Page 66 of We Met Like This
With Sloane’s books, the box was heavier than I’d anticipated. I lifted it and my groan turned into a grunt. “Let’s go. And by the way, I’m not sure you made it clear that a brainstorming session was what you were inviting Oliver to. From what I recall, you invited him to judge his worthiness.”
“I said that? Huh. Even when I’m hungover, I’m still so witty.”
“Is that what we’re callingannoyingthese days?” I said, moving the box to my hip to reset the alarm.
“Maybe a good grillingismore important than the brainstorming sesh after this whole friendship nonsense thing he initiated.”
“Don’t, Sloane. If we need to be friends so we stop touching each other and actually get to know each other, it’s not a bad thing.” At least that was the logic I’d been talking myself into for the last twenty-four hours.
The alarm beeped with its activation and I relocked the door.
She sighed. “Whatever. I think the real problem is that he’s not the meet-cute you’ve been attempting to manifest so you’re keeping him at arm’s length.”
“Not true.” When I whirled around to walk to the car, Rob’s BMW was pulling into the parking lot.
“Shit,” I said. “Just keep walking.”
“What?” Sloane hadn’t noticed, but as soon as she did, her fists clenched into balls.
“Don’t do anything stupid,” I said.
“But I want to really bad. Do you think there are cameras in the office? Is that how he knew you were here?”
There were cameras in the main lobby of the office, but I didn’t think he sat there and monitored them.
Rob stepped out of the car. He was wearing workout shorts and a fitted blue tee. He must’ve been at the gym, which was literally three blocks from here.
“Just cleaning out my desk,” I said.
He joined us just as we reached the trunk. His eyes went to the box and the handful of books Sloane had stolen. I shot her a look and she had the decency to appear penitent.
I thought Rob would beg me to stay again or maybe even say he’d been wrong and that he’d talked to the other agents and they all agreed I deserved a chance. He didn’t. He said, “I need your key.”
“You really are an ass,” Sloane said, and I wasn’t mad about it. She must’ve thought I was, though, because she sucked in her lips and then got in the car and shut the door.
I placed the box in the trunk and then struggled to free the office key from my key ring.
“It doesn’t have to be like this,” Rob said as I finally got the head of the key wedged beneath the first layer of metal.
I twisted it around the circle. Everything in me wanted to say,You’re right, it doesn’t. We can figure something out. I need this job. I need you to help me succeed at the next stage of my career. My life.But I swallowed down that fear and that anxiety and accepted the truth. “I think we both know it does.” I held the key out to him.
He took it from me. “Thanks for not…” His words trailed off.
Not what?I almost screamed.Not telling the other agents that we slept together? Not making a scene? Not demanding better? Not slapping you right now? Thanks for notabout covered everything, didn’t it?
“Yeah,” I said. “The Margot that doesn’t is over. I’m ready to.”
“To what?” he said, obviously confused.
“To everything.”
CHAPTER 20
“I can’t fail at this,” I said from my seat at the coffee shop we went to after driving away from the office, leaving Rob standing in the parking lot. For all I knew he was still standing there, still confused.
“You want to stick it to him now, don’t you? Become the biggest success ever so you can rub it in his face,” Sloane said. “I’m not mad at that motivation.”
Oliver hadn’t joined us yet. It hadn’t taken as long at the office as I thought it would, even with the interruption from Rob. “Yes, that is one of the reasons I want to succeed now. But it’s way down the list. And I have a few thousand steps to take before success.”
