Page 43 of Fierce-Hyde

Probably with the damn civil rights attorney Diane had to set her up with.

He wasn’t sure why he was so bothered by that and maybe it was the motivator for him to talk to her now.

“Hi, Hyde,” she said. “How is CeeCee doing?”

He was touched that she’d asked him that.

“Great,” he said. “I just took her to a doctor’s appointment. She’s coming along great. But she’s a trooper too.”

“That’s wonderful to hear,” she said. Her hand came forward as if she was going to reach for him in comfort and then she dropped it aside.

He wasn’t sure of her reason for doing it. Reaching or stopping.

“How have you been?” he asked.

“Busy with work,” she said. “You?”

“The same. I heard you talking to Diane earlier this week in the office. Glad that you’re not afraid to come see Raina.”

She frowned over his poor choice of words. “I’m not letting what happened with us interfere with my friendship.”

He’d put his foot in his mouth.

She was right.

They did seem to do this to each other.

But he’d thought about it the past few days and had come to a conclusion.

Seeing her right now made him want to explain it to her.

“I’m glad,” he said. “I didn’t mean it that way.”

“What way did you mean?” she asked.

“Can we talk somewhere?”

She hesitated as if she didn’t want to, but then gave in. “We can go outside on the patio. I doubt there are many people there this time of the morning.”

They both moved toward the back doors of the lobby and out to the patio that was there for people to relax on breaks or lunches.

She was right, there weren’t more than three people out here and they moved off to a table furthest away.

Hyde sat down first and Tori did the same.

“I got thinking about something,” he said.

“What’s that?”

“Us,” he said.

“What about us?”

“I know you think we bring the worst out of each other.”

“Don’t think it,” she said. “I know how I feel or act around you.”

He was going all in. He had nothing to lose.

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