Page 118 of Outside The Wire

“He was in shock.”

“But he didn’t look at me with love. He didn’t look at me like he was grateful to find out I was alive.” I rubbed the center of my chest where a deep ache began to form. “What if he doesn’t come around?”

“If you really want him, you’re gonna have to fight for him.”

“Fight for my own husband?” I choked out a laugh. “There was a time when he fought for me. I was the only woman he looked at.”

“Maybe you need to make him see you again.”

I could do that. No, I had to do that. I had no other choice. I didn’t claw my way back from the grave to be left with no one. If I was going to win him back, I was going to have to think like a Buchanan. I’d watched my father fight dirty all my life. As muchas I despised his games, I was willing to use his tactics to get my husband back. He was worth the risk.

29

HOLLY

I wasa walking zombie the next morning, but it wasn’t like I could call off work. I was the owner, and since I’d taken off a week when I’d been carjacked, I wasn’t about to leave Noelle in the lurch again. So, I pulled up my big girl panties and went to work. I could do this. I could function and behave like a normal person. It wasn’t like I’d lost Asher. He was still alive and well. He just wasn’t the person I thought he was.

I stomped up the steps to my shop, not surprised at all when I saw Noelle already waiting in the chair outside. “Just for once, I wish you would go inside instead of waiting outside for me.”

“What fun would that be?” She stood and handed me my cocoa.

I took it gratefully and unlocked the door, shoving it open. “Thank you. I needed this. I took a large gulp, then nearly spit it out. “What the hell is this?”

“Cocoa with a bit of fun.”

I set it on the counter and marched back to the kitchen for a bottle of water. I couldn’t be drunk at eight in the morning. Noelle’s version of fun and mine were completely different.

“Drinking on the job is not acceptable.”

“Oh, mine doesn’t have any vodka in it,” she grinned. “I just added some to yours. I figured after the night you had, you would need a little pick me up. So, Asher’s wife is back from the dead. What’s that like?”

I rolled my eyes, not really in the mood to talk about it. “Just peachy.”

“I bet. So, did he get down on his knees last night and beg for your forgiveness? Was there lots of makeup sex? I need details.”

“There was no sex,” I muttered as I headed to the back room with my work bag.

“Why the hell not?” she shouted, running behind me. “The situation definitely called for it. He should have been down on his knees, giving you a little Molly what’s her name.”

I didn’t even want to ask her what that was. She had some weird phrases and I just wasn’t in the mood to decipher them this morning. “Noelle, how about we just focus on work today.”

“Right, so you can forget about the fact that Asher’s still married and you don’t know where you stand.”

I spun around and shot her a nasty look. “Are you trying to poke me?”

“If I was trying to poke you, I would point out that she has beautiful olive skin and gorgeous dark hair.”

“Thanks,” I muttered.

“How is it that she’s still alive?”

“I don’t know. It’s not like Asher called her last night to talk to her.” Although, maybe he did after he left. I really didn’t know.

“So…”

“So, what?” I spun away from her, desperate to put an end to this conversation, but everywhere I turned, she stepped in front of me.

“Holly, you can’t just run away from this. You need to find out what’s going on. You can’t move forward until you have answers.”

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