Page 31 of A Different Husband

If only he could read my mind. Then again, I didn’t know why I had to justify my actions to my assistant. The only person I would need to do that with was the wife who avoided me. That wasn’t fair, I had been doing my own share of avoidance over the past couple of weeks too. In my defense, I wanted her to have to come to me.

“I was going to ask why you threw your whole Deli lunch away in my trash, but I guess I got my answer,” Jeff announced, and I didn’t miss the tone he took. My assistant was not happy to see me in such an intimate position with a woman who wasnot my wife. He had been rooting for me to fix things with Courtney, and clearly got the wrong impression about what was happening.

“I didn’t have a deli lunch. I probably would have worked straight through again if Kylie hadn’t brought lunch by, in the hopes of bribing me into a work lunch.”

“What exactly are you working on?” Jeff asked. “Kung Pow and Kisses?”

“Jeff!” His name sounded more like a reprimand. He knew better than to get an attitude with clients.

“What would your wife think if she walked in here and saw how you conduct business?”

“Wife?” Kylie asked.

“That’s about enough,” I growled at my assistant, who apparently had a lightbulb moment as I was about to send him home for the day.

“Oh no!” He called out and then ran from my office. I could feel the panic in his voice and took off after him. When I got to the front desk, it was to see Jeff pull a bag from Court’s favorite deli out of the trash, along with two sodas.

“Where did that come from?” Even as I asked the question, I feared the answer.

“Her name is on the receipt,” Jeff confirmed.

“Fuck.”

“I can only imagine what she saw when she stopped by to bring you lunch. Considering Kylie was about hair’s breadth from crawling into your lap when I walked in.” Again, Jeff’s tone was admonishing at best, downright accusatory would have been a better description.

“Nothing was going on.”

“Nothing to you or would it have looked like something to your wife?”

“Flynn?” I turned to see Kylie headed down the hall toward us. “Did I hear Jeff correctly? He said you were married. Since when?”

“I am married,” I informed her for the first time. It wasn’t because I tried to hide the fact. I simply didn’t think it mattered since I had no interest in Kylie outside of business.

“You’re not wearing a ring.”

“No, I’m not.” I stared down at my hand and remembered that the one thing we hadn’t managed to get done before our wedding was to procure a ring. Like hell was I going to wear the one that had been made for my cousin, even though his mother offered to loan it to me until I could get one of my own.

“That woman earlier,” She whispered.

“What woman?” I already knew who she was talking about, but I hadn’t noticed my wife, and didn’t think Kylie had seen anyone either.

“There was a woman standing outside your office earlier. I saw her briefly and then she disappeared. I thought it was just one of your employees who didn’t want to disturb you, since you had a lunch date.”

“I didn’t have a lunch date,” I snapped.

“No, I guess in your mind, you didn’t.” Kylie agreed. “I’m really sorry. I thought…” She hesitated a moment and then came right out with it. “We’ve worked so well together in the past, and I’ve always admired you. I thought I would take a chance and shoot my shot.”

I stared at her for a moment. It had been completely lost on me that she had been trying to hint at something more than a working relationship between us.

“Seems like you’re still trying to shoot your shot even after finding out that Flynn is married,” Jeff snapped at her. Kylie stepped back and threw her hand over her mouth as she gaspedin shock. She had all but forgotten my assistant was there to witness her declare her intentions.

“No, I wouldn’t. Oh my God.” She took off toward the elevator without looking back.

“Fuck!” I yelled as Jeff stood there staring off at the elevator with a sour expression that pulled the corners of his mouth down in a frown.

“I would wish you good luck explaining this to your wife, but I’m not sure you deserve it.”

“I swear to you, everything was innocent on my end,” I told my assistant.

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