Page 35 of (Un)Planned

“Remembering her name would be a good place to start.” She turned to look at me, her brow furrowing. “Everything okay with Adam?”

I nodded. “It’s my monthly pitch to try to get him back into acting. That, and I want to make sure he’s doing alright. He hasn’t answered my last few calls, and that’s unusual for him.”

She studied my expression. “You’re worried about him.”

“It’s my job to worry about his career.”

“No,” she said. “You’re worried about him. Not because of work, but because you care about him. It's okay to admit you’re worried about your friend.”

I ducked my head. I was willing to admit that to myself, but I’d never voiced it out loud. Admitting that I was worried about Adam, was the same as admitting something was off with him. It made little sense, but in my mind, if I never said the words, it wasn’t serious. That Adam was having a normal rough patch- like many other creatives did. It would quickly pass.

But of course, Calla was able to read through my silence. Even though it wasn’t the first time she’d seen through me, it made me shift uncomfortably. I felt unnaturally exposed under her watchful eye. Calla was one of the few people who took the time to look beyond my usual asshole outer shell. While caring was a positive thing in most businesses, in my line of work, it could be dangerous to get too invested in a client.

As she went down the hall to grab Adam, Calla offered me a soft smile, one that made the weight in my chest instantly lessen. I might not know what the future might hold, but I knew one thing: I wanted this woman in it, no matter the consequences.

TWENTY

Watching through the glass, I grimaced as Theo paced his office. Whatever was happening in his meeting with Adam wasnotgoing well. It had been almost an hour since they walked in together, leaving me out here to wonder what they were talking about. I knew that Theo needed to be in there alone, dealing with Adam as more of a friend than an agent.

But Adam’s posture was so different than usual, and it made me edgy. We’d spent a good amount of time together back at the lake due to our close friendships with Alex and Cole. As far as I knew, Adam was always calm, cool, and collected. The stress of his life would leave most people in shambles, but he seemed to take all of it in stride.

Until today.

Every muscle in his body was tense, and he was leaning against the wall the furthest from Theo’s desk. Adam crossed his arms around his chest, and if looks could kill, my boss would be a pile of ash on the floor. The peacekeeper in me wanted to bust in to soothe the mounting tension, but itwasn’t my place, no matter my role in Theo’s life—especially not here.

As my eyes darted between the two of them, someone stepped up to my desk, dropping a folder on top of my keyboard. “Holy shit,” Jack whispered. “What I wouldn’t give to be a fly on that wall.”

My annoyance reared up. “What do you want, Jack?”

He tilted his head at my words before barking out a laugh. “Easy there, Calla. I was just dropping off Anders’ contract. Theo wanted me to take a look before they started discussing next season.”

After the gala, I talked with Devyn about Jack and how something about him unsettled me. However, instead of agreeing, shedefendedJack, which was odd. Maybe she was right; because I was so protective of Theo, I was seeing threats that didn’t exist.

But something about his words and actions still didn’t sit right with me. I took the folder, holding it close to my chest. Maybe it was old insecurities. Perhaps it was the look that Jack got when Theo led a meeting. But my instincts weren’t usually wrong, and they were telling me to be cautious with this man.

I tried to hide all my suspicions behind a smile. “I’ll let him know. Thanks for dropping it off.”

Without another word, I pushed back from my desk, beelining straight to Theo’s door. Maybe I should have let them continue their argument, but my desire to get away from Jack won out. There was also a part of me that wanted to protect Theo. The entire office’s eyes were trained on the glass walls, watching their boss argue with his biggest client. I knew if he wasn’t so preoccupied with Adam, Theo would hate that they were seeing him like this.

I knocked lightly on his door, and when Theo called out, I stepped inside. “Sorry to interrupt, but Jack dropped off this contract, and it seemed urgent.” Theo motioned for me to hand it to him. While he looked it over, I offered Adam a half-smile. He did the same, running his hand through his shaggy blond hair.

Seeing him up close, it was clear that Theo was right to worry. Adam didn’t look like himself at all. Typically, he was very put together, closely shaved, his hair sculpted to the point of perfection. Today, he looked like he’d just climbed off a barstool, the faint smell of scotch surrounding him.

Theo’s eyes met mine for a brief moment before I stepped closer to Adam. “It’s good to see you again.”

“Same,” he sighed, a little bit of that light entering his eyes again. “I’m glad the job is working out for you.”

“Yeah, thank you so much for setting up my interview,” I chuckled. “Sunshine over there took a little bit to get used to, but he’s grown on me. He cares about the people he works with, you know?”

Adam swallowed, looking down at his feet. He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “I should get going. Thanks for the heads up, Theo.” He placed his hand on my arm and squeezed lightly. “Hope to see you again soon, Calla.”

“You got it. If you need anything, let me know.”

He nodded, barely looking at Theo as he crossed the room. But before he could open the door, Theo called out. “Think about what I said.”

Adam didn’t respond, leaving before either of us could say anything else. The moment the door closed, Theo collapsed in his chair, tossing the contract across his desk. His head dropped into his hands. “Fuck!”

All I wanted was to crawl into his lap, to make him feel better. However, with the entire office on the other side of the wall, it was impossible to do anything but stand there awkwardly.

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