“Sure thing. But if I don’t hear from you on Monday, I’ll consider our negotiations closed.”
“Alright.”
Like always, he hangs up first. I let the phone drop into my lap and rest my head against the back of my chair.
Things were already complicated.
Now they’ve turned into something else.
Something worse.
Chapter Ten
PIPER
Ifollow Helen into the office, my notebook in hand, jotting down all the instructions she’s firing off.
Everyone’s at a teambuilding meeting, so the office is unusually quiet. The only sounds filling the room are the hum of the overhead lights and Helen’s squeaky I-love-myself voice.
She’s laying down her demands one after another, and I can hardly keep up.
But that’s not my only problem.
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Levi.
It’s silly. I’m being foolish. I got exactly what I wanted and told him what I wanted.
Why should I feel at a loss that he respected my wishes?
We’ve barely known each other a week. He owes me nothing.
The truth is, I’m in a strange phase. And people going through something like this shouldn’t overcomplicate things.
Everything I said to him sounded right—that I couldn’t go out again like last night, that I needed to keep things simple.
When I decided to have this fresh start, that was the one thing I wouldn’t compromise on.Simplicity.
Maybe when I’ve figured things out and everything has settled, I can revisit that.
Of course, that may mean he won’t be interested in me any longer.
Men like Levi Vale don’t wait.
And I’m not the kind of woman men like him come back for.
It’s amazing he had any interest in me at all.
A hollow feeling settles after the thought. I feel silly because I wanted him to be interested in me. No, I might not have wanted another night like at the club. It was more about… him. His attention, his charm, and that stupid confidence. And the way he looked at me like I was worth noticing.
Helen stops in the center of the room, looks around at the shelves, and frowns.
I push my thoughts aside and focus on her.
God, it takes effort. Every second leaves too much room for thoughts of Levi to creep back in. And I’ve gotten to know that putrid look on Helen’s face. It’s a heads up that she’s about to go off on one of her rants.
She’s in her late thirties. Definitely knows her stuff, but she acts like a spoiled teenager who’s used to getting her own way.
She drags a hand through her blonde curls and shakes her head.
