Page 57 of Don't Break My Heart
“Let me check. He’s in with someone. Are you okay? I can get someone else.”
Fuck, my heart races so fast I think I’m going to have a panic attack or a heart attack. It could be something life threatening, that’s how bad it feels. “That’s okay, don’t worry about it.” I disconnect the call. I have no idea what I was doing here anyway, I can’t be seen to be coming to a place like this. With white-knuckle force, I grip hold of the steering wheel and try to suck in deep breaths.
Fuck, Sloane, get your shit together.
But I can’t. I need Onyx here telling me to breathe, telling me I’m okay. But he’s not here because I sent him away. I’m not okay. I stare down at my shaky hands, watching my fingers tremble.
I jump out of my skin when someone taps on my window. I turn to find Alex leering outside of my car. He motions for me to open my door.
Oh, fuck, no, he’s the last person I want to see. I stare back at him, not able to deal with this fucker today. Why isn’t he downtown at his damn media company?
When I don’t move, he grabs hold of the door and opens it. “Come inside, Sloane,” he says calmly.
I glance at him then back to my steering wheel. “What? No, I need to get to the club.”
His hand comes to my shoulder gently. “Harley is inside waiting for you, she said you can have lunch together while you wait for Ricky.” The way Alex looks at me with so much sympathy makes me feel sick to the stomach. Because if even he isn’t trying to rile me up, I know it’s bad. I must look an absolute mess to him.
Fucking great, the last thing I need is this fucker feeling sorry for me. I really must have hit rock bottom. But I don’t move, I can’t. It’s like I’m glued to my seat, staring back at him, completely lost.
He smiles at me. Alex Moretti smiles, and I think I must be hallucinating because I know that’s not normal. “Just do it for Harley. She’s worried about you, and she can’t have any extra stress right now, you know, with the babies,” he adds with way too much kindness in his voice. Alex is easier to deal with when he’s being a smart-mouth asshole. That I know how to deal with. Him like this is weird.
So weird that I nod, agreeing with him, then step out of the car, locking it with my fob. I clutch my purse close to my chest. “This shit ends up in one of your papers, I will hunt you down, Moretti,” I snap back at him, bitchy as all hell.
“No need for threats, it’s just two friends having lunch, Sloane.”
I glare at him. There is always a need for threats when it comes to Alex Moretti.
Harley waits for us at the door, a soft smile on her pretty face. She holds an arm out for me and pulls me into her body as she guides me through the stunning new surroundings of her offices. “Thanks, Alex,” she calls over her shoulder to him. But he must head in another direction because it’s just us now.
She opens the door to her office, and Lola, her dog, jumps up from her little doggy bed as soon as she sees me, running over to me, her tail wagging. I drop down to my knees and stroke her soft fur, pulling her into me for cuddles. “She remembers me.”
“It hasn’t been that long, girl.”
“Feels like years,” I mutter, cuddling Lola. She nuzzles into me like she knows I need some love as well.
“I bet. You hung up on me when I was trying to tell you Ricky won’t be long. He just has one more appointment, then he can see you.”
“Okay, thanks.” I offer her a half smile, embarrassed over my meltdown.
She waddles slowly to a fridge and returns with a couple of salads, plopping them down on her desk. “You know you don’t always have to be this badass girl, the strong one. You can fall apart when life turns to shit, we all do.”
Lola moves off to her bed again, having had enough of my cuddles, and I hop up off the floor and brush off my skirt, taking a seat in the armchair. “That’s not how I was brought up,” I huff out. Last night was bad enough. I don’t know what magic Harley has, but she always gets me to tell her more than I want to.
She hands me a salad and a fork. “You won’t be able to resist this. I grabbed them from a little bistro around the corner, the best Waldorf salad you will ever eat.”
“Thank you.” I smile gratefully as I scoop up a mouthful of the creamy, crunchy salad, the combination of flavors bursting in my mouth. “I don’t think I have eaten properly for days,” I admit.
“No offence, girl, but you look like it.” She laughs. “You can’t live on ice cream and whiskey.”
“Shame, it would make life easier.” I smirk back at her. “Whereas you look like you swallowed a watermelon.”
She laughs harder. “I know, right? I’m scared to shop for groceries in case they think I stole one.” She rests her bowl on her round tummy, laughing at her own joke.
I finish off my salad in record time. “You’re right, that was the best Waldorf salad I have ever had. Thank you.”
“I got you, girl.”
A light tap comes at the door, and we both turn to find Ricky standing in the opening. “You needed me?” He smiles cheekily at Harley. And fuck, the way he looks at her is like how Reef used to look at me. I feel the tears threatening again, so I bite the inside of my cheek to stop them. I’m not going to fall apart here.
