Page 30 of Embers of Torment

"Can I help you?"

"I'm here to see Della Nash."

"Did you have an appointment?"

"No. I'm a friend of hers."

"I see." The woman studied me for a few seconds. "I'll see if Della's still here. Can I have your name please?"

"Sure. It's Jace Welch." I shifted my weight, the woman's scrutiny making me nervous.

"It's okay, Connie. I can take care of this gentleman."

Startled, I swung around to see Sofie Morgan closing the door.

"Jace, it's a pleasure to see you again. Is Della expecting you?" The corner of Sofie's mouth edged upward, and her eyes lit with amusement. Whether she was humored by my showing up to see Della or my apparent unease at being here was yet to be determined.

"No, she's not. I was supposed to meet her and Adam down the street. I thought I'd catch up with them here instead." I shoved my hands in my pockets, becoming increasingly uncomfortable.

"I'm sure Della will be pleasantly surprised. Follow me. I'll take you to her office." Sofie scanned her badge on a security device and opened an inner door.

I followed closely behind as we passed a standalone workstation on our right and a conference room to our left. We turned down a cubicle-lined corridor and stopped in front of a trio of offices. Sofie led me to the one at the far end. I stood outside the door and watched Della pull her purse from a drawer and set it on her desk. She looked up and spotted me in the hallway. Her eyes instantly widened, and she slowly leaned backward in her chair.

"You have a visitor," Sofie said, sounding gleeful.

"Umm, I can see that."

"You two have fun tonight." Sofie's smile was ear to ear as she walked away.

Della wrinkled her forehead. "Jace, what are you doing here?"

"I thought walking to the bowling and game center with you guys would be easier than trying to find each other there. Plus, I had to walk by this building anyway, so I figured I might as well stop and wait." I crossed my fingers that Della was okay with my explanation and that my visit wasn't too huge of a surprise.

"Okie dokie. That makes sense. We should go downstairs since Adam is meeting me in the lobby in five minutes."

"Perfect. Lead the way." I kept my voice calm, although I was thrilled that my sudden appearance hadn't become a problem.

We left the marketing department and waited in the corridor for the elevator. Della was silent as I stood by her side. Then I caught her peeking at me.

Becoming worried, I asked, "Hey, are you sure it's okay that I'm here?"

"Yeah, it's fine. You floored me when you showed up. I don't think anyone who wasn't job-related has ever come here to see me."

I was about to tease that her comment made me feel special when the elevator dinged and the doors opened. I groaned at the business-attired bodies packing the car.

A gentleman standing in front motioned for us to get in. "We can make room. Come on." He shifted his position and leaned against the wall.

I put my hand on Della's back as she stepped inside, and I squeezed in beside her. My heart rate jumped when she turned toward me, her head inches from my shoulder.

"Sorry. I don't have much room," Della whispered.

"I don't mind." I peered down at her, our eyes locking. Then I saw her stare at my mouth while she licked her bottom lip, her move dangerously enticing.

The doors opened, and Della bolted from the car. I caught up to her, standing by a small seating area in the lobby.

"Are you all right?" I tried to read her expression but couldn't, although I could see she was breathing faster than usual.

"Umm…I'm fine. The elevator felt suffocating." Della abruptly spun in a circle, her eyes searching. "There's Adam. He's getting off the elevator."

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