CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
ATHENA
Getting Damon to take me seriously was next to impossible.
After our shower I tried again to make him leave.
He insisted on helping me make breakfast first. I stood in my kitchen wearing a fresh pair of comfy sweatpants and a T-shirt, watching him navigate his way around.
I kept asking myself how the hell I got into this situation. I saw no way out.
He busied himself cracking open eggs into a frying pan. In another pan he had bacon frying. I’d handled making the coffee, desperately needing the caffeine hit. He occasionally sipped from his mug while tending to the food on the stove.
I watched him in disbelief. Since his back was turned to me, I used my phone to stealthily take a silent photo of him. Then I sent it to the girls with a series of question marks.
Codie was the first to reply with a gif of a woman pointing and laughing. I guess I should have expected that.
Storm replied next. Girl, he’s cooking for you? Might want to lock that down.
I frowned at my phone screen. That’s not what I wanted to hear from my friend. Didn’t she know that Damon was a terrible person? A man who thought he could crash his way into my life and turn everything upside down.
Expecting my friends to share my concerns was foolish on my part. Each one of them was with a man who had done questionable things. I’d been on board with that, supporting each one of them. Now that it was me, my feelings had changed.
I thought about Damon’s insistence that I liked him and enjoyed his company.
I hated that I was pretty sure he was right.
There was something I enjoyed about being with him.
Some of it was the rush his mere presence brought me.
The way he easily brought a flood of heat to my cheeks and a tingle between my legs.
Spending last night getting to know him better had made it even harder to hate him, which was why I put so much more effort into it today.
I used my college years to sew my wild oats. Now it was time to get serious about life and my career. A guy like Damon didn’t fit into those plans. Even if I kind of wished he did.
When he served me up a plate of the most delicious scrambled eggs I’d ever tasted, I started to reconsider. Maybe Storm was right. Why did this have to be so damn complicated?
We sat across my small kitchen table from one another, eating our breakfast and drinking coffee.
Several times I caught myself sneaking glances at him when he wasn’t looking.
Was it possible for Damon to be the kind of guy one might share a quiet breakfast with?
This all felt so normal. Something that he most definitely was not.
“Something on your mind?” he asked, pointedly making hard eye contact across the table.
Instead of telling the truth, I said, “These are really good eggs. What else can you cook?”
“The bar is pretty low for men in your life, huh?” He chuckled. “I’m perfectly capable of throwing together a decent meal. Now tell me what you were really thinking about.”
I shrugged, turning my attention back to my plate. “Nothing. Just thinking about the meeting I have later this afternoon. Job stuff.”
I felt his steady stare upon me. Even though I did have a meeting later that day, it wasn’t currently occupying my thoughts, and we both knew that. Thankfully, Damon didn’t press the subject.
“Are you busy next weekend? There’s a wedding that Noah and I have been invited to. I thought you could be my date.” Damon stared at me over the rim of his mug, awaiting my response.
Slowly, I dragged my gaze back to his. “You want me to be your date to a wedding? What’s the catch? Is this a job?”
“Actually, it is,” he admitted. Having finished his meal, he sat back in his chair, relaxing with his coffee. “That’s not the only reason I want you to come. I think it would be fun.”
My eyes narrowed as I studied him. There was clearly something he wasn’t sharing.
“Tell me about the job.” Going to a wedding as his date felt like a big ask. Wasn’t that something couples usually did? I didn’t really understand this thing between us, but I was pretty sure we hadn’t reached that level.
“We were hired by the best man,” Damon explained.
“Apparently, the groom stole the bride from him a few years ago, and he wants to steal something in return. There’s a safe in the house where the reception is being held that he wants us to steal.
Supposedly, it’s filled with priceless items. Jewelry, collectables, maybe a Fabergé egg for all I know.
Noah and Dominik will be there as well. Two of us will handle getting the safe out through a back exit while the other two keep watch and run damage control. ”
I took my time thinking about what I’d just heard.
Thoughtfully chewing a piece of bacon before washing it down with coffee.
Another theft job didn’t sound so bad. It certainly wasn’t murder.
Having Noah and Dom around may help everything go a lot smoother.
They were all skilled in this kind of thing.
I couldn’t deny the way my pulse leapt with excitement at the thought of participating.
“I assume I would be part of the watch team,” I said, careful to keep my tone neutral.
“Of course. There won’t be anything linking you to the actual theft. If anything goes wrong, I’ll make sure it’s known that you had no idea what was going on.” Damon seemed so sure of himself as he sat there watching me. So cool and composed. Mischief gleamed in his eyes, beckoning me.
I sucked in a deep breath before saying, “I’ll do it. I’ll be your date. On one condition. This is the last time. When this is over, I don’t owe you anything anymore.”
A muscle twitched in his jaw, the only sign that my request had upset him. I knew that if I didn’t find a way to end this soon, I never would. I had to do this.
“Fine.” That one word came out sharp and clipped. “After the wedding you won’t owe me a damn thing.”
His entire demeanor had changed. The shift in his energy was palpable. As he stood up and gathered his dishes, there was a stiffness to him I didn’t usually see. After stacking his dishes in the dishwasher, he headed straight for the door.
I sat there feeling awkward, not sure if I should follow. I hadn’t expected my request to piss him off this much.
The apartment door opened. His voice was low and thick with restrained anger. “I’ll call you.”
Then he was gone. I sat alone at the kitchen table, staring at the food left on my plate. My appetite had vanished.
Why was he so upset? How could the arrangement mean that much to him? An unpleasant sensation settled in my stomach. There’s no way a guy like Damon would have started to form actual feelings for me. Right?
I refused to entertain the thought. He didn’t seem like the type to get attached. If anything, I would have expected him to keep his distance. Be more standoffish.
There was no space in my head for this today. Later this afternoon I would be meeting my mother and a friend of hers for lunch. A woman who worked for a school in a neighboring city. This was a good opportunity for me to get my foot in the door.
So why didn’t I feel more excited about it? How come all I could think about was the way Damon just walked out of here?
Several hours later I sat at a table with my mother and her friend, Judith. I didn’t feel any better. Judith was super nice, telling me all about the elementary school where she worked. I did my best to smile along, offering commentary where it felt appropriate, asking the right questions.
“I think the kids would love you,” Judith gushed, patting my arm. “And you’ll actually have the energy to keep up with them being so young yourself.”
Both Judith and my mother laughed at that, making jokes about how they were too old to keep up with elementary school children. I laughed along with them, even though I didn’t relate. My enthusiasm was seriously lacking today.
When Judith excused herself to the restroom, my mother turned to me. “What is wrong with you today? You seem off. Do you not want this job?”
My mom and I had been relatively close as I grew up, although I certainly didn’t tell her everything. Of course she could see right through me.
“It sounds great. Really. I had a long night and I’m tired. I’m sorry.” Even though I told myself I shouldn’t, I slipped my phone from my pocket, placing it on my lap.
Several times I started to type a text to Damon and then stopped. What would I even say?
Finally, I settled for: Maybe I shouldn’t come to the wedding after all.
Judith was on her way back to the table when Damon’s reply came through. I did my best to sneak a peek at it without being obvious.
Do you really want to play this game with me? Don’t fuck with me, Athena.
I wanted to fire a retort back at him but had to put my phone away. I didn’t want to look like a rude jerk in front of Judith. Damn him. Why did he have to be so confusing?
Somehow I managed to fumble my way through the rest of our lunch meeting.
Judith seemed to like me. She promised to be in touch closer to the start of the new school year.
She felt confident she could get me hired on as a teacher’s assistant, someone to work with the teachers and help lighten their load.
That should’ve been great news. Exactly what I wanted to hear. Instead, I felt this sinking sensation. Dread pooled in my middle.
Outside in the parking lot after Judith had driven away, my mom asked me again if something was wrong. I assured her that I was fine and simply needed to go to bed early for a change.
“Time to break out of this college mentality, Athena,” Mom scolded. “You’ll be getting up early once you start working.”
“Don’t worry about it, Mom. I can handle it.” I waved off her concerns. I didn’t need the lecture.
What I needed was to talk to one of my best friends. The one who I thought may understand my situation the best. After giving Mom a hug and getting into my car, I promptly called Codie.
“Please tell me you can meet up. I need to talk.”