I’ve been more than accommodating this entire time, but today, I’m wearing my boss hat.
I take a long pull of my coffee as I start my daily walk around the job site, moving through the kitchen and into the sitting room. To anyone watching, I look busy, checking every detail, making sure everything’s where it needs to be. But it’s all bullshit. I’m just working myself up to talk to her.
Which is stupid. It shouldn’t be this hard. But it is.
Because the only way I’ve managed to keep the pain at bay is by staying the hell away from her. I don’t know if I can stand in the same room and hold a conversation without the agony breaking through, and I don’t want her to know how deeply she’s cut me. Kiki doesn’t deserve that from me. Hell, she doesn’t deserveanythingfrom me. Not now.
The woman broke me. Twice.
Most guys would be thrilled, right? Gorgeous woman, no strings attached, just hot nights filling that fucking void. But I’m the idiot who fell head over heels, and until I figure out how to stop loving her, avoidance is my survival tactic.
Unfortunately, it’s also not an option today.
I slow when I reach her office and hover in the doorway, watching her as she works. She’s lost more weight—it’s obvious now—and I sure as hell hope this isn’t some new LA trend she’s trying on for size. Purple smudges sit beneath both her eyes like sleep deprivation tattoos. Kiki’s always been pale, but now there’s something almost ghostly about her. She looks more fragile than when we first started hanging out, and I thought she was going to break into a million pieces back then.
Jesus, I hope she’s okay.
Stop that. She is not your problem anymore, Eddie.You’ve got one job. Tell her Gus stays home tomorrow. That’s it. Get in, get out, you’re done.
Kiki glances up, a sharp gasp escaping her lips when she spies me at the door. “You startled me. Can I help you with something?”
The woman looks like she’s about to jump out of her skin, and for a second, I almost cave and ask why, but I catch myself.
Stay on point, man.
I step into the room, my gaze landing on the desk. Where Iclaimed her, her skirt shoved up, her eyes wide with desire, her legs locked around my waist as I lost myself completely to her.
See?Thisis why I must maintain a safe distance, because my mind is not a happy place to hang out.
I shake off the memory and drag my focus to Gus, waddling over for his morning ear scratch. “It’s about Gus.”
Two deep lines of worry appear between her brows. “Did he do something? I know he chewed up some gloves. I was going to pick up a few new pair?—”
“It’s not about the gloves. I’ve got extras. But he can’t be on the job site tomorrow.”
A look that almost registers as terror flashes across Kiki’s face. “Why not?”
“I almost lost a window yesterday because of him. He got underfoot, tripped up a couple of my guys, and it came this close to hitting the ground. We got lucky. That thing’s four grand, and if it had shattered, my guys, and Gus, could’ve gotten seriously injured.”
Her hands fly up, covering her mouth. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize. I can keep him in here, out of the way?—”
“That’s not good enough. It’s my site, and the dog cannot be here. You have a home. Keep him there.”
I expect compliance with my demand because Ineverissue any, and let’s get real, it’s hardly an unreasonable request.
Instead, tears well in her eyes as she drops her gaze to the floor. “Maybe I’ll take the day off too. Wait, I can’t. I have to be here for the deliveries… shit.”
Is she serious right now? Most dogs don’t accompany their owners to work every damn day.
“What is the big deal? I’m not asking you to put Gus down. Just keep him home. He can come back once the windows are installed, okay?” Yes, I throw out the last bit as a compromise because I can’t stand seeing the woman cry.
Kiki chews her lower lip and nods. “Okay.”
“Thank you.” Christ. Please tell me the rest of today won’t be this difficult.
I make a beeline for the exit, but pause in the doorway, my hand smacking the frame as I glance over my shoulder.
She’s wiping her eyes, her entire body trembling.
