“Ah, shit. Another one?”
“Yeah,” was all I could mutter in response. It wasn’t the first one I complained about in the last few weeks. “I might head out after, so I’ll just see you at yours, okay?”
“Yeah, yeah,” he said, lifting his hand to my face and pulling me in to press a soft kiss to my lips. “Don’t forget that I’m getting a ride with Ben. Head over and let yourself in but be careful with the rain out there. We’re going to wrap things up here soon, anyway. You won’t be missing out on anything.”
I nodded and smiled as genuinely as I could before waving goodbye and shooting Celeste an inconspicuous glare. I absolutely had to end my relationship with him. Lennon and I were going nowhere fast. As much as he was okay with letting other women get away with their flirtatious advances, I was done. I couldn’t withstand the hole that lingered in my heart from it. I had to get away and allow myself the time to heal.
I turned away from him in the next breath, needing to takean Advil or Tylenol. I drank more water and weaved through the crowd with the idea to head to the office’s break room. I knew there was a universal medicine cabinet in there that Lennon and his brother, Weston, kept stocked with the essentials for staff.
I set my drink down on a nearby table and swerved around a couple of people, searching for the co-owner of Taylors Security for a beat. Earlier, I spotted Weston talking to a few guys that Lennon did installations with, but then he disappeared.
Feet away from the door that led out into the hallway, someone grabbed my arm and pulled me to a stop. “Olivia, where are you going?” I glanced over my shoulder to find Ava with a concerned expression on her face. “Is everything okay?”
I gave her a tight smile. “All good. Need a breather.” I raised my hand and gave the man who stood beside her a wave. “Hey, Ben. Enjoying the party?”
“Yeah, it’s alright.” His eyes slid back over to Ava, and they lit up. It was clear that she was the only thing he was interested in. I couldn’t blame him. She had this pale porcelain skin and frizzy hair that added to her button nose and heart-shaped lips that were coated a mauve pink.
Ava’s brow wrinkled, her gaze never straying from mine. “Don’t tell me you’re leaving.”
I shook my head and lied to her. Ava and I had become really good friends in our time working for Taylors Security. Two years younger than me and fresh out of college, she was filled with brilliant ideas and a healthy dose of people-pleasing guilt, which was how I knew she’d bail on Ben if I told her the truth.
And I wasn’t about to do that to her.
“No, I just need a minute to regroup and use the restroom.”
I didn’t know why I didn’t tell her that I was going in search of something to dull my headache. Probably because the only thing I could see were those red nails.
My saving grace was that we drove back in for Lennon’s birthday party separately—sometimes we carpooled to save gas since we lived relatively close to one another. I could dip out and apologize profusely come Monday morning.
“You promise?” Ava asked. “Also, has he spent any time with you? I saw you standing over there by yourself.”
“Who, Lennon?” It was a dumb question. There wasn’t anyone else she would be referring to. She tilted her head in a way that told me to cut the crap. I cracked a sad smile and shook my head again. “No, but to be honest, I am absolutely fine with that at the moment.”
He’d get his fill of attention, and then later on tonight, he’d try to apologize, claiming that it was because he was being pulled in so many directions. He’d also say that he’d make it up to me. And that I shouldn’t worry over Celeste.
“You’re sure?” Ava questioned.
“A million percent, yes.”
She sighed. “Okay. Well, come and find me whenever you’re done. You can hang out with Ben and me.”
I gave her a small smile, but when my focus shifted behind her and I saw Ben’s frown, I knew there was no way in hell I’d be crashing their party.
I pushed out into the hallway a moment later, giving the door a solid hip check in the process. My heels clacked against the golden oak floors that reflected the soft lighting overhead. Only half of them were on since it was after-hours.
My hand skimmed the smooth, high-gloss painted wall as I trekked toward the break room. It was all the way on theother side of the building with Lennon and Weston’s private offices.
I walked until I came across another conference room, most of the wall constructed of see-through partitions. There was a long odd-shaped table in the center flanked by a set number of chairs. Every so often, the company's logo was stamped on the wall; a badge filled with the rolling lines of water—because, apparently, both Taylors brothers lived for it. Owning stellar homes on Lake Edwards with private docks was enough reason to believe that to be true.
But around those lake-like lines of sea blue were random numbers typically seen in cyber and security code, both of which the company handled. They even patented their own program that worked hand-in-hand with their security equipment.
Thunder rumbled overhead, and my attention snapped to the windows along the wall, the blinds positioned halfway down and giving me a view of outside. It was dark, but I was still able to see part of the parking lot thanks to the abundance of exterior lighting.
Rain poured from the sky, splashing against the few cars I could see. Droplets slid down the window panes, and then, without much of a warning, lightning sparked and illuminated the sky. Dread filled me. I was going to have to drive home in that. No matter what, the lines on the road would be difficult to see, even more so if the opposing traffic was bad and other headlights were involved. It didn’t help that my eyes were sensitive. Basically, it was going to be one hell of a blast driving the twenty minutes to Lennon’s place.
I rubbed my forehead, applying pressure with my fingers for short-lived relief as I approached the room I was looking for. Just like during the day as of late, the heavy, security-locked door was propped open by a tiny piece of wood. I knew it was because of the faulty handle.
The thing needed to be replaced, and on more than one occasion in the last fourteen days, it jammed as people came and went, which was why we had direct orders not to close the door at all until it was fixed.
