Page 56 of Because of Blake

I clench my jaw.

Blake has his back to me, but he’s standing ramrod straight with his arms folded. His head bobs every now and then in response to whatever Abbey is saying.

She’s doing her due diligence to keep his attention on her. One hand on her hip, the other either waving in the air as she talks, or touching Blake in some way. She’s licking her lips and batting her eyelashes nonstop. It’s enough to make my blood boil.

I’m about to stomp into the room and slap her again, when my heart suddenly sinks. What if her tactics work? What if Blake decides he’s got a chance with a younger, hotter woman and leaves me behind? There’s only one way to find out.

With leaden steps, I enter the foyer and sidle up next to Blake. “Hey.”

Abbey turns a fiery glare on me and opens her mouth, but shuts it tight when Blake slides his arm around my waist and kisses my temple. “Hey, yourself. Ready to go?”

I nod, allowing Blake to usher me out the door. The look of utter confusion on Abbey’s face is a small consolation for the turmoil eating away at my gut.

Once we’re outside, Blake takes my hand and lifts it to his lips. “So, where do you want to go?” I give a half-hearted shrug, and he furrows his brow. “Hey, what’s up?”

I sigh, not ready to hear the soul-crushing words of rejection, so I shake it off. “Nothing. I rushed through a whole bunch of affidavits and my head is spinning a little. I’m good. How about subs? There’s a deli around the corner.”

At lunch, even though I tried to move past the Abbey incident, I’m quiet and Blake notices. “Maggie, are you sure you’re okay? You haven’t said much and you’re picking at your sandwich more than you’re eating.”

I pinch my lips together, unsure if I want to hear the answer to this question. “What were you talking to Abbey about?”

“Abbey? The chick in your office?” Blake arches an eyebrow. “That’s what this is about?” He shrugs and takes a bite of his sandwich, talking out of the corner of his mouth. “She did most of the talking. About herself.”

“Oh? Did she tell you about going to law school?”

He nods. “And landing the internship because of her grades and accomplishments, and her vacation to Fiji last year, and how she was a beauty queen in high school.” He rolls his eyes. “Honestly, I don’t know how you listen to her all day without going crazy.”

I fight the smile threatening my lips. It’s refreshing to know Blake finds her as insufferable as I do, and only after a few minutes of talking to her. “I thought maybe you’d find her impressive.”

Blake sighs and sets his sandwich down. “Maggie, you have nothing to worry about. Women like Abbey are like those giant, chocolate eggs you get at Easter.”

I furrow my brow. “What?”

“They’re hollow.”

“Oh.” I let the smile take over my face.

Something in Blake’s eye satiates my nerves, and my whole body relaxes. My appetite returns as the heaviness in the air lifts, and we finish our lunch with more pleasant conversation. Neither of us bring up Abbey again.

As I watch Blake drive away after dropping me off, my heart feels lighter. I don’t know why I was so worried. Blake’s a grown man who’s perfectly capable of making choices for his life, and he chose me. I walk into the office a little taller.

I’m not at my desk more than a minute when Abbey stops by. “Maggie! Was that guy your boyfriend?”

I spin in my chair to see a look of pure disbelief on her face. It makes me sit straighter and raise my chin. “Yes. Why?”

“I thought you didn’t date.”

“Well, things can change, Abbey.”

She purses her lips and fans herself with her hand. “Talk about going from zero to sixty, that guy was something else. Congratulations on landing him.”

I set my jaw, trying to stay professional. “Thanks.” I guess.

“Makes me wonder if someone like you can get a guy like him, then someone like me has nothing to worry about. Maybe I’ve set my standards too low.” Abbey stares past me, not talking to me anymore. She chews on her lip a moment before shaking her head. “Anyway, keep a tight leash on that one, Maggie. You never know when someone else is going to come along and take his attention.” And with that shining bit of advice, she leaves me alone in my cubicle to reel in the notion that I won’t have Blake forever.

“We don’t have to go to the block party. We can take Oscar somewhere instead,” I say, checking the time on Blake’s microwave clock.

It’s almost six. Blake and I have been discussing the block party all week, going back and forth on whether we’re going. Both of us keep saying we don’t care and we’re making no headway. Now it’s Saturday and wehaveto decide.