Page 29 of Promises We Meant to Keep

“Okay. Give me ten minutes.” Elia hung up before saying anything else. An unsettled panic rested in her chest. She could do this. She could go up to Kamryn’s apartment, and she could have this meeting.

They needed to resolve at least one problem today.

eleven

The knock was polite and quick. Kamryn hadn’t expected Elia to actually show up, despite the fact that she said she was coming. Her apartment was barren because she refused to unpack too much if she was only going to be there for a few months. Most of her stuff was in storage.

Elia stood on the other side of the door, her shoulders squared, a light jacket on, her hair down by her shoulders, and her makeup light today. Kamryn’s stomach tightened. This wasn’t professional Elia, the woman who dressed to impress at school every day. This was laid-back Elia, the woman behind the teacher-mask, the woman who actually might take a day off.

Kamryn should probably learn that lesson sometime soon.

Greer had accused her of working herself to death more than once in the last week.

“Hey,” Kamryn said, since Elia didn’t seem to be saying anything at all.

Elia nodded slightly. “Thank you for seeing me on such short notice.”

They still stood at the door awkwardly, staring at each other. Kamryn should definitely let Elia in. She should get her some water or something, invite her to sit down. This was a businessmeeting for fuck’s sake. She should act like a boss and not be weak in the knees.

Kamryn cleared her throat. “Uh…come on in.”

She opened the door wider and stepped to the side. Elia’s energy changed the entire room. Something about her presence made the space seem that much smaller and impossible for her to work with or be in the near vicinity of. Kamryn glanced at the coffee table and couch, where she’d been working her tail off all morning. It was littered with papers, her computer, a couple of pens.

She was ridiculous. Elia’s house had been spotless, and her apartment was a disaster. Elia was probably disgusted by it all.

“Would you like something to drink?” God, now she sounded like an idiot on top of the visual impression. “Water or…” Kamryn had to think about what else she might have in the fridge. “I think I have some soda.”

She walked directly to the fridge and opened it up. “Yeah, or beer.”

Elia’s lips quirked at that, a smile playing at them. It was so nice to see. “I think we should forgo the alcohol so early in the day. Don’t you think?”

“It’s not like we have a very good track record with it.” Kamryn grabbed two cans of soda and handed one over to Elia, their fingers brushing in the process. “This is probably the wiser choice.”

“For now at least.” Elia popped the top of hers and turned toward the couch. Kamryn expected a judgmental reaction, but she never saw one. “I know you’re working because you’re on duty today, but you really should take a day for yourself.”

“At some point, I will.” Kamryn bit the inside of her cheek and walked toward the couch, hoping that Elia would follow her. She slid onto it and stretched out a little. She hadn’t realized howmany kinks she had bugging her in her back until she stopped to focus on something other than work.

“Breaks are good. They improve work productivity and quality.” Elia sat down, pulling at the buttons on her jacket and then sliding it off her shoulders. The jeans and T-shirt she wore were a stark contrast to her normal outfit choice.

Kamryn couldn’t ever remember seeing Elia look so relaxed, never in something other than slacks or flats. But the sneakers that were definitely well-worn and probably needed replacing were such a welcome and humanizing sight.

“Kam,” Elia said, a chuckle in her tone.

“What?” Kamryn snapped her gaze back up to Elia’s face.

Elia shook her head, that laugh still lingering in the air between them, teasing them with something damn near friendship. But that couldn’t be right, could it? Kamryn was reading way too much into this. Elia was here for…something work-related. That much she knew.

“You’re staring at my shoes.”

“Oh. Sorry.” Kamryn lifted the cold drink to her lips and took a long sip from it. The cold was exactly what she needed to cool her cheeks off. The only downside was now it was very obvious just how hot her body had become in the last few minutes. “What did you need to talk about that couldn’t wait until Monday?”

Elia’s smile slipped from her lips, and Kamryn instantly regretted the conversation change. She needed that smile back in her life. It was so genuine and perfect, something that lit up the entire room and affected everything within it.

“I came to apologize.” Elia’s voice was firm as she spoke, a sadness entering into the words although Kamryn couldn’t quite figure out why.

“Apologize?” Kamryn frowned. “For what?”

“My abruptness in your office last night.” Elia’s face pinched. “I was rude.”

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