Chapter 17
Jacob
“Fifth floor, please,” I said, stepping onto a mirrored elevator that was nicer than necessary for an office building. Who were they trying to impress. Instead of hitting the button, the woman in a gray suit gave me a side-eyed glance and turned away. I shrugged, cradling the bouquet of red tulips in one arm and reaching forward to hit the button myself.
She stepped aside when the doors slid open on the fifth floor, letting me off easily. The perky blond receptionist at the desk just across the elevator leaned back briefly before shaking it and offering me a too-theatrical-to-be-genuine grin.
“Looks like someone is getting a flower delivery!” she chimed, pointing to the bouquet. I chuckled.
When I stepped forward and put my hands on the high countertop, she wrinkled her nose lightly enough to barely be noticeable. “I’m looking for Erin James.”
“Miss James doesn’t take walk-ins,” the girl said matter-of-factly. Then she reached her arms out and gave the flowers a pointed look. “I’d be glad to give these to her though, Mr.…”
“Jacob.” I scanned the room, noting the hallway off to the side. Which of the doors did she sit behind? I imagined she knew I was here—that there was some sort of security camera I didn’t see that led to the screen on her computer. “Can you let her know I’m here? It’s important.”
The petite receptionist grinned and tucked her cheek against her shoulder when I winked at her. “Are you here to try to sell her something?” She nodded to my uniform and the flowers I held. I shook my head. “And you’re not a stalker, right?”
I laughed and the sound bounced down the quiet hall and off the closed doors. “No, I’m not a stalker. I’m a good friend of Erin’s.”
For a moment she pursed her lips, tapping her long nails against the counter while she had an obvious inner debate with herself. When one side finally won out, she sighed, tossing her hands in the air. “Okay, why not, but if she doesn’t want to see you, you have to leave right away. Deal?” She stuck her finger in my face, making sure I understood the warning.
“Deal.” I turned towards the hallway when she rounded the desk, leading the way. Her heels clicked against the tile floor when she walked, and I scanned the area.
Behind the windows with open blinds were powerful-looking men and women in suits with scowls on their faces. I looked down at my oil- and dirt-stained uniform and my obviously worn work boots. I didn’t fit in at an office like this.
We came to a stop in front of a door and the receptionist knocked so gently I wasn’t sure it had been heard on the other side until Erin’s muffled response could be heard. “Come on in.”
Erin looked up from her computer when the door opened, and when she saw me standing behind the small girl, her eyes widened. “Someone is here to see you,” the receptionist said.
“Jacob?” Erin quickly scanned the room as if making sure nobody was around. “What are you doing here?”
I held up the tulips. “I wanted to see you.”
Erin stood up, rounding her desk and standing awkwardly in front of it. She folded her hands together, and if it weren’t for the way she fidgeted from one foot to the other, I’d have never known she was nervous. But judging by the way she gulped, she was. I think.
“Sorry, Erin. He said he was a good friend of yours and I thought…” The nervous receptionist stumbled over her words, rushing to explain why she had been willing to escort me to Erin’s office in the first place. Did people show up unannounced often?
“I can take it from here, Amy. Thank you.” The girl stood there for a moment, not taking Erin’s subtle direction.
When Erin cleared her throat and bowed her head towards the door, the girl jumped and nodded quickly. “Oh, sorry.” She giggled, turning and letting herself out. The door clicked shut behind her, and the sudden silence in the room was deafening.
“You just came to my office?” Erin leaned back against the big wooden desk. The scowl on her face made her lips curve into a frown, and she exhaled dramatically. “What were you thinking?”
I tilted my head, unsure if I had heard her correctly. “I told you,” I said, stepping forward and closing the distance between us. “I wanted to see you. I brought you flowers.”
Her eyes followed the bouquet when I held it up before I reached around her and dropped the flowers on the desk. They made a quiet thud sound, and Erin sucked in a deep breath. “You can’t just show up here like this.”
“Why not? You don’t want to see me?” I stood close enough to her to run my finger down the side of her face, and she clamped her eyes shut. When she opened them again, I struggled to read the emotion—it wasn’t pained, but it wasn’t excitement either. It was like forced reluctance instead.
“I do. It’s just—” She bit down on her lip while she searched for the words. My stomach sank when her lip twitched between her teeth, glistening when she released it. “You should’ve talked to me first.”
I cupped the side of her face, curling my fingers around the back of her neck. “I was hoping to surprise you. I thought you could use a pick-me-up.” When Erin pulled back, I let go. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you weren’t excited to see me. Like you’re embarrassed to have me here.”
“No! My coworkers can just be judgmental. I could’ve met you in the lobby.” Erin’s legs twitched, almost like she debated stepping towards me. But she didn’t move.
“I see,” I grunted. “So I’m right. Are you embarrassed of me?”
She shook her head. “Of course not.” The look on her face when one of her colleagues walked past the window said otherwise. She curled her shoulders forward as if she were trying to shrink. “I just know how these people think and—”
“And they don’t think I’m good enough for you.” When she didn’t deny it, my blood roared against my eardrums. “Do you?” I stepped towards her again until I could feel her quiet gasp.
“Do I what?” she asked breathlessly.
“Do you think I’m good enough for you?” I swallowed the disappointment that hardened in my throat when she closed her eyes and looked down. I needed to hear her deny it.
When Erin looked back up at me, her eyes glistened with unshed tears. “It’s just—”
“Unbelievable,” I snapped, interrupting her. I spun around, missing the sweet scent of her as soon as I stormed away. I threw the office door open, looking back over my shoulder. “Enjoy the flowers. Sorry about your reputation.”
“Jacob, wait.” Erin stuck her hand in the air, but she didn’t move from her spot. I let the door slam behind me, not stopping at the front desk before I hit the button to recall the elevator.
You can’t just show up here like this.
“You should’ve seen the look on her face,” I huffed, half slamming my beer against the rustic wooden counter and earning a scowl from Darren. I ignored it, clenching my hand into a fist. “It was like she was saying she’s too good for me.”
Darren tilted his head. “Did she say that though?”
“No. She told me I shouldn’t have come to her office because her friends are judgy.” I grabbed for the beer I had just sat down, taking a long swig.
“Did you look like that?” Darren pointed to my uniform, raising his brow and giving me an obviously scrutinizing once-over.
I rolled my eyes, shrugging. “I had just come from location. She knows what I do for a living. I didn’t think I needed to stop and get all dressed up for her.”
“But her office is super fancy, isn’t it?” He sounded like he was expecting me to know where this was headed. I thought about the elevator made up of mirrors and the tile floors that made the perfect click under the receptionist’s heels. I nodded. “So maybe she is just thinking about her reputation,” he added.
I took a gulp of beer, not wanting him to be right. “I don’t care. If she doesn’t want me around, I’ll give her what she wants.”
“Okay,” Darren said, dragging out the word. “Says the man that made excuses to stay in Minneapolis longer just to run into her when she lives like an hour away.”
My stomach swirled thinking about those two extra days. I didn’t regret it. “It was just a revenge fuck, nothing more.” I finished my beer and set the glass back down. Darren eyed me from the corner of his eyes, holding back his response. “Okay, fine. It was like five or six revenge fucks. What does it matter? If she doesn’t want to see me, she doesn’t have to see me. I’m perfectly fine with it either way.”
“Uh-huh. If you say so,” Darren said, waving for the bartender to bring us another round of beers. Then he turned and looked at me with obvious skepticism etched into the creases next to his eyes. “But we both know you’re already hooked on the girl.”
I pictured the flowers on her desk and pushed the fresh beer away from me. He was right. I wanted to see you.