Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Carter tapped his foot anxiously, every nerve ending buzzing with anticipation. The phone on his desk rang, and he snatched it up. “Cross.”
“She’s in conference room A,” Mrs. Hodges said on a sigh. “Don’t make me regret this.”
“I won’t, I promise.”
He hung up and straightened his suit jacket as he drew in a deep breath.
He was insanely nervous. Mrs. Hodges had told Audrey there was a discrepancy in the billing and that she needed to correct the paperwork.
It was true, to a point. He had foregone his usual fee, charging only what the firm required and nothing extra.
He didn’t want a dime of Audrey’s money.
He wanted her fair and square, and he wanted them to start with a clean slate.
Grabbing the envelope on the corner of his desk, he headed out of his office and down the hall toward conference room A.
He had chosen this room specifically because it was designed to accommodate only a few people.
The last several times Audrey had been there, they had met in the larger room.
He didn’t want a single reminder of Scott or her divorce that day; only them.
He paused a few feet from the doorway and drew a fortifying breath before stepping inside and closing the door. Audrey’s eyes went wide and round as he seated himself across from her.
“What are you doing here?”
He lifted a brow. “Last I checked, I work here.”
She darted a glance toward the door. “Your assistant said she would be right back, so—”
He stopped her with a shake of his head. “She’s not coming back.”
Her mouth opened, then closed. She blinked once, then her eyes became narrowed slits. “You set this up.”
“I did,” he admitted. “I knew you wouldn’t come otherwise.”
She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. “You don’t know that.”
One brow arched toward his hairline. “Would you have?”
Her gaze skittered away, and he could see her tongue sweep over her teeth as she contemplated lying to him. Finally, her conscience won out. “Maybe.”
“Maybe?”
“Fine.” She exhaled, long and slow. “Probably not.”
“I know,” he said softly. “That’s why I enlisted her help.”
She looked at him like he was stupid. “Why?”
“Because I need to apologize.”
She stared at him for a moment, then turned her attention to the table. “It’s fine.”
The two worst words in the English language, right behind the two he was about to say. “I’m sorry.”
So totally inadequate, they didn’t begin to conquer the hurt he’d caused her.
She deserved so much better than the way he’d treated her.
Stung by jealousy, he had immediately turned his attention to the woman in the bar, hoping that Audrey would see him with her and make her realize what she was missing.
But that look of hurt in her eyes had only made him feel guilty.
He had made it seem as if Audrey were replaceable, which was the furthest thing from the truth.
“I… lost my head when I saw you with him. Kane and I go way back, and…” He trailed off, not wanting to dredge up drama from twenty years ago.
Those pretty blue eyes met his, but she remained silent.
“Anyway, I was jealous, and I wanted to hurt you. It was stupid—I was stupid—and you didn’t deserve it. ”
She nodded a little. “Thank you. And I… I could have handled it better myself.”
That wasn’t technically an absolution, but she hadn’t bolted for the door to escape him.
They had a long way to go, but the fact that she remained seated across from him gave him hope.
For a moment, they just stared at each other.
Finally, he broke the silence. “I actually do want to give you something while you’re here. ”
He slid the envelope across the table to her, and she stared at it. “Is this…?”
“It is.” He dipped his chin. “It’s over.”
She lifted a hand and tentatively touched it. “Thank you.”
“Of course.”
He gave her a couple moments to absorb the information, then— “You shouldn’t feel bad about what we did.”
He knew she did, though, and her cheeks blazed pink at his words.
He pushed his chair back and rounded the table. Audrey grasped the arms of the chair like she was about to leap forward and run out the door. He was quicker, though, and he knelt next to her. “Tell me something.”
“What?” She regarded him warily, and he gathered his thoughts.
“I’ve thought about our night together a thousand times.” He watched her swallow hard, her gaze dropping away from his and fixing on his chest instead. “Something’s been killing me, and I need to know—was I the only one who felt something?”
Her tongue darted out to wet her lips, and she took almost a full minute to respond. Her answer came on a breathy whisper as she shook her head jerkily. “It wasn’t just you.”
Thank God. “Audrey…” He reached out and gently took her hands in his. “I’ll take this as slowly as you want. Just let me in. Just give me a chance to prove this is right.”
“I… I don’t know…”
It wasn’t an outright refusal. “I know you’re still hurting. But we’re friends, right?”
Her brows drew together in confusion, and she finally met his eyes. “Yes?”
He bit back a smile. “Good.”
She looked baffled as he stood and pulled her to her feet. “Carter…?”
“I know you’re not ready for more—yet,” he said as he walked her to the door. “But I’m going to be here when you are. We’ll take it one step at a time, as slow as you need.”
She turned to face him just before they reached the door. “Why are you doing this?”
He brushed a thumb over her cheek. “You don’t know, red?” She shook her head, and he grinned. “Baby steps.”
A tiny sigh of protest fell from her lips as he opened the door and guided her out of the conference room.
He had her exactly where he wanted her; slightly off-balance, yet curious.
He wasn’t about to scare her off by telling her his plans.
He had spent the last six months dreaming about her. When she was ready, she’d come to him.
He opened the door and held it wide, then stepped into the hallway behind her—and almost right into Kaylee.
“Oh! Sorry about that.” Kaylee put her hand on his arm. “I’ve been looking for you.”
He watched Audrey’s eyes drop to where Kaylee’s fingers curled into the fabric of his jacket, and she subtly stepped away. He shifted toward Audrey, effectively shrugging away from Kaylee’s touch. “As you can see, I was in a meeting with Dr. Stanton.”
Kaylee’s lips curled downward in a frown. “I thought everything for that case was taken care of.”
Who did she think she was? Partner’s daughter or not, he wouldn’t tolerate her insinuating herself in his business.
He pinned her with a hard stare, and she cowered slightly under the scrutiny.
He settled his hand on Audrey’s lower back.
“You’re correct. Dr. Stanton isn’t a client anymore, but she is always welcome in my office. ”
Kaylee’s cheeks blazed bright pink at the implication, and her chin dropped a fraction.
At that very moment, Edward stepped out of his office, a curious look on his face when he saw them congregated in the hallway. Jesus. What was this, a party? He wanted to get Audrey out of there before one of these idiots gave her a reason to never want to see him again.
Edward looked from Kaylee to him, his arm still around Audrey, whose entire body had gone rigid. His gaze lifted to her face, and he extended his hand, pasting on the smarmy lawyer smile he’d seen more than once. “Good afternoon.”
Audrey tipped her head and returned his handshake. “Hello.”
Edward passed the file in his hand to Kaylee. “Would you mind taking care of this for me?”
With a quick nod, she grabbed it from his hand and bolted. Thank God. One down. He turned his attention back to Edward, his fingers curling slightly into the soft flesh of Audrey’s back. “Well, we were just—”
Edward’s inquisitive gaze landed back on Audrey. “Have we met before?”
“In passing, maybe?” she said with a polite smile. “I’ve been here a few times, so I’m sure we’ve crossed paths.”
He didn’t like the way Edward watched her, his eyes assessing, searching. Maybe it was a good thing he’d seen him with Audrey. Maybe he could finally get it through to Kaylee that there would never be anything between them. Stepping even closer to her, he spoke. “I know you need to get going.”
His words seemed to jolt Edward from his reverie, and he flashed an insincere smile. “Enjoy your afternoon.”
He nodded, then let out a pent-up breath as he guided Audrey from the office and out to her car. He waited as she used the fob to unlock it, then opened the door. Her hand rested on the top of the door, and she paused as she climbed in, then turned to him. “It’s not really my place to ask, but…”
She bit her lip, and he settled his hand over hers. “You can ask me anything, always.”
Her eyes darted to the side before meeting his again. “That girl. Are you…?”
“Never.” He gave a quick shake of his head. “Not for lack of trying on her part. But there’s only one woman I’m interested in, and it’s not her. I think she finally figured that out today.”
Audrey blushed, and her gaze dropped to where their hands were linked. She nodded slightly. “Okay.”
He wanted so badly to kiss her, but he forced himself to let her go. He had to remind himself that she’d agreed to being friends—nothing more. Yet. “Drive safe.”
“I will.” She slipped behind the wheel of the car, and he shut the door behind her.
With a little wave, she drove off, and a smile curled his lips.
As he watched her turn out of the parking lot, he was already calculating just how long to wait before he called her again and when he could next see her.
There wasn’t a chance he was letting her slip away now, no matter what he had to do.