My brain’s having a hard time processing the change in dynamic between us. Add in my stalker, and I don’t even know how to feel. Scared, confused, overwhelmed. Fucking all of it. Total emotional overwhelm.
“Hmmm…” she hums softly.
If I didn’t know better, I’d say she sounds disinterested, but I damn well do. She’s trying to bait me into spilling my guts, but I’ll pass. I like all of my secrets exactly where I have them—locked safely away in the recesses of my mind,thank you very much.
“You don’t sound particularly blissful, my friend.”
Because I’m not blissful, I think bitterly. I’m on edge and exhausted. Sleep doesn’t exactly come easy these days. But I’m not about to drop all of that on Cara. She’s a doll, but we’ve never gonethatdeep.
“Just in need of caffeine,” I mutter, feeling confident in my reply. Wanting a coffee on a Monday morning is totally normal.
“You’re in luck.” She wags her brows. “Check the fridge.”
I stalk over to it and fling the door open. Right there, sitting front and center, is a slim can with my name on it, literally, on a sky-blue sticky note. “You brought me an energy drink?”
“Mmhmm. The newest flavor, too.”
I snatch the can out of the fridge, and sure enough, it’s one I’ve never tried before. “Thank you.” I pop the tab and gulp it down. “You’re a lifesaver.”
“Figured you could use it after the weekend you had.”
I tilt my head, wracking my brain trying to figure out just what she’s referring to. God knows it could be a plethora of things, none of which she should have knowledge of. “What do you mean?”
She leans back against the counter and grins. “You know, after your big night…”
My big night…
“Do you mean… sleeping with Ellis?”
Her spine stiffens as she all but turns to stone. “I’m sorry. Run that by me one more time.”
My cheeks burn like I’m only inches away from a bonfire as the implication of my words sinks in. “Not like that, Cara!” I whisper-shout, wishing like hell the floor would open up and swallow me whole.
“I’m gonna need you to spell it out for me then, babe. Because…”
“Atlas asked him to watch James, too. We had to share the pullout couch. It was no big deal.” The heat in my cheeps amps up as my thoughts wander to whatisa big deal, because Ellis-fucking-Wilder is packing. Like, majorly so. And while a big dick doesn’t make up for his shitty attitude, it certainly has my imagination running all kinds of wild.
“Well…” Cara spins to face me, crossing her arms over her chest while grinning like a madwoman. “That sounds like a load of bullshit.”
“What?” I mimic her pose, minus the smile, because this is no laughing matter. “It’s not.”
“Lie to yourself all you want, babe.” She narrows her eyes. “But don’t lie to me.”
“I’m not lying, Cara.” I’m absolutely lying and I hate it. I wish I could unload on her, ask her opinion, do the whole girl talk thing. But she’d probably run screaming and never talk to me again. She’s a work friend, and I need to remember that.
I glance down at my watch to hide my guilt and note I still have ten minutes left until I can officially clock in. The one time I don’t hit any traffic just had to be today.
“We shared a bed…” And I had the best sleep of my life wrapped in his strong arms and woke up to what felt like a baseball bat pressed against my ass. “…and the next morning, everything was business as usual. Theonlyperson making a big deal out of this isyou.”
“Hmm…” is all she says in reply.
“I think I have a stalker.” I slap my hands over my mouth, wishing like hell I could take the words back. Cara doesn’t want or need me weighing her down with my shit.
Not to mention, blurting it out to her when I’m hiding it from Nora makes me feel rotten. Ellis swears we’re doing the right thing by not telling them how far it’s gone. He says they have enough on their plate right now, and, while I’m conflicted on it, I think he’s right, too.
“Explain.” She crosses her arms and narrows her eyes at me, doing that freaky Cara thing where she somehow manages to sneak past my walls and see inside my soul. “Immediately.”
“Well.Thinkisn’t the right word. I definitely have one.” I shrug, trying to play it cool. “Um, you know, some notes, flowers on my windshield, knowing things they shouldn’t.”
