“Over my dead body.” I give him a wide, toothy grin. “Tell me to do something, J, and you know I’m only going to dig my heels in harder. You just signed her metaphorical death warrant.”
James rakes a hand down his face. “Jesus fucking Christ, I can’t with you.”
The waiter’s arrival stops the conversation, and I’m given a reprieve. I’m really trying to see what he’s saying, but I don’t get it. Absolutely everything in my life has been out of my control until I was old enough to do something about it, so falling in love with a woman who destroyed me? Yeah, I don’t do well with being out of control, and Blake makes me spin faster than the Tasmanian fucking devil.
The waiter leaves, and I’m left waiting for the inevitable to happen—James to start his lecture up again—but I’m pleasantly surprised.
“Just go easy, okay?” he says gently, which is so unlike him. James is usually a boss level Daddy.
I smile, but it doesn’t reach my eyes. “I’m all good, J. I’m seeing Mike. I’ve done the work. I mean, it’s gonna be fucking hard trying not to kill the woman I hate, but I’ll do my best.” I wink.
His shoulders relax, and I know he’s letting it go... for now. Knowing him, it won’t be for long though. He’ll be watching me like a hawk.
Yay. Fun times.
Chapter Seven
BLAKE
For the last three hours, I’ve searched high and low for a guy named Daryl, and can I find him? Nope. I’m now feeling like Theo sent me on a wild goose chase, and there is no Daryl.
Pushing the hair off my face, I enter the office kitchen, desperate to sit down for two minutes and rest my feet.
Aimee stands with Theo, laughing at something he just said. She places a hand on his arm, and white-hot jealousy fills me. It shouldn’t, not after all these years. Theo was never really mine, and he never will be again. He was just there for me during a really weird time in my life, and he ended up being a crutch. That’s all he ever was… I just have to keep reminding myself of that.
I shove my way through the door, and Aimee looks up. “Hey, how’s your first day going?”
“Oh, fantastic,” I sarcastically reply. “I’ve been sent on a mission to find some guy named Daryl. Ever heard of him?”
She looks confused while Theo sniggers into his mug. My head whips around to look at him. The black shirt and slacks fit him entirely too well. I remember him always being big, but I swear he’s gotten larger since I last saw him. And unfortunately, it’s for the better.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” I say to Aimee. “Theo must have gotten the name wrong.” I turn my gaze to him, quirking a brow. “Right?”
Theo lowers his cup. “Nope, his name is Daryl. He works on the corner. Does the nicest bagels. The Hudson Lee sandwich is one of the best on his menu.”
“Theo,” Aimee admonishes, slapping his chest. “Stop it.”
He lets out a booming laugh and rubs his chest. “What? It was funny.”
I roll my eyes and walk over to the coffee machine, having had enough of his bullshit already. Opening the cupboard harder than necessary, I grab a cup and pour myself a coffee, when Theo hands me the sugar.
“Thank you,” I grumble and add a teaspoon's worth.
“Oh, Blake, there’s a client who’s specifically asked for you,” Aimee says. “I’ve left her contact details on your desk in the library. I didn’t want to straight up say no, so I thought I’d leave it to you.”
“Did she say what her name was?” I ask as I pour creamer into my cup.
“No, but she did say you’ve worked with her in the past.” Aimee shrugs.
“I’ll call her later, thank you.”
Theo clears his throat, and I glance at him, an eyebrow raised at the intrusion. “What?”
“All cases are to be run by me first. You’re also not supposed to be on any other cases other than the one Frank assigned us.” He loungesthere, all suave and sophisticated, and it just makes me want to scream from the unfairness of it all. Why him? Why me?
“I didn’t say I was going to take on a new case, I said I was going tocallher.” I roll my eyes again at his blatant display of a power trip.
“Don’t care.”
