Keep your mind on the game, man. “So, does your family pay for all this?” he asked, circling his index finger.
She broke a small piece of bread. “No. I worked in marketing for five years. Three of them in New York.”
“Which agency?”
Elena squared her shoulders, and glanced at him. “Lind & Luz.”
Her former employer had been a super successful marketing agency that was known for a lot of sports advertisement. “You never told me you had that much experience in the field.”
She winked at him. “You never asked, and you weren’t the one who interviewed me when I applied for the position at your company.”
He wondered what other things he would ask and get a direct answer to? She beamed at him, an adorable grin stretched her lips, and the spark reached her eyes. It was like her irises were two huge caramel pools, with flecks of gold glittering inside them.
“You must be really underused as an assistant.” To detract from her magnetizing pull, he cut into his lasagna and brought a bite to his lips. The fresh spices exploded on his palate. He wasn’t a foodie or anything, but even the pasta tasted different. Better.
She watched him swallow in silence, her lips parted. When he helped himself to some more, she shook her head, blinking out of a reverie maybe, and finally said, “I like working for you. I know how good you are.”
He reached for the glass of water. “That doesn’t mean much. It’s a downgrade, and I get that you won’t be an assistant for much longer. You said you did it for Matthew, to have his back because he helped you.”
She nodded.
“How?” he asked, again, the question burning the tip of this tongue.
Playing with the fork, she inhaled. “Three years ago, I still lived in New York City. Matthew and his wife were my neighbors,” she said, and he remembered how Matthew and Sandra lived in New York City for a few years while he helped establish the East Coast offices. “One day, something happened. Tim and I had sex. Well, I don’t know if you’d call it sex. I didn’t protest, because I figured that would be quicker that way. After he left for work, I was in a lot of pain. Turns out I had internal bleeding.”
Her voice wavered for a second, but she continued. The playfulness from earlier vanished, and the sparks in her eyes shifted into gloom. “That’s when I realized my life couldn’t go on as it had. I knocked on Matthew’s door asking for Sandra, but she was away on a business trip. Anyway. Matthew took me to the hospital and literally held my hand throughout the whole ordeal. He helped me get a restraining order against my ex, and set me up at a different apartment while we took care of some bureaucratic things and filed for divorce.”
Internal bleeding. He clenched his hands on the fork so hard, he could swear it was bending under his anger. What kind of sick son of a bitch submitted his woman to something so sordid? If he ever met this guy, he would kill him. Frustration floated up his throat, and he tasted bile. “I’m sorry, Elena. How much longer did you stay in New York?”
“Not long. I quit my job and came here to get as far as possible from my old life. I did therapy, and worked at a smaller marketing company. A year later, Matthew and Sandra moved back, as he returned to Colorado to help Wilder & Co. expand.”
“Why Denver? Did Matthew have anything to do with your decision?”
“I guess I visited the city before and liked it… and yes, he and Sandra talked about it so much I kind of felt like giving it a try. But, for the first year, I didn’t know anyone here.”
“That must have been tough.”
“It was a good period of self-discovery. I needed to be on my own.”
He loosened the grip on the fork at last. “Why did Matthew do all this for you?” The question escaped his lips before he caught up with common sense. Sensitivity wasn’t his forte, but neither was naiveté. Why would Matthew be so attentive and helpful to a complete stranger, when he was married? If Matthew were into doing the right thing, he wouldn’t have hired someone to snitch on his half-brother. He wouldn’t have ensured Devon was bullied when they went to the same high school.
“Because he’s not just this super ambitious dick you envision.”
He took another bite of his food. Blood pumped thick in his veins. He’d like to believe that, sure. Well, perhaps he did. Matthew wasn’t a dick to everyone. “Agree to disagree.”
She grabbed the glass of water, but held it under her lips as if thinking of what to say. “Why don’t we talk about TV shows?”
“I don’t watch any.”
She took a swig of water. “Then let’s talk about your club. I’ve never been there.”
“We’ll remedy that.”
“Ha. Sorry to disappoint, but I’m not much of a clubber.”
He laughed, and imagined her, all prim and proper, in his upscale venue. Thankfully, they changed the subject, and when they were done with the food, she started to remove dishes from the table and he found himself loading the dishwasher while she cleaned the lasagna pan by hand.
Helping her should have been business as usual. This felt like what normal, loving couples did all the time. Not that he had any experience in that area.
