Page 12 of Shameless Expectations

Athena blinked, having no idea what Fallon had just said. She really had to get better control of herself, figure out what she was missing and why she couldn’t just relax. Athena wracked her brain for any memory of what they had been talking about, but she couldn’t even bring up the start of the conversation.

What the hell was wrong with her?

“You have no idea what I just said, do you?” Fallon’s face fell. She drew in a deep breath and let out a long sigh. “I asked how it went with Monti. You’ve been suspiciously quiet about it.”

“Suspicious?” Athena raised her eyebrows in surprise. “It’s hardly suspicious. She came to do a job, she did it, and she left.”

“And you slept.” Fallon crossed her arms, giving Athena a pointed look.

Curse her for bringing that up. Because as much as Athena wasn’t avoiding it, she wanted to. Monti’s fingers had been magic on her skin, and the sleep was heavenly. And Athena didn’t exaggerate. Ever. She would love to bring Monti back into the house and try again. Even three more hours of uninterrupted sleep would give her what she needed to focus.

“I did,” Athena admitted. Why was that so damn hard?

“So call her to come back.”

Athena stretched her neck muscles, her entire jaw and chest tense from just that one comment. She’d thought about it. She really had. But to pick up the phone and make the request? Impossible. And yet to have Fallon do it was too much to ask. She was once again letting her own demons get in her way of living. Not that that wasn’t a theme for her entire life. Live into the expectations of others and the ones she set for herself and she wouldn’t have to look at what was falling apart around her. Right?

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Athena finally answered, though she didn’t sound too convinced herself.

Silence filtered through the room, and Athena wondered why Fallon hadn’t left yet. Why wasn’t she alone? Athena dragged in a ragged breath and faced her desk again. What had she been working on?

“Let me call her.” Fallon’s request was simple and quiet.

“Fallon…” Athena started, but she couldn’t form the words. That had been why she’d hired Fallon, and why she’d kept her around for so long. The woman was obnoxiously good at anticipating Athena’s every need and then pushing for it even when she rejected the help. Still, she wanted to say no. She wanted to deny that there was a problem.

“She’s still in town. She will be for another week or two at least—I think, anyway. So let me call her. She could use the cash, I’m sure, and you could really use a few more hours of sleep.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Athena finally answered. The pull of the muscles in her shoulder was so intense she was pretty sure something was about to break. “I really just need to get some work done.”

“You can’t work if you can’t focus.”

Why did she have to be blunt sometimes? That was a trait both Fallon and Monti shared, and it irked Athena. She’d always been taught not to do that except when in the courtroom, and even then she felt as though she was working against herself every time she did it.

“It’s not that bad,” Athena said, flicking a glance to Fallon because they both knew she was lying through her teeth. Fallon’s look said it all. Sighing heavily, Athena waved her off. “Fine. Call her.”

“Perfect. I’ll schedule her in.”

Athena didn’t answer as she sat back down at her desk. Work. That’s what she needed to get done. This injunction wasn’t going to file itself, and she’d been debating whether or not to expand their list of people to sue when it came to the individuals on the police force.

Who would she have sued in her own case? Hell if she knew. It was so long ago, and such a different time. She was a different person then. Biting her lip, Athena stared at the email that had just come in. A notification of a scheduled event. Monti would be there in an hour.

Good.

That gave her time to get things sorted before she had to distract herself with someone else for a while. When Athena looked up at her door again, Fallon was standing in it. But this time she had a nervous look on her face.

Athena couldn’t keep up with everything going on.

Her brain was fried, and just trying to focus on the basics was hard enough. Managing Fallon’s emotions was beyond her capacity right now. She wasn’t even sure she wanted to ask what the problem was, afraid the answer would be too big for her to handle.

“Simon called.”

“Oh?” What could her son possibly want now? And how had she missed the call? Or rather, why would he call Fallon instead of her? Athena tried to work through the possibilities but gave up when Fallon’s voice reached her ears again.

“I told him you were in a meeting when he couldn’t get ahold of you.”

Leave it to Fallon to try and protect everyone. “What did he want?”

“He wanted to know if you were planning anything for his birthday or if he should schedule a time to come home for it.”

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