Page 87 of Dear John

“We’re done here.”

My head jerked up at Kavanaugh putting an end to the conversation. I spun around to slip out, but I wasn’t fast enough. My briefcase hit the door in my haste and everyone in the room went silent. Biting my lip, I knew I had been caught. Then I heard his footsteps and the heavy sigh that left his lips.

My name coming from his mouth always sounded so amazing, but right now, the torture in his voice sunk deep in my gut. “Isla.”

29

KAVANAUGH

I couldn’t catch a fuckingbreak. This trip was supposed to help Isla and me connect in some way. I thought by escaping Kansas, we’d somehow be able to get on the right track. Instead, my problems followed me here.

Olivia placed her hand on my arm as her eyes roamed from head to toe over Isla’s body. I shook her off, taking a step forward, only to stop when I saw Isla tense up.

“Senator,” she forced a smile. “It’s been a long time.”

“Yes, it has,” the senator replied, his tone stiff and measured. “You look well. How is your family?”

She choked out afine, but I knew she was ready to bolt. How much had she heard? There were things I hadn’t told her, not because I was keeping secrets, but because I wanted to keep as much distance between myself and the senator as possible.

Isla seemed to regain her composure and stood tall. “This must be the fake fiancée I’ve heard so much about.”

Awkward. I could feel the rage coming off Olivia even though she was hiding it behind that perfected exterior. But Isla was right. She was a fraud.

“Isla, may I introduce you to Olivia. I was working with her for a short time with the senator, but that job is over.”

The senator snagged my attention, his stance telling me all I needed to know. This wasn’t the last I’d be hearing from him. “We should go.”

Isla stepped aside, allowing them to pass. “It was so nice to see you again, Senator. Give my love to your wife.”

Without another word, they both exited the room. I hoped with them gone, the tension would ease, but if anything, it seemed to ramp up.

“Bet you never thought you’d see him again,” I chuckled.

She glared at me, stomping further into the room. “You know, I was prepared to come in here and talk things through with you, but instead, I find I’m even more annoyed than I was when I turned down a job that could have built my career!”

“Wait, you turned down the job?” That probably wasn’t the most important thing to focus on, but I couldn’t help it. I had been so fucking concerned about the whole damn thing, and it was nice to know it was no longer a problem.

She shoved her hand through her hair in frustration. “Yes, I turned down the job, and do you know why?”

I stayed silent, figuring she didn’t really want an answer.

“Because you put all these thoughts in my head!” she shouted. “I started seeing bad things in everything he did. I thought he was trying to poison me!”

“Was he?” I stupidly asked.

She spun to face me, her face telling me she would poison me if I kept asking questions. “I was about to have a very lucrative job with tons of money coming in, and I threw it all away because I couldn’t get you out of my head.”

“Isla,” I sighed. “I didn’t trust him. What did you want me to do?”

“I wanted you to stop thinking everyone around me is trying to kill me. What happened to the guy who made me laugh and just had fun with me?”

“He cared too much about your safety,” I bit out. “I’m sorry things didn’t go your way, but I was only trying to keep you safe.”

“I know,” she said with finality.

I bit back any response I would have given because it felt like this was the end.

“I came back here, pissed as hell that you got to me like that. But then I remembered that kitten and it all kind of fell apart. All the anger vanished.”

---