I shot him a look. “Can you just be nice?”
“You just said I was an optimist. Being nice is pushing it,” he smirked.
“You know what I mean.”
“I can’t help it. I don’t like her,” he said quietly enough so she wouldn’t hear. “She’s a five alarm fuckup.”
“Cane!” I exclaimed, shaking my head. “What the hell?”
He shrugged unapologetically. “Sorry, Max. Not a fan.”
“Obviously. Okay, so lunch with Grady this afternoon. You have a time?”
“He’s going to call me in a little bit.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and looked at the screen, his brows furrowing. “I need to go call Jada. I’ll let you know when he calls.”
I nodded and got back to work, working out a few problems that had been plaguing me. A knock broke my train of thought and I looked up to see Sam again.
“All entered, boss,” she said, walking to my desk and sitting the spec down. “This one has a lot of the same items as that Chandler project.”
“Good eye,” I smiled. “I’m having lunch with Grady this afternoon. Hopefully we work something out and get this one.”
Her eyebrows raised. “That’s great!”
The current in the room changed. Nothing was said, nothing indicated, but we both felt it. She looked to the floor.
“Max, about last night...”
I huffed out a breath. “Yeah, about last night.”
“I had no idea that Blaine knew Kari at all. I feel so stupid, so embarrassed for putting Kari in the middle of that.”
“Of course you didn’t know,” I said softly. “How could you?”
She shrugged, fidgeting with her locket. “I just feel awful. Kari looked shell-shocked and Blaine—well, he wouldn’t really talk to me about it last night. So I don’t even really know what happened.”
“Kari was pregnant and he left her.”
“And then she had the abortion. Oh, Max. My heart breaks for her. Knowing that it was her makes it completely different.Before I knew it was her, I assumed the woman was crazy after Blaine’s description, but I can’t see Kari that way at all.”
“She didn’t have an abortion. She lost the baby,” I said firmly. “I don’t know where you got your information, but it’s wrong.”
Sam swallowed and took a deep breath. “Blaine told me that. Maybe he’s just got bad information or something,” she countered.
“I don’t care where he got his information. But make sure he gets this message, okay?” I narrowed my eyes and she backed towards the door under my gaze. “I don’t want him bothering her again. If he upsets her, he’s gonna see me upset and that’s not gonna work out real well for him.” I sat back in my chair and twirled a pencil. “Pass that along.”
She stood frozen in the doorway, watching me while I picked up my cell.
“Hello?”
“It’s me,” Cane said. “Just heard from Wade Grady. He’s gonna be a little late, but wants to meet us at Maisano’s at 4 for lunch.”
“So he’ll be there at 4 or after 4?” I asked.
“His wife will be there at 4 and then Wade will be a few minutes after. What’s her name?”
“Jillian Grady,” I said, writing down the information on a sticky note. Cane had a way of changing topics and making me forget things by the end of our conversation.
“Yeah. Her. Anyway, I had something come up.” I heard a nervousness deep in Cane’s voice. “I’m not sure I’m gonna make it. Is that alright?”
