Page 29 of Operation Annulment
I unpack my things, trying to pinpoint why the name sounds so familiar.
Chris Brander… Chris Brander… Chris—that conniving bastard!
Chris Brander is the main character from the movieJust Friends.
Nate’s favorite movie.
Before I can buzz Stacy to tell her to cancel, the door opens, and Nate walks in, looking hotter than any man has a right to in his solid black suit.
“Hey,” he says as he folds himself into the armchair I typically sit in.
I stay behind my desk, praying that it hides my wobbling legs. “You know I can’t actually counsel you, right? Fake name or not, it just wouldn’t be right.”
He nods and leans forward to rest his forearms on his thighs. “I know, but I needed to see you. You won’t take my calls?—”
“Because there’s nothing to say, Nate.” My voice cracks at the end, and I swallow hard, refusing to let him see me fall apart.
“There will always be something to say when it comes to us,” he argues before taking a deep breath. “
I can’t. If I admit that overhearing him on the phone with his ex-wife was only part of why I left, I’ll also have to tell him about my family drama.
Like my sister being arrested and having to reach out to my estranged mother for bail money only to learn she’s in deep with the local biker gang.
Nope. I am nowhere near ready for that conversation.
There would be a Nate-sized hole in my office doorbefore I even got to the part about Thor being an undercover cop who was investigating Dakota the entire time she thought they were dating.
“I’ve been a little busy,” I finally say, which is technically accurate. “And I don’t have the mental capacity to work out whatever we had between us. I just can’t focus on that right now.”
“Have.”
My brows furrow. “What?”
“Whatever wehavebetween us. I’m here now,” he says before glancing at his watch. “And I’ve got an hour and a half to hear anything you want to tell me.”
He gestures for me to sit down, but I shake my head. “Nate, I can’t. My time is reserved for paying patients.”
“Oh, I’m paying for this,” he mutters dryly, the corner of his lip lifting in a slight smile. “I’ve been paying for it since I met you.”
“I’m not a whore.”
“Jesus, Kate. I didn’t mean it like that.” He rakes a hand over his face with an exasperated groan. “I don’t think you’re a whore, but I would like you to hear me out.”
“Fine,” I bite out. “The floor is yours for the next hour and a half.”
“Will you at least sit down?”
“You’re in my seat.”
Nate briefly closes his eyes as if praying before moving to the couch. “How about now?”
I sit and cross my arms over my chest, pretending the heat left behind from his skin doesn’t make my pulse flutter. “Go.”
He nods before looking down at his hands. “Taking a call from my ex-wife was quite literally the stupidest thing I’ve done. Believe me, I’ve already gotten an earful from my family, and I regret hurting you like that.”
“So you didn’t pick her up?” I ask, pinching my lips together to keep them from trembling.
“I did,” he admits with a grimace. “But I swear, nothing happened.”
