“Is everything okay?” I ask after a beat.
Another sigh. “Not really—well, at least not at the moment anyway. I broke up with Kane and?—”
“Who’s Kane?”
“Oh.” Vesper chuckles softly. “I didn’t realize I never gave you his name. Kane is—was—my boyfriend.”
“Silas’s brother?” I inquire, knowing that he must be.
A short stretch of silence falls between us before she replies, “Yeah, Silas only has one sibling.”
My heart aches at the sadness in her tone. “I’m really sorry you guys didn’t work out. Who ended it?”
“Me.” Vesper’s reply is clear and concise. “Trouble is,” she adds, “now I’m temporarily living in a hotel, and I have an ex-boyfriend blowing up my phone, wanting to patch things up. I really don’t want to go back there with him. He’s texted me twice while I’ve been on the phone with you.”
“Oh jeez …” I wince, wondering how to word my next sentence. “Babe, can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
I gaze out of the window and see a helicopter flying past in the distance. “Is Kane an asshole? I get a hunch that you might be better off without him.”
She blows out a humorless breath. “How did you guess?”
I shrug a shoulder. “Like I said, just a hunch.”
More silence falls on the conversation, and I swivel in my seat to check the clock on the wall behind me. I really need to get back to my own shitty day. Equally, I don’t want to leave Vesper when she needs someone.
“When is your next night off?” I ask her.
She chuckles. “I have a habit of working seven days a week since I need the money, but I actually took tomorrow off so I can try and sort my life out.”
Relatable.
“How about we meet for dinner, my treat? There’s a cute Italian restaurant just down from my place, and we can talk more there.”
“Drew, I can’t let you pay for me,” she protests.
“Tough,” I bluntly retort, which pulls another chuckle from her and a surprising smile onto my face. “Tomorrow at seven p.m.”
“Hmm …”
“Vesper,” I warn, “I won’t accept no for an answer.”
“You know, I didn’t have you down as a bossy one, but now I can see how you keep those hot-blooded pro athletes in check.” She pauses for a moment. “Speaking of, how are things going with a certain hockey player?”
Butterflies swarm my stomach whenever I think of him.
“I’ll fill you in tomorrow night. I’m in the office, and it’s hard to speak freely.”
“Ooh,” Vesper sings down the line. “Now I have to show up tomorrow. I need some tea to go with the free meal you’re offering.”
I burst out laughing right as the break room door swings inward, and Colton appears in the doorway.
Great freaking timing.My colleague just made a formal complaint about me, and how do I react from his perspective? Laugh.
“I need to go,” I tell Vesper. “I’ll text you the restaurant’s address and make a reservation.”
She takes the hint from the urgent tone in my voice and ends the call.
