Page 39 of Even if It Hurts

And yet, without another glance at my rowing machine, I left the gym, already pulling out my AirPods.

“Can you stay a while longer?” I asked as I rested my forearms on the second-floor railing.

Lainey didn’t look at me or take her eyes off the book—she didn’t even stop reading—as she nodded.

“I’ll be back,” I assured her as I once again headed for my room, ordering dinner as I went.

By the time I’d showered and made it downstairs, Lainey and Kaia were gone, as was the décor. But even if I couldn’t feel the trail of Lainey’s pain and humiliation leading to the spare rooms, I would’ve known she was still there.

I didn’t need to know everything about her to know Ada had been right—Lainey was a people-pleaser. Just not in the way I’d first expected.

I stole down the long hallway to Kaia’s room, but only let myself watch Lainey, take her in, for a moment as she gently swayed with Kaia in the dark the same way she had that first morning.

Tearing myself away, I headed back through the halls just as my phone vibrated with a message from one of the front desk managers, letting me know the food had arrived, and he was bringing it up.

I jogged across the apartment to meet him at the elevator and felt something in my soul crumble when I rounded the walled-off foyer and stumbled upon all the décor that had been messing up my living room less than an hour before.

From Lainey’s palpable discomfort to the way everything except the plants was piled into the basket that had held Kaia’s toys, it was almost like looking at someone’s belongings mid-move.

Considering I hardly knew Lainey, the sight shouldn’t have bothered me as much as it did.

I cleared my throat and slowly looked over when the elevator arrived, then nodded at the night manager.

“I need a keycard made for my nanny,” I told him as I accepted the box. “It needs to have the same access as mine so she doesn’t have to worry about the parking and can come at all hours.”

A knowing and somewhat honored look settled over his face as if I’d just let him in on some big secret. “Of course, Mr. Briggs. I’ll get right to work on that for yournanny.”

I didn’t bother telling him that’s really all she was, just said, “I’ll have her pick it up in a little while.”

With a dip of his head, he hurried back onto the elevator before the doors could close, and I spared one last glance at the gathered décor before heading toward the kitchen.

“She’s asleep,” Lainey said just as I set the pizza on the island, seeming to say the words as if she were announcing herself, even though I’d heard her walking down the hall and through the living room. “Do you need anything else?”

“You hungry?” When she didn’t respond, I looked up to find her staring at me like she couldn’t figure me out, and I couldn’t blame her for it.

A fresh wave of pain and confusion burst from her as she looked toward the front of my apartment. “I’m fine. I should?—”

“Eat.”

Her chest pitched with a muted laugh. “If there’s something else I’ve done, or if you’re going to fire me, just say it,” she pled before meeting my stare again. “You don’t need to ease into it with pizza.”

“Why do you always think I’m firing you?”

Genuine shock stole across her expression as if she didn’t know why I’d even have to ask. “Mr. Briggs?—”

“Asher.”

A soft, slightly exasperated laugh bled from her lips, but she just continued, saying, “I promise, I’m not trying to make this more difficult for you. I’m trying to help.”

My head bobbed subtly as I turned to grab a couple of plates from the cupboard. “Did you eat dinner?” When silence met me, I twisted to look at where she was staring at a spot on the floor and asked, “Have you eaten at all since you’ve been here?”

“I’m not sure that’s relevant to this conversation or my job,” she said, the words barely a whisper.

“You’ve been here for twelve hours.”

“And you’re here now,” she added as if one had to do with another, a smile so unlike any other I’d seen from her pulling at her lips. It was forced and hesitant and didn’t come close to reaching her eyes. “So, I should probably go so you can have your space back.”

“Eat,” I said again as I set the plates on the granite countertop and flipped open the box. When she didn’t make a move to join me, I added, “Please.”

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