Chapter 16 Elizabeth
ELIZABETH
The day has been dragging as I sit quietly in the office, counting down the seconds until five, when I can clock out and go home. It feels nice that I was able to confide in Jon, but I can tell that what Sherry did is getting under his skin, as it should.
It’s been eating at me since it happened. I know deep down that she doesn’t have any information on me to blackmail me, no concrete evidence.
So what … we are together. Jon owns the company, and he can do whatever he wants. I’m slowly getting to the point of not caring about what anyone else thinks of us. I just want to be happy. Jon makes me incredibly happy.
Five o’clock rolls around, and I waste no time lowering my head and leaving the building quickly. I just want this holiday season to be over so things can get back to normal around here.
Arriving home finally, Dani sits on the couch, typing away at her laptop with a spread of papers on the coffee table. “Whoa,” I say with a joking tone. “I can smell your brain cooking.” It feels good to be back in my safe space.
“Ugh! I’ve been writing for what feels like an eternity, and I’m still nowhere near finishing. I only have two more days before the deadline.” Dani slams her computer shut and turns to me. “I need a vacation.”
God, isn’t that the understatement of the year? I think we all do. “I hear that!” Just as I agree, my phone begins ringing from my pocket. Pulling it out, I see my mother’s name. “That’s odd. She never calls me.”
My first thought is that something happened to my grandmother, but it’s never good to assume.
“Hello?” I answer, and my mother immediately goes into panic mode.
I can hear my father and brother in the background hollering, but I can’t quite make out what they are saying.
“Mom, what’s wrong?” I immediately throw it on speakerphone so Dani can listen as well.
It’s easier than relaying everything to her.
“The boys came home today yelling that their boss is trying to sell the company, and they could be out of work now. You know how hard it is for them to find work, especially around the holidays. I don’t know what we are going to do …”
My eyes widen as I look at Dani, who has her hand over her mouth.
“I will find out who’s doing this,” I hear my brother shout through the phone, and Dani’s eyes widen now.
My father isn’t saying much, but I can imagine him pacing the room, raking a frustrated hand through his hair while the other holds a can of beer.
With everything else going on in my life, this took a backseat. Now, I have to face things head-on, and I’m stumped.
“Well, I just wanted to tell you what’s going on and see if you could do some asking around to find out what’s going on,” my mom cuts in again.
“I, um. Sure, Mom. I can do that. I gotta go.” As I hang up the phone, Dani and I remain silent for a moment. I knew it was going to come out sooner or later, but I thought I had time. Evidently not.
“What the hell am I going to do?” I ask Dani, although I know she doesn’t have the answers I need. “I feel sick to my stomach.”
Whether I want to admit this to myself or not, I do have a hand in all this. I have the power to potentially stop it, but I haven’t. If Dad or Karl finds out, I’ll be practically ostracized from my family.
“Well, hold on. It may not even lead to anything. You just need to relax a little and think things through. Maybe you should invite your new friend over. He seems to know exactly how to calm you down.”
Not being able to hide my smile at her comment, I pick up one of the couch pillows and throw it at her. She dodges it and begins laughing. “Hey,” she starts again. “I have plans, anyway. This is the perfect time for him to come over. But you need to talk to him about what’s going on.”
Dani is absolutely right, but it doesn’t make any of this any easier. Sighing, I find Jon’s number and send him a text, asking if he wants to come over for a little bit.
I hope I’m able to muster up the courage to be honest with him, but the odds aren’t on my side.
Now that my family knows the news, it’s going to be harder to keep things from everyone.
To my surprise, he texts me back almost immediately, agreeing to come over, and my stomach knots. “Is he coming?” Dani asks from her bedroom as she throws on a periwinkle sweater.
“Yes, but I don’t think I can talk to him about this. Do you really think he will risk losing money just because someone sleeping with him asks? That’s his livelihood.”
Dani joins me in the living room, holding her purse. “I think that if you are genuine, he’ll listen. And then you will figure it out together. From the way you talk about him, he’s crazy about you, Lizzy. Give yourself a little more credit than a booty call.”
There’s a soft knock at the door, and I inhale harshly as I walk over and turn the knob. “Hey,” he greets me with a bright smile. “I was surprised to hear from you, but I’m glad you messaged me.”
“Hi.” I try to keep my smile natural, but my nerves are eating me alive on the inside. “I’m glad you came over.”
I invite him inside, and he’s immediately met with Dani, standing awkwardly in the middle of the living room.
Jon looks shocked; maybe he assumed the apartment would be empty.
“Oh, you must be Danielle,” Jon says, playing it cool.
“Hi, yes, but you can call me Dani. Everyone else does.” She reaches out and shakes his hand. I never disclosed to him that I’d told her about us, but I guess he assumed since we live together. “Don’t worry, I’m not staying. I have a prior engagement.”
Dani heads for the door, but not before walking past me and nudging me closer to him. “Have fun, you two.”
I roll my eyes and giggle as the door shuts. “I’m sorry about her. She’s definitely a free spirit.”
He laughs, but I can feel the tension between us. I didn’t leave things good between us at the office earlier, and it shows. I let Sherry get to me, but I think that it was simply the straw that broke the camel’s back.
I’m wound so tight I feel like a spring about to snap. My nerves are acid under my skin, eating at everything I’ve been trying to hold together. I need to tell him what’s going on. I’m just not ready to watch his face change when I do.
He closes the distance between us with that slow stride of his—coat still on, hands sliding from his pockets like a man about to make a deal. “Lizzy,” he says, voice low enough to vibrate against my chest. “How are you?”
“I’m… okay.” It’s a flimsy lie, and we both know it.
His brows knit, jaw flexing. “Don’t do that,” he says quietly. “Don’t hide from me. You’ve been dodging me all week. I saw you at the office—eyes down, hands shaking. What’s going on? Did I do something?”
He doesn’t plead. He doesn’t even raise his voice. He just stands there, radiating heat and patience like a man who doesn’t lose control unless he chooses to. It makes the air feel heavy, like it’s pressing me into the floor.
“Of course not,” I manage. “It’s… complicated.”
“Then help me understand.” He moves another step closer, close enough that I can smell the spice of his cologne over the cold air. “If you’re done with this, say it. Don’t drag me through the mud. Because I do want this. I want you. And I’m not in the habit of being strung along.”
The way he says it—unhurried, matter-of-fact—slides under my ribs and lodges there. It’s not a confession; it’s a warning, the sound of a man who always gets what he wants.
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. My pulse thuds against my throat. He’s staring at me like he can read every secret I’ve tried to bury.
Before I can talk myself out of it, I cross the space between us and grab his collar, dragging his mouth down to mine.
His arms go around me instantly, hard and sure, hauling me off my feet like I weigh nothing.
The kiss isn’t gentle. It’s heat and teeth and a low sound in his throat that makes my knees weak.
I’m no good with words, but my body knows how to speak. And right now, it’s telling him everything.
He breaks the kiss just enough to murmur against my lips, “You’re hiding something, Lizzy.” His hands tighten at my waist, not painful, but firm enough that my breath catches. “And I’m going to find out what it is.”