Page 73 of A Break in Communications

She pouted at me. “This office is getting to your head. You never call me Kelce anymore. I thought we were friends.”

Under normal circumstances, I would have saidyou thought wrong, we were never friends, you’re my coworker and not even one I like very much.But hey. It was Christmas, basically. I pushed my chair back, leaning back a little. “How are you doing, Kelce? Got through everything okay today? You need any help with anything, don’t be afraid to ask, okay?”

She lit up like a kid offered another piece of cake before bedtime, and she helped herself to the seat across from me. “Work was really good today! Just wanted to say it’s been really good working under you the past few days and I’m sure you’re going to do great in the role.”

Well, wasn’t she sweet? Probably also angling for something. I smiled at her, shutting my laptop and tenting my hands on top of it. “Thanks, Kelce. I’m—”

“You know, unless Lucy gets it. In which case Lucy will probably do great in the role too.”

“Mm. Indeed.”

She shifted, hands in her lap. I sighed.

“Kelcey, go ahead and say it,” I said, fully ready to broach the subject and find a way to give the hard news about my damn sister, but it didn’t go where I expected.

“You know, Lucy really loves you.”

“Ah.” I turned, looking out the window. “I don’t suppose we can keep to professional topics, can we?”

“It’s past five. We’re not coworkers now, we’re friends.”

“That’s not really how it works. Especially not in my office.”

She beamed. “Technically, it’s still Sean’s office.”

It wasn’t often Kelcey had me on a technicality. I let her have it just for the novelty of it all. “Lucy is lovely, and I’m glad to have her in the department, regardless of—”

“God, stop it with the corporation speak. I mean she’s in love with you. You’re in love with her, too, right?”

I smiled politely. “I’m in love with getting my work done. And I’m looking forward to the press release going well tomorrow. Anything else?”

She pursed her lips. “I just think the two of you should get back together… you’re so perfect for each other.”

I sighed, shoulders slumping. “We’re not getting away from this, are we?”

“You dropped everything you had going on in the office and ran to help Lucy as soon as you found out her grandmother was in the hospital.”

I glowered. “You’re the one who told Veronica about that, aren’t you?”

“Um…” She shifted, looking anywhere but at me. “No… nope.”

Hm. Well, consider me convinced. “Didn’t realize you and Lucy were so close.”

She blushed a little under the attention, looking away, wringing her hands. “Ah… um… I guess it’s a bonding experience?”

“What, the… press release?” That was dumb of me to say. Even I should have figured out, and I did, but too late to change the subject before she said it.

“Getting your heart broken by some unattainable Preston girl.”

I sighed. Absolutely unbelievable that I’d be here willingly changing the subject to Kelcey and my sister, but it was better than talking about me and Lucy. “I’m sorry about my sister… being the way she is. I’ve been trying to convince her she owes you an apology, and it should be her telling you this instead of me, but she’s direly short on emotional maturity, so… I guess here we are. If it makes you feel any better, she definitely hasfeelings for you too, she just doesn’t know how to handle that in general and even less so when it’s with a woman, and she gets out of these things by deliberately driving the other person away.”

She chewed her lip, looking down at the floor. “Do you, uh… do you think so?”

“She told me herself.”

She swallowed awkwardly. “Sorry… I know talking about me and your sister is hardly work conversation.”

My eyebrows shot up off my head and went on a stroll somewhere. “Oh, now that’s a concern, is it?”

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