Click - A Novella (2 page)

“I had a chance to come home early,” she said.

In the face of his expression she couldn’t bring herself to tell him she’d done it just to surprise him. Pleasantly, she’d hoped at the time. He’d clearly been surprised, but not the way she’d wished. They needed to talk, and soon. Even the thought of that conversation, though, made her heart drop.

“Just let me get settled,” she said, escaping into her office.

Her office wasn’t the oasis of quiet she’d hoped it would be though. She no sooner reached her desk than Cathy hurried in through the connecting doors from Cathy’s office next door, even as Dan trailed Emily.

A woman followed Cathy, one Emily didn’t know.

The woman clearly knew Dan, sidling up beside him to slide her hand into his and go up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss. It was clear that there was something more than just family or friends going on between them.

“Annalise,” Dan said, clearly caught between affection and dismay.

All Emily could only stare, the color draining out of her face in embarrassment.

Eyes widening, Cathy had the decency to look disconcerted before she fled back to her office. It was clear Cathy had been giving Annalise the ‘grand tour’ of the office. Even Emily’s.

Dan couldn’t seem to make up his mind what to do. He gave Emily a defensive glance – as if the awkwardness of the situation was her fault.

The other woman took in Emily’s disheveled state, glanced dismissively at Emily’s hair and clothing, and only just managing to keep her expression from being rude.

Almost involuntarily, Emily lifted a hand to her hair, to the clip in it. She’d never been quite so humiliated.

Whatever she was to Dan, the woman was immaculate from her perfectly styled blonde hair to the makeup she wore like a mask, her designer suit, all the way down to the high priced shoes on her feet. Rain hadn’t dared leave its mark on her stockings or shoes, nor would she have worn the plain flats that Emily had chosen as a concession to airport security.

Emily knew she looked at wreck in comparison, even as she unclipped her hair and added to it, as the mass of her hair tumbled over her shoulders. She pulled the brush she’d intended to use before anyone saw her, and ran it quickly through her hair.

It wasn’t hard for Emily to see where some of the attraction between Dan and this woman lay.

If there had been one bone of contention between Emily and Dan it had been her sophistication – or lack thereof. He’d pushed her to buy more expensive designer clothing and shoes, but she had a hard time laying out the equivalent of a week’s pay for something she’d only wear for a season. It wasn’t that Emily didn’t wear the style of the season in the right situations, but she preferred more classic looks instead. She was also too honest, too opinionated, in the wrong circumstances. Unlike some of the other women at various events they attended on behalf of the company, Emily was more likely to be found among the men debating politics or policy, not designers or shoes. As much as she’d tried Emily simply wouldn’t change who she was. Not for any man, not even for Dan, she’d seen too many women do that.

“Emily, this is Annalise,” Dan said, his amber eyes on Emily.

It seemed Dan had found a more sophisticated girlfriend.

The glance Annalise gave Emily was brief and ended at Emily’s head before Annalise turned back to Dan. She’d been dismissed.

Emily wondered what had happened to the things she’d left in Dan’s apartment. Were they still there, or had he boxed them up? She hoped this woman hadn’t done it. She was mortified at the idea that Annalise would have touched the few items she’d left at Dan’s apartment.

“Dan, darling, we have to go,” Annalise said. She glanced at the others in the room with a slight air of smugness. “We have prime seats at one of the hottest shows on Broadway – the revival of Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”

Tickets – good ones – were hard to get, or so Dan had told Emily just a few weeks before. It was a very popular show, with two major movie stars in the lead roles.

“I’ll meet you in the lobby, Annalise,” Dan said, “I just want to talk to Emily for a minute. Just business.”

Emily wondered if Annalise even knew of her relationship to Dan. It would have been like him to not mention it. It was also clear by Annalise’s behavior that her relationship with Dan wasn’t new.

“She seems nice,” Emily said. She felt numb.

“You weren’t supposed to be due back until later,” Dan said, his voice defensive.

That had been the original plan.

How long had it been going on?
Emily wondered.

Longer than the week Emily had been gone, that seemed certain.

The thought of coming back into the office Monday to face her coworkers after Dan had paraded his new girlfriend through the office made her cringe internally. How many had known? And now everyone did. Now she understood Veronica’s anger. She hadn’t just been mad that Dan hadn’t celebrated Emily’s promotion before she’d left, but because he’d brought his new girlfriend into the office.

“You could have had the decency to break up with me first, before bringing her to the office,” Emily said, trying not to cry. Tears stung. She wouldn’t cry here, but neither could she deny the humiliation that burned in her cheeks.

“I was going to this weekend,” he said.

“A little late. Welcome home, Emily,” she said tightly. “I’ve got a new girlfriend, I need your things out this weekend?”

“Let’s not make things awkward, Em,” he said. “Let’s be professional. And let’s not forget, I am your boss.”

She couldn’t believe he was pulling rank on her as well.

He was her boss. Thanks to her. She’d convinced the company to hire him.

The clients loved her. The honesty that drove had driven Dan so crazy was appreciated by them. They were accustomed to being lied to, over-sold, or otherwise deceived. As one or two had said, she was a breath of fresh air. The company trusted her judgment, and they would have done anything for her, given her numbers. Dan had a good reputation. Now she knew why. Talk about sleeping your way to the top.

“Oh, definitely,” she said. “I wouldn’t make a scene anyway. Not here.”

She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

“Good,” he said. “We’ll talk Monday.”

“Where are my things?”

He had the grace to look uncomfortable. “At my apartment. Please have them out this weekend. We’ll be away in the Hamptons.”

The reality of it suddenly washed over her and her breath caught. Dan wouldn’t be a part of her life anymore. She wouldn’t wake up with her arms around him. But then it had been a while since that had happened.  Instead there’d been excuse after excuse as to why he couldn’t stay, or she couldn’t. He was tired. He needed to stay at the office to get some paperwork done. An old friend was in town.

Now she knew why. And it gave her a rough idea for how long she’d been fooling herself. She couldn’t help feeling a rush of shame at that.

To be honest, though, he’d always blown hot and cold. She’d never known for certain where she stood with him, although he said he loved her. The uncertainty had driven her crazy sometimes.

In a way, the breakup wasn’t that much of a surprise – it was the manner of it that hurt so much. Yet, in an odd way, it was a relief, too. At least the wondering was over.

Not that it hurt any less.

She nodded. “I’ll leave the key on the sofa table.”

The relief on his face was unmistakable. Fury rushed through her at that look, but she kept her behavior professional as he walked out of her office.

From where she stood, she could see the lobby, could see Dan hold Annalise’s raincoat for her.

Walking out, she reached up to catch the string to the bell hung between the doors and rang it loudly.

It startled Dan and Annalise, the rest were accustomed to it. There was satisfaction in seeing the flash of alarm in Dan’s eyes – fearing a last minute scene – and she smiled to see him disconcerted.

“I brought in the Grissom account,” she announced, knowing he’d expected – even feared – something else.

There was some satisfaction in that.

Grissom was a banner account, one Dan himself hadn’t been able to get. Emily had. That and the new promotion would put her on a more even footing with him. At least professionally. She’d wanted to bring that contract in for him, a peace offering of a kind. A chance to celebrate.

Except now there was no one to celebrate with.

She turned her back on him, walked over to the window of her office, looked out over the gray and windy day. There was no point in staying. The evening loomed, suddenly empty.

Landing the Grissom account seemed a hollow victory now.

Chapter Two

Can my day get any worse?
Emily asked herself as she stepped outside the main doors to find it pouring. Tony held her umbrella for her. The wind nearly ripped it away from him and threatened to turn it inside out. At least this time her raincoat was buttoned, so she wasn’t instantly soaked. The storm not only hadn’t abated, it had gotten worse. It took her neatly brushed hair and turned it into a nearly blinding mass of russet curls.

She sighed.
At least I’ll be home soon
, she thought.

“Go back inside, Emily,” Tony said. “I’ll hail you a cab, first.”

A hand reached out from behind them to catch Tony’s arm.

“That’s not necessary,” a familiar voice said, as a limo rolled up in front of the building. “I’ll take her home.”

It seemed her day could indeed get worse. Of all people, she didn’t want him to see her like this.

Emily looked back over her shoulder to see Robert Halloran standing behind her.

As always, her first thought was,
God, he’s gorgeous
. Those eyes were just incredible up close. With those strong features and high cheekbones, he could look so severe. When he frowned or scowled she could understand how people could be intimidated by him, but his firm, full mouth gave all the rest the lie. Once or twice as they’d talked in the elevator or at some function, he’d let his guard down enough to reveal a wicked grin, and then he looked like an entirely different man. He’d been approachable, even mischievous, his eyes twinkling. She wished he’d let that side of himself show more often.

“That’s not necessary, it would be out of your way,” she said, suddenly flustered at the idea of being alone with him in the limo. How it would be different from the elevator, she didn’t know. It just was. She also didn’t know where he lived, but she had a pretty good guess it was uptown. “But thank you anyway.”

 “Emily,” he said with one of his rare grins, “Trust me, I’m not going to eat you. I’m just offering you a ride home. How often do you get to travel in one of these?”

He gestured at the limo.

It would be plush and comfy, already warm. Much better than a taxi.

Tony was already taking her luggage off her hands and passing them to the limousine driver. It was clear Tony approved of the arrangement.
Did he know about Dan and Annalise, too? Was that why he was being so nice?

Her cheeks flushed with color at the thought.

The sudden kindness from both men after the long day of traveling, her disappointment at the result, and Dan’s announcement almost broke her control. Her traitorous chin trembled a moment and her eyes burned before she mastered herself again.

“Thank you,” she said, and hoped neither man caught the quiver in her voice. She cleared her throat of unshed tears.

*****

The shine in Emily’s eyes and the slight quiver of her chin caught Robert off-guard. Her smile was dimmer, too, by quite a bit. That was unusual.

What was that about?
he wondered.

Emily was almost always cheerful, natural, in a way so many people in this city weren’t. That was how they’d first met. She hadn’t known who he was and clearly didn’t care, smiling and saying hello as she stepped onto the elevator. She’d ask how he was, gradually wearing him down until he’d answered her in words of more than two syllables. Once she realized who he was it hadn’t changed a thing, she’d greeted him the same way she always had.