Page 50 of Forced Proximity
“I told you I hacked into your email,” he teased.
I had no clue how he’d gotten my order, but I imagined he’d called up here to ask.
Or asked his friends.
Aella would know my order.
Chevy might, but my bet was on Aella.
“Well, thank you,” I replied softly, my heart now in my throat at the thoughtful act. “I didn’t have time to do it today.”
Well, I might’ve had time, but I certainly didn’t have the money.
I didn’t get coffee very often, so this was definitely a treat.
“You’re welcome.” His eyes took in my face, taking in every single tiny cut. “You look pretty rough.”
I scrunched up my nose. “I know. I’m just waiting for everyone to start asking questions.”
“You look hopeful that they won’t,” he mused.
I took a heftier sip of my vanilla latte and savored the swallow before replying.
“I’m a nice person, but I’m not super friendly with anyone that I work with,” I explained. “They like me as a boss because I’m more than happy to let them have their own free will. I don’t micromanage, and I’m helpful when they need me. Usually, they leave me to my own devices.”
“Why’s that?” he wondered. “You don’t like them?”
“I love all of them.” I shook my head, suddenly finding it important that he knew why I wasn’t super good friends with them. “But I’m fairly introverted and I’m already out of my comfort zone with the boss thing. I never really wanted to be the charge nurse. It kind of just fell in my lap, and no one’s asked to take it back yet.”
“I don’t know what to say to that,” he admitted. “But I do suggest you think about one thing.”
My brows lifted as I stared at him. “What’s that?”
“Once you stop caring about what others think, the second half of your life begins.”
His words hit me right in the solar plexus.
I would’ve continued to flounder there, trying to recover from the impact his words had on me, but a soft, hesitant voice said, “Apollo?”
Finnian stiffened beside me and turned slightly, his gaze finding a very pretty young woman that had his jaw clenching upon the sight of her.
I instinctually moved closer to him, my front brushing his side, as I gave him silent support without pushing too far.
He reached out and caught my hand, his hand clenching mine in a death grip, and said, “Aurora.”
The way he said her name had me feeling like he knew her well, but didn’t like that he knew her well.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, her gaze flicking from me to the man at my side and back. “Did you come to see Dad?”
I didn’t think it was possible, but Finnian seemed to stiffen even more. “No.”
The woman’s face fell. “Then what are you doing here?”
“You lost the right to question me about my whereabouts when you asked for a divorce, Aurora.”
The cold words came out of the man’s mouth, and you could tell that they were a direct hit against the woman. She drew in a sharp breath and exhaled like she’d been forced to by an unknown hit.
“Finnian…”
