I all but laugh in his face, but then his hazel eyes glance down to my blue ones, and laughing is the furthest thought from my mind. “English 101 with Effertz. Room 110.”
His dimple makes an appearance again as he picks up his pace and turns down a new hallway. “I happen to know just where that is. Because it’s my first class too.”
What in the hell is happening?
Alec slows to a stop and just stands there, looking into my eyes. His fingers loosen their hold as he lowers me to the ground. “This is our stop.”
I avoid meeting the eyes of the students who I’m sure are all looking our way. Alec gestures for me to walk past him into the room. I step forward and am a little shocked when I see the desks. In place of the traditional desks are tables that sit two.
I veer left and stop at the first table, expecting Alec to find a seat at the back of the class. But when I pull one of the chairs out, Alec pulls out the other.
Oh, this is not going to end well.
When I settle into my seat, Alec leans over—too close—making goose bumps spread their way from my ear down my neck. “So, Clumsy, what’s your real name?”
I stick my hand out, and when he takes it, I swear I feel a shock.
“I’m Laura. Laura Young.”
22
Waking up this morning feels like I am digging myself out of a grave. It takes me two hours to get ready. I have to redo my makeup about three times because I keep breaking down halfway through. I miss Alec. When I woke up, I checked my phone, but not a single call or text. But Alec has always been respectful, whether it was to be held for hours, or given some space, he was always there for me however I needed him to be.
Grabbing my powder-blue pantsuit, I get dressed in a haze. With one last look in the mirror, I grab my purse with my marketing plan for The Crooked Spine and head out the door.
Charlotte doesn’t work at Fireflies until tonight, so she volunteered to watch Jack while I’m gone. I need to visit my mom today too.
I saw a voice mail from the missed call last night. I ignored it because I’m sure it’s a verbatim message of the other messages they’ve left in the past.
The Crooked Spine is only about four blocks from the house, so at least I don’t have too much time to get trapped in my thoughts while I drive.
Walking up to the beautiful brick building, I pause before heading inside. This could be the start of a change for the better for Jack and me. And I can’t let what’s going on with Alec ruin that.
Taking a deep breath, I do my best to leave all my pain and heartache at the door.
I’m immediately greeted by one of the workers. She offers a polite smile. “Hey, how can I help you?”
I smile back. “I’m here for a meeting with Mr. Corwin.”
Her arm gestures to the back of the shop. “Mr. Corwin is waiting for you in our main conference room, right past our YA section.”
The Crooked Spine also hosts other business meetings. Their conference rooms are always available to be rented out.
“Thank you,” I reply and walk straight ahead with a little bit of hope sneaking back into my body.
The door is open, and I walk in. Darius is sitting at the table along with a woman I don’t recognize.
He rises when he sees me. “Laura, just the woman I wanted to see.”
My customer-service persona kicks in. “Well, I sure hope so! Been working my butt off for you.”
He laughs and gestures to the seat across from them. “Well then, let’s get started. Oh, this is Alyssa, the store manager of sales of this location. We want to test out your plans here, and then depending on the results, we would like to push it into all stores by the end of the year.”
Holy shit.
No one ever said anything about going nationwide withmywork.
I take a seat, my hands shaking a little, and start setting out my plans.
