Because Annette softly smiled. “Remember I love you. And I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Riley made no effort to stop her as she turned to go.
Chapter Fifteen
First thing the next morning, Riley cornered Annette in her office.
Glancing up from her laptop screen, Annette offered a glowing smile. “Good morning.”
Riley shut the door and leaned back against it. “I am only going to say this once.”
“I’m listening.”
“You’re wrong. I am not in love with Josh.”
“Ah,” Annette replied.
Riley waited for the rest of it, but apparently there was no more. “That’s all?”
“You want more?” Annette asked sweetly. “All right. I’ll give you more. Sweetheart, you’re the one who’s wrong.”
“What? No! I am not wrong.”
Annette peered more closely at her laptop, tapped a key and then replied, “Are so.”
“Don’t be juvenile,” Riley huffed. “And, as I’ve already informed you, I don’t want to talk about this.”
“Of course you don’t.”
“What isthatsupposed to mean—and you know what? Never mind. Let’s not argue.”
“All right, sweetheart.” Annette poked another key. “Let’s not.”
Riley said, “Let’s just…get on with our workday and put all this squabbling behind us.”
There was that glowing smile again. “Agreed.”
Riley longed to make one more valid point in this argument she’d started that she feared she was losing. Unfortunately, she couldn’t think what that point might be. Turning, she pulled open the door. “I’ll be back to touch base as usual before the morning meeting.”
“Excellent. I will see you then.”
* * *
After that infuriating encounter, Riley took care not to mention Josh to Annette. Annette returned the favor. Riley tried to forget the things Annette had said to her on Tuesday night—or rather, the one scary, unacceptable thing Annette had said: that it was too late to get over Josh. That Riley was already in love with Josh.
Macy thought so, too. It was infuriating. Why couldn’t the people she loved keep their noses out of her private business?
And as for being in love with Josh already…
Was she? Really?
The more she tried not to think about it, the more she couldn’tstopthinking about it—abouthim. She couldn’t stop longing for him, couldn’t stop feeling that her heart was breaking at the loss of him.
Because Annette was right, damn it. And so was Macy. Rileywasin love with Josh.
And there. She’d admitted it to herself. Now, what in the world was she supposed to do with that knowledge?
She called Macy first thing Friday morning. “Come have lunch with me,” she said. “My house, noon.”
