His face was blank, a mask. He didn’t speak, didn’t move. He just stared at me with black eyes that burned like coals in his empty face. And like his face, I understood his soul was just as empty.
Though the bar was loud, I knew he would hear me when I whispered, “I will never see you again.”
Without a moment’s hesitation or regret, I turned and walked out of that hot, crowded bar and into the cold, pure rain that fell from the sky.
Maybe if I stood beneath it long enough it would wash me clean.
Chapter Eleven
Present Day
‡
I saved the file I was working on and turned off my computer. Rolling my head around to relieve the stiffness in my neck, I stood up and stretched my back.
“Jena.”
I stopped mid-stretch and looked toward the door to my office. Marilyn, my boss, stood in the hall just outside.
“Hey, Marilyn,” I greeted her, coming around from behind my desk.
“What are you still doing here, sweetie?” she asked. “It’s after six.”
“I had some things I wanted to finish before I left for the day.”
She shook her head at me. “If only my other employees were as dedicated.” Then she pointed at me. “Still, you’re young. You should be out on a date or with your friends.”
I laughed at the thought. I didn’t plan on dating. At least not for a very long while. In the last three years, I’d been burned enough in the romance department for a lifetime.
“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow,” Marilyn stated. “Don’t forget that you’re meeting a new client in the morning.”
“No problem. I’ll be here bright and early.”
My boss shook her head as though she were disappointed in me, but I knew that it was in a joking manner.
After she walked away from my office, I packed up my laptop, shrugged into my jacket, and grabbed my bags. I drove home on autopilot, tired and hungry. I picked up a burger on the way and changed into yoga pants and a t-shirt as soon as I got there.
As I settled on the floor in front of my couch, my food on the coffee table, I turned on the TV and tuned to a true crime show I liked to watch. It was a rerun, but I was so exhausted I didn’t care.
In the last six months, my life changed dramatically. Once I left King behind, the next month and a half had been a struggle of putting one foot in front of the other. My grief for Justin had been replaced with a broken heart courtesy of Alaric Sloan. I couldn’t even scrape together the energy to feel guilty over having such strong feelings for King. I should have felt guilty though because Justin loved King like a brother and I never should have let him touch me. Still, I didn’t. Maybe that made me a horrible person, but I refused to dwell on it. I needed to move on for the sake of my sanity.
I knew it was time for a change when I realized how unhappy I was. I needed something to get me out of my rut. The first thing I did was find another job. From the age of twenty-three, I’d worked for Clarence Peretti as his bookkeeper. He had a chain of Laundromats all over Texas. He was a nice older man, very traditional, and forever trying to fix me up with his nephews and their friends. He had all daughters and was firmly convinced that a woman couldn’t be happy without a husband and children.
Clarence, who wanted everyone to call him Larry, had always been nice to me, but I’d glimpsed the asshole beneath the surface. The few times I saw him lose his temper, it was always with the men in his employ, never the women, so I’d never been a direct recipient.
Still, his cursing, raging, and throwing things when he lost it scared me, and I was thankful I was never in the path of his fury.
Larry seemed sad when I turned in my resignation and quit, said the office wouldn’t be the same without me, but he also understood.
“Actually expected this a lot earlier, sweetheart,” he murmured. “You haven’t been yourself for a long time. I think it’ll be good for you to try something new.”
I was appreciative of his acceptance and the little going away party he had his secretary put together for me the last week I was there.
Then I started at Marilyn’s firm. I focused mainly on bookkeeping, but chose this firm because she encouraged her employees to further their knowledge and hone their skills. She even offered financial incentives to those who enrolled in night school or took continuing education courses.
I also loved the environment there. It was a much more relaxed atmosphere compared to working in Larry’s office. Another additional perk being I no longer had to deal with his creepy underlings staring at my ass every time I wore a snug skirt or pants.
In addition to changing jobs, I took up running in the mornings and strength training. The physical activity helped me feel more in control and less depressed. I also liked the changes I saw in my body. I felt strong and I looked better than I had in a long time.
Apart from my change in employment and getting fit, I hadn’t heard from Katie since that night at King’s bar. Actually, I’d heard from her once, via text, in which she told me to fuck off.
I couldn’t give up on her completely. Periodically, I would text her, just to feel her out, but never got a response. It hurt my heart, but I was dealing with my own demons and I knew Katie was as well, so I let it go.
Ashley wasn’t speaking to her at all, but she made an effort to see me a couple times a month. While I missed Katie, Ashley seemed so much more relaxed without her around. I wasn’t sure what had happened between the two of them, but Ashley wasn’t talking.
The buzz of my phone jarred me out of my melancholy thoughts and I realized that I’d been sitting on the floor, staring into space, for half an hour and my food was stone cold. It didn’t matter anyway, because my appetite had disappeared.
Without bothering to check my phone, I got off the floor, carried my plate into the kitchen, and threw the food away. Then I took a shower and got ready for bed. It wasn’t very late, but I was getting up at five-thirty every morning to get my workout in, so I was going to bed a lot earlier than usual too.
As with every other night, I curled up around my pillow and tried not to remember how it felt to have King there instead.
* * *
The next morning, I was at the office bright and early at seven o’clock. The new client was supposed to arrive at eight and his business was so large he would need the entire firm working on his account, which made Marilyn very happy, but also meant we all had to be present at this initial introduction.
I made myself a cup of coffee, looked over the information on Eric McCall’s businesses, and prepped for the meeting. Fifteen minutes before eight, I went into the ladies room to pee and freshen up. Depending on how controlling this guy was, we could be in this meeting for hours, and I didn’t want to have to get up to use the facilities in the middle of it. Some clients were so rigid that they viewed any interruption as rude behavior.
When I came out of the restroom, I walked straight into someone.
“Oof.” All the air left my lungs in a whoosh and I took two stumbling steps back.
The man I bumped into grabbed my arms, steadying me on my stilettos. Brushing my hair out of my face, I looked up into liquid hazel eyes surrounded by long black lashes.
Blinking, I lifted my hands and rested them on his forearms, completely spellbound by his eyes.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
His voice trailed down my spine like velvet and I fought back a shiver.
“Uh, yeah,” I answered, my voice cracking. I cleared my throat before speaking again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bump into you.”