Page 49 of Playing the Game
The doors open to the lobby. We stand frozen for a second, our eyes hooked together. Trey steps out first and scans the area.
She blinks and turns to leave. “Go to California. When you get back, we can talk.”
I follow her out of the elevator. “I’d like that very much.”
She glances at me as she strides toward the back parking lot with Trey leading. “Have a safe trip, Hunter.”
My stomach hollows out. She has a wall around her heart, and from what I’m reading from her, it’s going to be nearly impossible to break it down.
I can’t lose her.
“Dorothy, I’m going to get your job back, and I’m not giving up on us. I know you still love me.”
She stops mid-stride and takes a deep breath. A moment passes, and then she faces me with glossy eyes.
“Hunter, you need to focus on Isabella and the baby before you do anything else.”
“And what if the baby isn’t mine?”
Dorothy sighs and her shoulders relax a little. “I don’t know. Let’s take one step at a time.”
Hope springs in my chest. “Does that mean there’s still a chance for us to work past this?”
There’s a pause.
“I’m sorry, but too much has happened.” She swallows and turns away. “Let’s talk when you get back.”
A void strips me to the core. “Calling it quits between us. Is it that easy for you?”
“Please, don’t do this. I don’t have it in me to talk right now.” She quickens her pace.
Every bone in my body wants to run after her and make her stay with me. She’s walking away and I’m losing her.
Panic hits as thoughts of my mother leaving me when I was ten pierce my brain. They only serve as a reminder that my mom is running the show and Dorothy is collateral damage.
She disappears through the doors leading to the back parking lot, and dread fills every crevice of my soul.
My dad’s house manager shows me into his study, where he’s hidden behind his computer, and announces my visit.
“Hunter. What do I owe the pleasure?” My dad stands and rounds his desk.
I stay near a chair. “I wanted to talk about Dorothy and how I go about getting her job back.”
“We need to discuss more than that.”
I nod, holding back my firing nerves. “I figured that much. Why don’t you ask me all you need to know and we’ll go from there?”
He looks me over like he’s trying to decide how much of his wrath I can handle. When he gestures for me to take a seat, I sit.
“Hunter.” He shakes his head and paces before me. “Ihave half the nerve to go hard on you for making me look like a complete idiot, but your demeanor tells me that won’t be good for you.”
“I’m not doing well, if that’s what you’re asking.”
He stops and peers down at me. “You’ve gotten yourself into a world of shit, Hunter. Start from the beginning and end with why you’re here on a Wednesday afternoon when you should be at work.”
“You already know that my mom is working behind the scenes to sabotage me. I’m sure she’s behind getting the pictures of Dorothy and me to the board.”
My dad narrows his eyes. “What makes you think that?”
