Page 44 of Heart Like Yours
I just wish he knew he didn’t have to carry it alone. If he had told me, I might not have been able to relate, but he would have had someone in his corner through all of this. At the very least, I wouldn’t have been left completely blindsided.
“Someone pass me the cinnamon Febreze.” I groan, dropping my head back and staring at the ceiling.
“The…what?” Eva asks.
“She means the Fireball.” Lilly clarifies for me, jostling me as she gets up and goes to the kitchen. When she comes back, she has three shots balanced in her hands. She gives one to me andcontinues to explain for Eva as she passes one to her. “Fruity shots represent good nights. They’re essentially our way of toasting a successful or drama-free time. However, when things are shitty…” She lifts up her shot glass and clinks it to mine before throwing it back. “We do a Fireball because it tastes like crap.”
I toss back my shot, grimacing at the taste, and shiver at the burn the liquid leaves in its wake. Eva shrugs and follows suit.
“I thought you and Garrett were…” Lilly pauses, glancing quickly at Eva before staring down at her fingers and snaps her mouth shut.
Eva gasps, slamming her now empty shot on the side table and picking up her water.
“Please tell me that the two of you are a thing.”
“That…what…no,” I stutter, shooting a glare at Lilly, who just shrugs. After we got back from Vermont, Lilly was the first call I made. However, my filling her in came with the warning that Eva, or anyone who worked for us, could not know. I shake my head, unable to meet Eva’s intense stare. “Garrett and I aren’t…”
“Ya know,” she says cheerfully, “if you were dating him now, I’d win the office pool.”
My head snaps in her direction so fast I’m surprised it’s still on my head. “Sorry, what? There’s a bet about if Garrett and I are dating or not?”
“No.” Eva shakes her head, grinning around her glass, and my shoulders momentarily sag in relief. Then she continues, “There are bets for when you two will finally give in and just be together already.”
I stare at her, trying to process what she’s saying on top of everything else from today. Eva shrugs, not bothered one bit by my lack of response. “Just sayin’… everyone’s already rooting for you two. It’s obvious to the entire office that he’s head over heelsfor you. So the only one stopping you guys from being together…is you.”
“Everyone is…fine if I date him? Even though he’s our boss?” I question and she grins mischievously at me in response.
“Fine? If you two got together, the team would probably ask if they could throw you a party.”
“Oh, thank heavens.” Lilly squeals, jumping up and clapping her hands. At my raised brow, she throws her hands in the air. “Come on, the chemistry between the two of you is so obvious. Now you know you don’t have to hide it anymore.”
She skips to where I’m slouched on my couch and holds out her hands, and I shake my head.
“That doesn’t change today’s shit show. Who’s to say he’ll even want to be with me now that this has all come to light?”
“Please,” Eva says, rolling her eyes and standing up to collect our dirty shot glasses. “You’re talking about a man who kept his money a secret for God knows how long. I highly doubt that today would change his obvious feelings toward you.”
She’s right, even I don’t believe my own words.
“Now,” Lilly says, her outstretched hand still hanging in front of me. “You can either sit here, wondering and waiting for him to call. Or we can try to turn this night around. Are things perfect? No. Life threw you a curveball today, but there’s no point in stewing on things that are out of your control.”
“Sweatpants are so much more comfortable than skirts, though.” I growl but slip my hands into hers and let her pull me up.
“We’ll go to the bar by my place. No dressing up required. Go throw on some black shorts, toss your hair in a bun, and we’ll go kick Eva’s butt in darts.”
“Who says you’ll win?” Eva asks.
Lilly and I share a knowing look before bursting out in laughter.
I leave Lilly to explain how we both joined a dart league in college just to get half off beers on Thursdays and we turned out to be one of the best teams.
As I change out of my sweats, I can’t help but realize that maybe Lilly is right. Sitting around and stewing over questions or situations I can’t solve without talking to Garrett is pointless.
“Start this next round without me,”I tell Eva and Lilly. “I’m gonna run to the bathroom.”
They both yell out their acknowledgments but are already moving on to the next round of darts. Much to our surprise, Eva is really good at playing and is almost able to keep up with us. She might even beat Lilly in a one-on-one round.
After using the bathroom, I’m rounding the small corner to go back to the bar area when someone steps in front of me.