Page 49 of Level With Me
He’d know, at least, that I was here.
Everything else would be my secret.
11
BLAKE
“And here’s the current year,”Eli said, hauling another file box onto the boardroom table.
It was Monday, the first day of our operational review. The day after I’d woken up with the most god-forsaken hell raiser of a hangover I’d ever known.
I still didn’t know what had happened the night of the dinner, but given Jude and Chelsea, who I’d seen downstairs coming in, had smiled and waved rather than looking at me with disgust, I hoped it wasn’t bad.
I still hadn’t seen Cassandra, though.
“This is everything?” I asked, trying to shake off the worry. I’d discovered the contract next to the bed I’d woken up in, so whatever had happened, it hadn’t been bad enough to fire me.
“As far as I can tell,” Eli said.
The boardroom was going to be Lila’s headquarters for the next few weeks. She’d be examining all the financials and then launching interviews with key staff. I was helping her set up—and giving her the key questions I wanted to ask—before meeting with Cassandra at nine.
Cassandra, who I hadn’t seen since Saturday.
Cassandra, who I wasn’t sure if I’d…
No, I wouldn’t think about it. Not now, in her goddamned offices.
“Thanks, Eli.” I slid the box off the table and placed it in the stack against the wall. I needlessly rearranged several of the boxes for good measure, needing the physical effort. While I’d spent Sunday morning swimming several miles of laps in the pool, I hadn’t made it to the gym since last week, and feeling my muscles work—however lightly—felt good. Simple and uncomplicated, unlike the mess I’d created here.
“Yes, thank you, Eli,” Lila said, tucking her phone back in her blazer pocket. She’d been talking to another client while we brought in the boxes. “I appreciate you having these all ready for us this morning.
“No prob,” Eli said, pressing his fingers to his temples and shooting me an apologetic look. If Eli was anything like me, he was suffering from hangover day two.
“Lila,” he said. “I’m sorry again for leaving you all at the dinner this weekend. I… wasn’t in a good place.”
“Of course,” Lila said, her voice sweet on the outside. “I hope you two didn’t get into too much trouble? Blake wouldn’t tell me much about what happened after we all left.”
She put emphasis on that last word hard enough for a dagger of pain to shoot through my temple.
“None at all. Blake helped chill me out,” Eli said.
“I think that was the McCallan,” I said.
Eli groaned. “Don’t remind me.”
After Eli left, Lila flipped over a page on her notepad and scribbled something out.
“Lila—” I said.
“Don’t,” she flung back.
I sighed, sinking into a chair. Lila had barely spoken to me since Saturday. She’d sent Brynn over to check on me at nine AM yesterday morning. Judging by Brynn’s expression when I’d hauled open the sliding door, I’d looked as much of a zombie as I felt. “Just seeing if you made it home last night.”
As far as Brynn and Lila knew, I’d come home Saturday night. Thank everything above I’d woken up at dawn Sunday morning and stumbled home on foot. The only thing worse than the growing pounding in my head had been the shame of what I’d done. Lila was angrier than I’d seen her in a long time. The only words she’d said to me were via text last night: confirmation that we were starting at the Rolling Hills at eight AM in the main boardroom, and that I better not have done anything to fuck with this project. Not after making her take it on.
This morning, after a six AM swim, I’d walked to the resort, not up for a tense ride in the car with Lila, no matter how quick. The trip was only a half-hour on foot, and nice too—a winding route through the side streets of downtown Quince Valley, followed by a trek over the pretty red bridge that spanned the water, and up the hill to the Rolling Hills.
“Lila,” I said now, but paused. I wanted to tell her I didn’t jeopardize the project, but I didn’t know if that was true. I didn’t think it was, but I couldn’t remember shit about Saturday night. Nothing except flashes after sitting down at the bar with Eli. And I couldn’t tell if those were real or dreams.
