“I hate to ask this.” I wished it was acceptable to fidget with one’s uniform when talking to a superior. But it wasn’t. So instead, I did my best to stand still. “But I’m going to need permission to go to Colorado.”
Barnes put his paper down. “When?”
I swallowed. “Tomorrow.”
22
Payment
Derrick
The elevator dinged as I reached the sixteenth floor, and as several men in business suits stepped past me to get on as I got off, I suddenly felt underdressed. I checked my phone again for the suite number Amy’s mother had given me for her new office. Funny, now that I thought about it, it really wasn’t a new office. She’d been here since last spring. I guess she’d just never thought to invite me to see.
Slick black marble floors flecked with gold led the way in intricate patterns to a door made of red wood with a golden plaque that saidJohnson and Marks. The room inside had several leather couches and chairs, and the walls were decorated with paintings that looked custom.
“Can I help you?” A young man wearing a headset and behind the desk leaned forward.
“Hi.” I smiled. “I’m here to see Amy Junder.”
He nodded as he typed something into his computer. “And what time is your appointment?”
“I don’t have one.”
He stopped typing and looked up.
“I’m her fiancée.”
Understanding came to his eyes. And was that…pity?
“I see. I’m so sorry, sir, but Amy’s with a client right now. Would you mind having a seat? I’ll let her know you’re here.”
“Sure.” I sat in one of the leather seats away from the door and tried not to look up as he made the call.
“Miss Junder? A gentleman is here to see you.” He paused. “He says he’s your fiancé.” He nodded. “Yes. Yes, I’ll wait for your call then.” Finally, he turned back to me and smiled as if I hadn’t been able to hear him. “Miss Junder will see you as soon as she’s finished with this client.”
“Thanks.” I pulled out my phone. Hopefully, she’d be done soon. I had a million words I’d rehearsed in the plane and in the car ride over. And now they just needed to be said.
Let me say all the right things,I prayed as I glanced at the dark door beside reception.I have a really bad feeling about this.Because whether I wanted to admit it or not, Amy and I were at a crossroads. And something had to give.
* * *
Thirty-eight candy games later, the guy behind the desk nodded at me. “Sir? Miss Junder will see you now.” As he spoke, the door beside his desk opened, and a beautiful young woman stepped out.
I hadn’t seen her in months, but the moment Amy gave that little dimpled smile, the pain from our separation that I’d been burying floated to the surface like cream. But with it, a tightness in my chest, one I’d never felt before in her presence. Back before I’d left, when we were together all the time, I used to think she helped me breathe easier. Now a too-tight rubber band seemed to be all that was holding my chest together.
“Derrick,” she said in a soft voice, her blue eyes wide and sparkling. The rubber band seemed to grow tighter when she said my name.
After staring at one another from across the waiting room, she ran a hand through her bangs and laughed a little. When had she gotten bangs? “Um, come inside.” My heart fell a little as I followed her through the door and down two halls.
Not that I could expect her to hug and kiss me in the waiting room, I chided myself. She was at work, and if she’d shown up at my work, I wouldn’t have been able to give a public display of affection either. At least, not in my uniform.It’s not you, Derrick, I told myself.It’s just the rules.And yet, the silence of our walk only served to heighten my anxiety.
She led me into a spacious office with a wide desk the same color as all the red wood on the walls and doors. One of the walls was taken up by floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, and a ficus grew in the corner by the bay window.
I turned in a circle and gave a low whistle. “This is nice.” This was weird. Why was this so weird? And why hadn’t we hugged yet? I would have tried, but she hadn’t even come close enough for me to nab a handshake.
“Thanks.” She looked around as well. “I still have a few things I’d like to do, but most of it feels right.”
A few things. That didn’t sound like I’m-moving-to-another-state language at all.
