54. LUKE
Chapter 54
LUKE
The next afternoon , as promised, Dele and I visit Mrs. Grayson, who seems pleased and grateful to Dele. She tells us that she has told everyone about Dele saving her and how thankful she is. The fact that she’s telling everyone makes me cringe, but I put on a smile and agree with her that I’m proud of my wife. Levi doesn’t say much, but his eyes seem to zone in on mine and Dele’s connected hands. As soon as Mrs. Grayson starts to yawn, Dele says she needs her rest, and we get up to leave.
The doorbell rings as we head to the door. Lily walks in, smiling and hugging Levi, then turns to see Dele and me. I pull Dele close to me.
“What a surprise to see you here,” she says to me, ignoring Dele.
“I could say the same of you.”
“You two know each other?” Levi asks.
“Yes, Luke and I dated,” she offers with a sad laugh. “But we still work together,” she adds, and I turn a stern look toward her.
“Small world. Lily and my sister went to college together, and Dele saved mom,” Levi offers his own unsolicited connections.
“Well, have a good evening,” I say, taking Dele’s hand. She waves at Levi and follows me out.
“Do you still work with Lily?” Dele asks right as the elevator opens. Her voice is low, and her head is down. We get on, and I lift her face to look at me. I need her to know I have nothing with Lily.
“We still have a few projects with McIntyre, but I’ve delegated them to my team. The last project we worked late on, I’ve canceled. She’s bitter about it, but she’ll live.” Dele nods and doesn’t say much. Our evening is quiet, which I don’t like, especially with my travel plans coming up. I keep her close to me all evening, the more she tries to pull away.