Page 63 of One Little Mistake
Easton
Knock, knock.
Glancing up from my desk, I allow a moment of hope that it will be Lexi. When I see Mason at the door with a shit-eating grin, I groan.Fan-fucking-tastic.
“What do you need, Mas? I’m not really in the mood for your shit today.”
“And why would that be, my friend?” His tone gives him away. He knows something.
Tossing my pen on the desk, I scowl as he plops down into the armchair opposite me.That’s Lexi’s chair,my inner caveman screams, and I pull at my collar to calm myself down.
Mason’s a talker, so I know I just have to sit here, and he’ll eventually get to the point.
“Where’s our Lexi girl today?”
And there it is. He’s here to poke the lion.
“She’s working remotely, so she can help Julia with last-minute wedding plans.” It’s the truth, but I also know she’s using it as an excuse to hide from me.
It’s been two fucking days since she snuck out of my house without a word. Then I find out she’s coming into the office after midnight to drop off files and exchange them for new ones. I’m so fucking tempted to sit my ass right here until she shows up, but I don’t know what else to say to her at this point. How long do you chase someone before you finally get the goddamn hint?
Knock, knock.
“East, you have a minute?” Ashton’s no-nonsense voice rings out before he even enters the room. Eyeing Mason, he stops short. “Oh, hey, Mason. Uh, I’ll just come back later.”
“No need, Ash. I was just here giving Easton shit about his runaway.”
“What?” Ash and I both ask.
“His runaway, Lexi? She’s obviously avoiding him. I was hoping to find out what he did.”
“I didn’t do anything, Mason. She’s helping her friend, that’s it.”
“I don’t believe you, but I’ll come back later to dig. Good to see you, Ash.” Mason pats him on the shoulder as he walks past.
As soon as he’s through the door, Ashton closes it. “Not going well with the wife?”
I hang my head. Ashton may be the best man I know, but he’s still a Westbrook. Teasing is in our blood.
“She’s hiding.”
“She’s hurting, East. Just stick with her.”
“How long do you keep chasing someone before you finally let them go? She’s made it perfectly clear she doesn’t want to want me. She doesn’t need me.” My words hang bitter in the air.
“She needs time to process life, East. Did you know I sat with GG on the flight home?”
This makes me laugh. You never know what the fuck is going to come out of her mouth.
“How’d that go?”
“About as well as you would expect. But she knows stuff. Stuff she shouldn’t. It’s scary as hell.”
“Something you want to tell me, Ash?”
“Nothing concrete, but Loki should have been home for Trevor and Julia’s wedding by now.” His use of past tense makes my ears prickle.
“What do you mean should have? He’s family; we don’t miss shit like this.”
