“Is there a reason you’re interrogating me?” I press, stepping into my office.
“You were with Gabe.”
There’s no use in denying it. But how did she know?
“Lucky guess.”
“Um, not so much. Look,” she tells me, swiping a couple of times, then flips her phone around so I can look at the screen.
Directly in front of me is a photo someone snapped of us at the restaurant last night. Okay, no big deal. “It’s just a photo, Cora.”
She shakes her head. “There’s more.”
I grab her phone and scroll down. The photo is on some gossip website that lies about celebrities all the time. The paragraph below the photo has the audacity to say that Gabe is seen with a mystery woman who is nowhere in his league. What??? How dare they!
“I know, right? Not in his league. They can fuck right off with that shit, Layla. You’re beautiful. You two look amazing together.”
“Thank you,” I mumble, sitting down. That took the wind right out of my sails.
“Don’t listen to them. They write that Elvis is still alive. It’s all about stirring the pot. Ignore them.”
“Why did you tell me?”
“To make you aware. Now you know. Stay vigilant.”
I nod. “Forward me the link?”
Cora taps her phone a couple of times. “Done.”
“I appreciate it. Now vamoose. I have a meeting in…” I say, looking down at my watch. “Fifteen minutes.”
“Laters,” Cora says, exiting my office. Now, time to get to work.
At the end of the day, I’m ready to head home, when Gabe appears in my doorway.
“Hey there, beautiful.”
“Gabe,” I breathe, happy to see him. It’s been a long day ever since Cora came into my office and showed me what she saw online.
“Miss me?” he says, walking into my office.
“Always,” I tell him, getting to my feet.
As soon as I round the corner of my desk, he pulls me into his arms and kisses me deeply. Then, a cough sounds behind us and we break apart. Cora stands in the doorway, eyeing Gabe.
“You must be Gabe,” Cora says.
“Um, yes. And Gabe, this is Cora. My business partner and best friend.”
“Nice to meet you, Cora,” Gabe says, his arm possessively around my waist.
“Likewise. Layla has told me a lot about you.”
“I see. Hope it was good,” Gabe jokes, smiling.
“Oh, it definitely was,” she tells him, her eyes dropping to his crotch. Seriously, Cora?!
He laughs softly. “I’m just here to pick up Layla. Ready to go?”
