to think of Brian and his request to talk with me. I could see the correlation between him and Simon. Stringing me along, casting me aside, reeling me back in—like that night he ambushed me when I was alone at work or calling me repeatedly for a chat.
I swear, fuck-boys seemed to have a built-in radar for fucking up a girl's mental state. It's like they could sense when a girl was moving on, so instead of letting her be free, they came knocking again; just to make sure you never forget them.
Well, not today, Satan. I didn't want to talk to him. There was no point. I sat up straight, my hands tightening on the wheel as I made my decision. Once I got home, I would delete and block Brian's number.
Unfortunately, I never got around to that. By the time I reached home, I was so physically and emotionally drained, I collapsed into bed and fell into a dreamless sleep.
It still slipped my mind as I went through my morning routine before driving to work. It wasn't in the forefront when I hopped out of my car and headed to the salon. It didn't register until I glanced up from rummaging in my bag for my keys and spotted Brian holding two takeout cups of coffee. And wearing a guilty look on his face.
Well, fuck.
Chapter 21
Brian
"You havegotto be shittin' me."
I almost winced at her tone but forced myself to stand tall, keeping a neutral expression on my face. What did I expect? That she'd grace me with her gorgeous smile and usher me inside?
Yes.
I wasn't one for nerves, but it was difficult not to squirm under Maria's withering glare. Her blue eyes narrowed into slits, and her pink-painted mouth pinched in annoyance. It was enough to shrink a lesser man's balls. Good thing that man wasn't me—although my anatomy was affected for another reason.
I met Maria's stare head-on and tried not to notice how fucking beautiful she was first thing in the morning. Tried and failed.
"Good morning." I was proud of how steady my voice sounded.
Annoyed air puffed out of her nose as she shifted her handbag from one arm to the other. "What are you doing here?"
Undeterred by her attitude, I held out the hot drinks and gave her my best charming smile. "Bringing you coffee."
Her typically expressive eyes betrayed nothing as they lowered briefly to my offering, her mouth twisting again. Instead of taking the tray, she opened her bag and fished around before producing a set of keys. My gut dropped at how dismissive she was, but I still held my ground. I hoped that if I stood around like a tool long enough, she'd take pity on me.
So far, it wasn't working.
Maria's shiny hair shimmered in the morning light and my hungry gaze roamed her features, starved for the sight of her. Her beautiful dark locks were longer, now brushing well past the smooth curve of her collarbone. She wore an off-white outfit that curved her sexy body like a glove. Short shorts with a cute bow tied in the front, a top that barely covered the smooth expanse of her lower stomach, and a long blazer that touched the bottom of her shorts. Fuck, she was a vision, and I felt like an ogre standing there in my scuffed-up work boots, ripped faded jeans, and an old rugby shirt.
Continuing to ignore my presence, Maria brushed past me and started opening the locks on her salon door.
"Maria –"
