Page 11 of In Love and War
I’d forgotten how blue his eyes were.
A few seconds passed as he studied me, his eyes wandering from my face down to my nude Louboutins. I fought off the sudden urge to straighten out the front of my white pencil skirt.
“It’s nice to see you again, Amelia,” he lied as his eyes landed back on my face, his expression unreadable. “What can I do for you?”
“My father thought it would be a good idea for me to come here and make amends, now that I’m an official employee of the company.Hefeels that I was immature in my handling of the situation the last time we saw each other. So, I… am here to apologize,” I said, not wanting to beat around the bush.
The sooner I could get this over with, the better.
“Ah, well, fantastic start.”
How satisfying it would be to walk over and physically wipe the amused, smug smile off his stupid beautiful face.
“I’d say so.” I matched his sarcastic tone, letting out the most genuine laugh I could muster. But it came out as more of a cackle, making me sound like an unhinged lunatic.
This was already not going according to plan.
“Well then, let’s hear it.” He looked like a kid on Christmas morning.
“Hear what?”
“The apology.”
“I already said it.”
“No,you said you were here to apologize. The actual apology part hasn’t happened yet.” He leaned forward in his chair with a smile, the dimple on his left cheek making an unwelcome appearance.
The knot in my stomach tightened.
Just say it. It’s almost over. You’re so close.
“I’m sorry,” I said with what I hoped was a neutral expression while my nails dug into the inside of my clenched fists behind my back.
“For what, exactly, Amelia?”
My eyes narrowed at him, knowing he was egging me on.
“For my poor attitude and lack of professionalism during my internship.” I was 80 percent sure my nails had broken skin and my palms were starting to bleed. “And for calling you ‘an intolerable, arrogant, pompous ass.’”
A tiny smirk escaped as I repeated the last part. It was unintentional and only lasted half a second, but he caught it.
“Water under the bridge. Be sure to close the door on your way out.” His smile seemed genuine, and I would have believed him, but his eyes gave him away.
Good. It would be way more fun this way.
I walked out of his office, leaving the door slightly ajar.
6
The following week went by in a flash. When I wasn’t unpacking or furniture shopping with Kai for my new apartment in downtown Toronto, I was prepping for my first day.
By Monday morning, my place was fully set up and I was ready to leave an hour earlier than was necessary. I took another look in the mirror, a nervous habit I’d picked up over the last couple of years, to make sure there were no new stains or wrinkles on my clothes or mascara goop I needed to get rid of since the last time I’d checked ten minutes ago.
“Can you just sit down and chill for a bit? You look perfect. Youalwayslook perfect.” Kai had brought me breakfast and coffee this morning to celebrate my first day on the job. He was sitting at the island in my brightly lit kitchen eating a breakfast sandwich.
“It’s a little weird seeing you nervous, I don’t remember the last time you were this fidgety,” he said as he took a bite.
“I’m not nervous, I’m just…”
