Page 78 of Cause and Effect

“What do we have here? A pedophile, perhaps?” Morgan said, pointing at the blurry picture of the man on the other side of the fence wearing sweatpants and a plain black T-shirt. He was wearing a baseball cap pulled low that said Los Angeles across it. His mustache and thick beard made it impossible to see his face.

“Damn it. Is that the best picture you can get?”

“Unfortunately. The cameras are too far away. If he was closer, I could run his face through facial recognition. But at this distance, it’s impossible. And the more I zoom in, it’s a total blur.”

“Someone sent roses to the office while I picked up the girls from school.”

“Was there a card?” Her brows furrowed.

“No. Just like there wasn’t last time.”

“Let me look into it. Every delivery person has to sign in when they walk into the building.”

“Thanks, Morgan. Any luck on tracing that unknown number?”

“Not yet. Did you get another call?”

“Just a few minutes ago,” I said.

“Give me your phone, and let me plug it into my system for a second.”

I handed her my phone. She plugged it into her computer, typed away on her keyboard, unplugged it, and handed it back to me.

“Hey, girls.” Morgan smiled. “Come here.” She held out her arms, and they ran to her.

“Mom, can we go see Julian?” Stella asked.

“You sure can.” Morgan smiled. “I want you to run into his office and run around his desk, chasing each other. Make sure you’re loud about it.”

“Mom?” Sara looked at me.

“You heard Morgan. Go on.”

I liked Morgan, and we hit it off the moment we met. I considered her a friend—a good friend, not just a coworker.

“Julian spent the night last night, and one of the girls had a bad dream. She came into my room in the middle of the night and asked if she could sleep in my bed.”

Morgan laughed. “How did that go?”

“It was all good. This morning, I told Julian that I would have to sit down and talk with them about us, and he got really defensive and weird, saying there was no us.”

“Sweetie, I’m sorry.” She reached over and rubbed my arm. “He never told you about his ex-fiancée?”

My brows furrowed. “He has an ex-fiancée?”

“I guess that answers my question. I don’t know too much because nobody talks about it. But a few years ago, he was in love with a woman named Danielle. They were engaged and set to get married. Then, she got this job at a giant law firm in Connecticut and wanted Julian to go with her. He told her he couldn’t, and she called off the engagement and moved away. I guess she broke his heart in a way he never got over. Ever since her, he’s kept his distance from relationships. So, don’t take it personally because it’s not you. He’s the one with the issues.”

“Well, I’m putting an end to our sexual relationship because—” I looked up at the ceiling to prevent the tears from falling. “Unfortunately, I’ve fallen in love with hisdumb ass, and I can’t keep doing this. It’s not good for me or the girls. Besides, what kind of lessons am I teaching them? I have to protect my girls at all costs.”

“I get it. But, you’re different.” She smiled. “I see the way he looks at you. I see the way he is with the girls. He’s different than when I first met him. But I would do the same. You can’t keep sleeping with a man who never intends to settle down unless you don’t want a relationship. But I think you do.”

“Maybe I am ready. I don’t know. Thanks for listening, Morgan. I have some work to finish so I can take the girls home.”

I walked into my office and immediately tossed the roses into the trash bin.

Chapter Thirty

Julian

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