I straighten, irritation flickering beneath my skin. I’m not in the mood for this. Not in the mood for her questions, for her attempts at small talk, for another offer to grab drinks that I have no intention of accepting.
I don’t know what she said to Jules, but whatever assumptions were made, the truth is simple: Susan is a co-worker. Someone I’ve gotten drinks with twice. Someone who once dropped off documents at my house and stayed to go over them.
That’s it.
And yet, here she is, sinking into one of the black leather chairs in front of my desk, crossing one leg over the other so her skirt rides up just enough to be noticed.
I don’t give her the satisfaction of looking.
“Didn’t expect to find you here on a Saturday,” she says, filling the silence.
I keep my expression neutral. “How’s it going, Susan?”
She crinkles her nose, tucking a strand of short blonde hair behind her ear. “We should talk about the other morning.”
My jaw tightens.
“Seems like I interrupted something,” she adds, watching me closely.
I fold my hands on the desk, keeping my voice level. “I didn’t appreciate you stopping by unannounced. My time with my son is important to me.”
Her smile barely falters. “And what about time with his mother?”
Something prickles in my chest. Something sharp and uninvited.
“My relationship with Jules is not open for discussion.”
Susan tilts her head, amused. “So, there is a relationship.”
I exhale slowly, already done with this conversation.
She leans forward slightly, lowering her voice. “Is that why you won’t take me home? Why you’ll only go so far as drinks? Still harboring feelings for your ex-wife, Corbin?”
I hold her gaze, my silence answering the question for me.
“Listen,” Susan says, her tone honeyed, a practiced smile stretching across her red lips. “I don’t want to get in the way of… whatever you have going on at home. But I enjoy our time together. I like you. I like how good we are together.”
I don’t react. At least, I try not to. But the truth sits heavy in my chest.
The only person I was ever good with doesn’t want me. Not right now anyway.
Susan and me? There’s nothing there. Never was.
“As much as I’ve enjoyed getting drinks with you,” I start carefully, “I think it’s best if we keep our relationship strictly professional.”
Her expression falters, the carefully placed mask slipping just enough to reveal the frustration beneath it.
“Corbin, you can’t be serious,” she says, a note of incredulity in her voice.
“I am,” I make clear.
She exhales sharply, shaking her head. “That’s it, then? I don’t get a say?”
I force a measured breath. “I think you deserve someone who can give you more than I can.”
Susan stands, smoothing down the hem of her skirt, her chin lifting in defiance. “Biggest mistake of your life.”
I don’t flinch. Don’t react.
