Lainie entered her office building with trepidation.
Trepidation?Who was she kidding?She was downright scared.Lucheux told her to take as much time as she needed, but she was sure Giselle hadn’t agreed and since Lainie had never even met Lucheux, it was Giselle’s reaction she was worried about.
Only the thought of going home to Christien in defeat had her straightening her shoulders and marching through the office.
Home.To Christien.The thought still wasn’t something she was used to.Giving up her apartment, packing up her stuff.Putting her clothes in his closet… She shook her head.Now that she was away from him the doubts were creeping in.She wanted more than great sex.She wanted a partnership and she had a feeling Christien was keeping things from her.Layers.The man definitely had layers.
Her coworkers gathered around her, exclaiming over her accident and gently inquiring about her injuries.She answered as best she could, not telling them the belief she was pushed.But she couldn’t hang out in the outer office forever so she broke away and headed with leaden feet to the inner sanctuary where Giselle waited, arms folded, toe tapping.
Lainie drew a deep breath.“Good morning, Giselle.”
Giselle’s frosty glare and a raised eyebrow were her answer.“So glad you were able to join us.”She tilted her head toward Lainie’s desk.“Your work is waiting for you.”She left abruptly, leaving Lainie to stare after her.
That was it?That was all the tongue lashing she was going to get?She stepped into her office and her heart sank.That and a week’s worth of work no one had touched.
“Hey you.”
Lainie lifted her head, the first time she’d looked away from the mountain of paperwork since she arrived six hours ago.
Erica stood in the doorway with a big smile and an even bigger bag of what smelled like food.Lainie’s stomach rumbled.
“I figured you’d be too busy to eat lunch so I brought some.”
Lainie rolled her shoulders and stretched her neck, nearly groaning at how stiff she was.Making love all night with Christien then sitting behind her desk all day made her newly healed body unhappy.
Erica plopped down in the chair opposite the desk, pulled out a container of soup, a plastic-wrapped spoon and a sandwich.Lainie nearly tackled her for it.Neither spoke until Lainie sat back with a contented sigh, her stomach full.
“Thank you.”
Erica waved her hand in the air.“I’m just glad you’re okay.And you’re back.”
Lainie glared at the pile of paperwork.“I’m beginning to rethink that decision.”
“Of course Giselle wouldn’t help you with your work.That would require her to be nice and I don’t think nice is in her vocabulary.”
Lainie laughed.“Definitely not.”I’m doing this for Dad.I’m doing this for Dad.If it weren’t for him, she would have left this job long ago.
“I never thanked you for calling Christien after the accident,” she said.
Erica frowned.“I didn’t call Christien.”
“After the accident?He said he got a call and came right away.I thought…” She’d assumed Erica called him, but by Erica’s expression she guessed not.
“I didn’t call him.I didn’t even think about it.Should I have?”
Lainie shook her head.“No.I guess someone else did.”Who though?
Erica stood.“Well, now that you’re back, we need to do lunch again.Only this time don’t get hit by a car.”
Lainie smiled absently.“I’ll try not to.”
She sat at her desk a long while after Erica left.She was positive Christien said he’d come straight to the hospital after getting the call.No one else would have called him.No one but Erica knew they were seeing each other.She picked up her phone and dialed Christien’s number.He answered on the third ring, with a distracted, “Chevalier.”
“Who told you I was hit by the car?”
“Madelaine?”
“I thought Erica called you, but she said it wasn’t her.”Her lunch sat heavily in her stomach right next to the big ball of dread.“The blond guy,” she suddenly said.“He’s one of your men isn’t he?”
