Page 15 of Scarred Hearts

Wrinkling my nose, I shrugged. “I thought so too after my dad… ya know.”

Her face became serious. “Listen, I really am sorry about what happened with him.”

“It’s not your fault,” I reassured her with a caring smile, though it felt strange to be comforting someone else about my father’s death. “I know you liked him, and I’m sure it affected you too.”

“I almost quit after that,” she admitted, placing a hand on her hip. “But then I realized it was never going to work out with him anyway.” She raised a hand in solidarity. “No offense.”

I snorted. “None taken.”

She shifted uneasily, fidgeting with the hem of her skirt as she spoke. “He was just—” The words hung in the air, unfinished. “Anyway, I should hurry and get changed,” she said quickly, trying to change the subject.

“Wait.” I arched my brows, a wide grin on my face. “Are you dancing now?”

She snickered. “Two nights a week, handling body shots and in Blue when needed.”

“Damn, girl!” I giggled. “Good for you.”

She got ready to turn away and held up a finger. “Oh yeah, not sure if you need to speak to any of the guys, but Mr. Knight and Luke are upstairs.”

“Thanks,” I replied as she disappeared down the hallway leading to the dancer’s dressing room. Clearing my throat, I adjusted my posture, giving a small smile to the armed sentry guarding the entrance leading upstairs.

“Good to see you, Gia,” he greeted me, bowing his head as he held the door open.

“Thanks,” I replied, hurrying to the elevator. As soon as I stepped inside and pressed the button for the second floor, time seemed to slow down. I tapped my foot anxiously, waiting for the doors to open again. Once they did, I confidently sashayed toward the double doors leading into the executive lobby. I tugged one open with ease and stepped through.

Mrs. Knight was exiting her office at that moment and stopped in her tracks when she saw me, her face lighting up. “Oh wow! You’re back!”

“Hi!” I replied, matching her tone.

“Ian and Luke didn’t tell me.” Rushing over, she wrapped her arm around my shoulder, placing a warm kiss on my cheek before taking a step back. “You have no idea what coming back means to us.”

“Thank you,” I said, shifting my weight. “I’m a little nervous about what some people might say about my return.” Just Tyler, I said to myself.

“When have you ever cared what people think?” She waved her hand dismissively. “Screw ‘em anyway. We’ve missed you and not just the money you bring in,” she continued. “I actually think you’re really cool and love how well you fit in with us.”

“Truthfully, I’ve missed you all. I just needed some time,” I replied, though my thoughts were swirling in my mind like a hurricane. Would you still feel that way if you knew Tyler paid me thousands of dollars for a wild night?

“I understand,” she sighed, her eyes filled with empathy. “I lost my dad tragically too, so if you ever need someone to talk to, I’m here for you.”

“Thank you so much, Mrs. Knight, seriously?—”

“Oh, hell no!” She burst out laughing. “I don’t care what my husband tells you to call me. I’m Jenna or Jen to you. You’ve earned the right to call us by our names. Just don’t call me Jennifer. Chance does that shit sometimes and I hate it.”

Mr. Knight’s office door swung open, and Luke appeared in the doorway, his gaze fixed on us. “Gia, you’re late.”

“Sorry, I?—”

“Luke,” Jenna spoke up, “it was my fault. She’s here and that’s all that matters.”

His expression softened as I mouthed, Thank you, to her.

She winked at me and whispered, “Welcome back. Let’s grab coffee or brunch next week.”

Nodding, I hurried across the room, past Luke, who was holding the office door open for me.

“Hi. Good, you’re pink again,” he stated matter-of-factly, closing the door.

“Hi, of course I am,” I beamed.

---