Into the Fire (Bridge Book 2) (11 page)

T
oday wasn’t exactly bittersweet
. Tomorrow my commute would be longer and my paycheck would double. I could only hope I’d made the right choice. My knowledge of hedge funds was limited, but I was confident that with Reilly’s background in finance and his broad connections with other wealthy investors, he would find a way to succeed with the new venture. Hopefully I’d be given an opportunity to grow as the new company did.

As I was packing up the last of my office supplies, a young man arrived with a dolly stacked high with boxes of documents.

“Boxes from Kevin Dermott’s office?”

“Over there,” I said, pointing to the corner of Reilly’s old office.

Dermott was inheriting Reilly’s position at the firm, a healthy jump from what I could tell. He’d been Maya’s boss before she left. I didn’t know him well beyond the fact that he and Maya had never really gelled very well. She’d left the company abruptly. She never told me exactly why, other than to imply that Dermott had played some part in it.

My phone began to vibrate on my desk. A Florida number came up that I didn’t recognize. I let it ring, and a minute later a voice mail alert popped up. I listened and froze when I heard a voice from my past.

“Vanessa, it’s Michael Browning. Long time. So your mom gave me your number. Hope you don’t mind me calling you out of the blue like this, but I’m going to be up in New York City next week for a conference. I was hoping that maybe we could catch up. I’m not sure if you come back to Callaway much, but if you do, I guess I always seem to miss you. Anyway. Give me a call sometime and maybe we can get a drink or something. Talk to you soon. Bye.”

I ignored the next person who brought in another dolly of boxes and moved to the window overlooking the street. I dialed my mom’s number and pushed the phone to my ear. Two rings and she picked up.

“You gave Michael my number?” My words came out hushed and angry before she could even say hello.

“Wh— Well, hello to you too.” There was an edge to her voice.

I’d caught her off guard.

“Why, Mom?”

“He wanted to catch up with you while he was in town, and it seemed harmless enough. Is that a crime, now really?”

“You had no right to do that without my permission.”

“You’re being a little bit dramatic, don’t you think?”

“What if I sent Dad over to your house out of the blue?”

She was silent a moment. “That’s different.”

“Why?”

“Because… For one, I’m a married woman now. I’m not sure that would be entirely appropriate.”

“I may not be married, but I’m seeing someone. And I don’t need you pushing Michael on me and giving him the wrong idea.”

“You’re seeing someone? Who is he?”

“He’s…” How did I describe Darren? “He’s a firefighter here in the city. He also happens to be Maya’s new brother-in-law. We spent a lot of time together on the trip.”

“Oh. You never told me.”

“Things are still really new. I’m not sure where it’s going.”

“That doesn’t sound promising.”

I rolled my eyes, bracing myself for the lecture that was coming. “He’s fine. I just haven’t had a ton of time lately.”

She sighed. “You need to make time for a relationship if you want one to work. How long has it been since you’ve dated? It’s your schedule that’s always pushing people away.”

“Mom, please don’t lecture me right now.”

She wasn’t wrong, but I also hadn’t been looking for a relationship either. Not until my heart started doing unexpected things around Darren. Impeccable timing too, when my professional life was getting turned upside down.

“I know I couldn’t give you the father you really wanted, Vanessa, but I didn’t raise you to live without love in your life. Maybe we don’t always see eye to eye on the choices you make. I accept that. It is your life, and I respect that. I just want to see you make it a happy one.”

I closed my eyes and rested my head against the window. “I don’t need a man to be happy.”

Yet being with Darren had made me happier than anything had in a long time.

“I know you don’t. But you’re not happy, sweetheart. Something’s missing, and you know it. I’m your mother. I can sense it, even from this distance.”

I hated when she was right. She’d go straight to the heart of something. Strip away all the noise.

I didn’t know what to say to that.

Then a woman entered the office. She didn’t look like someone who’d been hired to move boxes. She wore a tight black pencil skirt, a silky lavender blouse, and chunky square diamonds sparkled on her ears. Her dark hair was pulled into a twist.

“Mom, I have to go. I’ll call you later.”

I hung up quickly as the woman walked toward me with a smile. “I’m Jia Sumner. I work with Kevin Dermott.”

“Nice to meet you. Can I help you with something?”

“Yes, actually. Kevin’s not going to be fully operational in this office for a few more days. But he needs something from his files here. I’m just going to grab it for him quickly. Do you mind?”

Something about her manner gave me pause. She was all smiles and politeness, but I had an odd feeling that facade didn’t fully represent the woman in front of me. Still, I had nothing to lose by letting her poke around. As of five o’clock today, I didn’t work here anymore. I gestured to the stacks of document boxes that lined the edge of Reilly’s old office.

“They’ve been putting everything in there. Let me know if you need any help,” I added, because I was programmed to help anyone in a suit, it would seem. Thus was my lot in life, thanks to Mr. David Reilly.

She moved to the boxes, sifted through the files, and extracted one. “Here is it. That was easy.”

She turned and paused, holding the file to her chest.
NYC Youth Arts Initiative
was typed on the tab.
I knit my eyebrows together. That was Reilly’s charity. Or at least the one that he and his wife had been heavily supporting all the time I’d known him.

“That’s David’s nonprofit, right?” I pointed to the folder.

Her smile froze. “It is. Dermott supports it as well. They’re both heavily involved in donor management. Something came up and he needed a quick peek at this.”

Just then, my phone rang. I saw Darren’s number. Jia offered a small wave as she disappeared out of the office.

I swiped the screen and answered. “Hi.”

“Hey, beautiful. Can you talk?”

Even his phone voice was sexy. Like thick syrup over a warm pancake.

“I can. Today’s my last day here at the office so I don’t have anyone hovering over me for once. What’s up?”

“I want to see you tonight.”

“Oh. I thought we’re going to make plans this weekend.”

“I know, but I can’t wait anymore.” He paused a moment. “Just miss you, red. It’s been too long.”

The tenderness in his voice tugged at my heart. I thought about him every day. He was the last thought as I drifted off to sleep, and the first that floated into my mind in the morning. I missed him too…more than I’d ever thought possible. But life had kept me too busy to do anything about it.

I’d been waiting until we had time, real time to spend together. But my life was made up of huge blocks of working hours and a scant slice or two of freedom that wasn’t overtaken by sleep or other less interesting adult obligations. If I waited for too long though, we’d never spend time together again. My mom’s warnings echoed in my ears, and in this moment they rang true. I could lose Darren if I didn’t make time for him.

“If I get everything wrapped up here, I should be able to get out on time.”

“Great. I’ve got a couple appointments here at the gym. I can meet you at your place around seven o’clock?”

“That works. I’ll text you if anything comes up.”

“Perfect.” His tone had changed into a happier one. “I can’t wait to see you.”

A smile tugged at my lips. I closed my eyes, and for a minute, I was back on an island.

“I’ll see you soon.”

I left the locker rooms, freshly showered and ready to head to Vanessa’s. She was running late, thanks to her dick boss sending her on a last-minute errand, but I wasn’t going to let that get in the way of the night I had planned.

“Hey, stranger,” Raina called out as I passed the doorway to her studio.

I slowed to a stop and backed up. Dread fell like a stone in my gut. My life would be a lot easier if I never had to see her face again. Of course, that wasn’t her fault. I plastered on a friendly smile and leaned against the doorway.

“You survive without us?” I teased.

“Without you two brutes? Absolutely.” She moved toward me, winked, and then gave me a quick once-over, wetting her lips.

I cleared my throat and tried to burn out the memory of what happened last time she looked at me like that. “I hope you didn’t have too much fun without us.”

“No,” she murmured, coming uncomfortably close. “I figured I’d save all the fun for when you got back.”

I nodded, eating all the words I wanted to say. She dragged her hand down my chest, slowing at the band of my jeans. This was escalating faster than I’d expected. Goddamnit.

“Not here, Raina.”

I tried to take a step back, but she tucked her fingers in just over the band, effectively holding me in place.

A coy smiled played on her lips. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Let’s meet up after work.”

I swallowed over the knot of regret in my throat. I closed my eyes and took a breath. I’d never been good at this part—the putting distance between me and someone I was over part. Mostly because I never had to be good at it. I’d never done something this stupid. The terms were usually much more clear. This was muddy and all sorts of fucked.

“How about we just keep things casual?” I finally said.

“I’m good with that. Your place or mine?” She slid her hand lower, over my fly, grazing my cock.

Any other day that might have done something for me, but I felt nothing. Suddenly I couldn’t put distance between us fast enough. I backed away until I was out of reach.

She frowned. “Is something wrong?”

“This, specifically, is kind of wrong.” I gestured between us, cursing inwardly. How had I gotten myself into this fucking mess? “I shouldn’t have made a pass at you. I wasn’t thinking about how awkward it could make things at work.”

Her eyebrows lifted. “Darren, I’m totally fine with casual. I mean, I think I made that pretty clear last time.”

I glanced down at my watch, desperate for anything to get me away from her. “Listen, I got to run. I’ll see you around, okay?”

She closed the distance between us again. With every step toward me, tension coiled in my stomach. Not the sexual kind.

She grabbed hold of my shirt, tugging it toward her though my body didn’t move with it. I harnessed the urge to shove her back. Inherently I hated the idea of being tied to anyone. Now, I only wanted to be tied to one woman, and she sure as hell wasn’t Raina. Not remotely. I had no idea how to dash her hopes of hooking up again without it blowing up in my face.

Before I could disconnect her, she was molded against me, planting her lips on mine. Lips, tongue, hand in the hair. I winced against her, masking my disgust as she pulled away.

“Call me later,” she breathed, biting her lip as she backed into the yoga studio and disappeared out of view.

I ground my teeth down hard, holding my position and biting my tongue. I wanted to lock her in that fucking room and throw away the key. For someone who touted the spiritual art of yoga and meditation all day long, she was about as intuitive as a brick.

I pivoted to leave, anxious to get as far away from her as possible. Then I froze. Several paces ahead of me stood a beautiful blonde, her eyes narrowed, hands on her hips, mouth agape. My heart thudded in my chest as I walked toward her. A pound of regret compounded onto my growing mountain of self-loathing.

She turned to walk away, but I ran to catch up to her.

“Maya, wait… It’s not what it looks like.”

I felt her reply first—a hard slap across my face. I reached for the sting that she left, but I had a feeling she was just winding up. She worked her jaw, disappointment so clear in her soft brown eyes.

“I can’t believe I told Vanessa to give you a chance. We’re not home a week, and I catch you rubbing up on someone else.”

“I didn’t… I wasn’t…”

“No? Then what the hell was Raina’s hand doing on your crotch? You’re a fucking pig. Cam warned me and I—”

“I made a mistake.” I ended up shouting it to halt her rant.

She paused, and we both stopped talking long enough to catch a breath. I shoved a hand through my hair, hating everything about this fucking moment.

“I hooked up with Raina way before the trip, and it was a huge mistake. I have no interest in being with her. I care about Vanessa.”

“Apparently not. Looks like she was just another hookup.”

“She means a lot more than that to me. This thing with Raina happened before. Things are different now, but I haven’t had a chance to talk to either of them about it. I have every intention of being exclusive with Vanessa.”

She set her hands firmly on her hips, her expression tight. “Then you’d better come clean with her, or I’ll do it for you.”

I studied her, gauged if she’d really do that. I couldn’t gamble that she wouldn’t. It’d be over with Vanessa. I knew it.

“Maya, Jesus, don’t tell her about this. It would ruin everything.”

“If you care about her, she needs to know what kind of man you are, so she can decide whether you’re worth the risk. Because I can tell you right now, she doesn’t have time for this shit. And she certainly doesn’t deserve it.”

“I know what it looks like, but I swear to you, this isn’t me.”

“Prove it.”

“I plan to. Give me a chance to talk to her.”

She shook her head, seeming no less pissed than she had a moment ago. “Vanessa is one of my best friends. I’m not going to watch you disrespect her this way, do you understand? You tell her, or I will.”

“I will. I will find a way to make this right, but you need to let me do that.”

“Fine.”