Page 21 of The Next Of Us
“I told her I expected abject professionalism in the workplace.Explained it wasn’t uncommon to develop feelings when someone helped you through a rough spot.And referred her to Max.”
Nadine’s narrowed gaze never left mine.“Behaving differently?What exactly did she do to make you say that?Did she go to Max?”
“I told Max he needed to talk to her and why.We thought it was handled, then two months ago she came to me and denied it was gratitude she was feeling, and insisted she loved me.”
Red blotches suffused Nadine’s pretty face.“I’m going to fucking kill her.”
Alarmed, I sat forward and tried to draw her back into my arms, but she slapped my hands away.“No, Aaron, just, no.What exactly was she doing?Tell me.”
I held out my palms.“Okay—”
“Were you ever alone with her?”
“Just the one time—”
Her countenance darkened ominously.“What do you mean ‘just the one time’?”
“The day she made her confession, we were in my office.I marched her back out and directly to Max.We both talked to her, then I left her to him.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”Her eyebrows rose.“Does Vera know?”
I winced.Vera was like a second mother to her.
Incredulous, her voice rose.“Does Wren know?”
I shook my head.“No.Mom doesn’t know.I made sure Max didn’t tell her because I didn’t want you upset when you were already grieving.There was no way Mom would keep that from you.”I chuckled.“She would have stormed the office and ground her into minced meat.”
Her posture relaxed slightly, but I could tell Vera’s perceived betrayal stung.“But Vera knew.”
I nodded carefully.“It would have been hard for her to miss.I did ask her to monitor the situation from her end and notify Max of anything we needed to know.”
“Why didn’t she tell me?”
“She knows how hard this past year has been…”
She shook her head sharply.“There’s a girl code, Aaron.You don’t stay quiet when some whore-cunt is trying to take your friend’s man.”
Whore-cunt?
I bit my lip.Nadine would be horrified later that the ‘c-word’ slipped from her mouth.It would not do to laugh.
I met her lethal gaze and immediately sobered.
No, it would not do to laugh, not at all.
Instead, I sought to reassure her.“No one on earth has ever had a snowball’s chance in hell of taking your man and no one ever will.”
She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists in her lap.“I want to kill her.Snatch her bald-headed.”Her eyes snapped as she leaned toward me.“I want to punch her in her fat, ugly, face.”
“We fired her.”
Surprise knocked some of the stuffing out of her.“She’s gone?”
I nodded.“She will be by the time I get back to work.”
“That’s why you’re off.”
“That’s why I’m off.”
