Given the fact that it was nearly four in the morning, it wasn't hard to guess what he'd been doingorwhat kind of "luck" he'd had. At the realization, I slumped deeper in my chair – not out of disappointment, but rather because I didn't want to be seen watching him.
Yes.Thathadto be it.
But then, in mid-slump, I spotted something that made me sit up with a sudden jolt.
He was carrying a book – and not just any book. It was an oversized paperback that looked all too familiar.
How on Earth did he get it?
I stared in total confusion as a whole slew of possibilities slithered across my brain. Very few of them were nice. Some of them were downright nasty. All of them made me feel just a little bit nauseous.
I was still staring when Jack suddenly stopped moving. Slowly, his head turned in my direction, and our gazes locked.
His smile, faint as it was, disappeared entirely as he eyed me across the nearly empty lobby.
I didn't flinch, and I didn't look away. Instead I waited, nearly certain that he would simply walk over and return the book.
Except he didn't.
Instead, he looked forward once again and resumed his original path toward the elevators.
No hello. No wave. No nothing.
Unable to stop myself, I stood and began stalking toward him.
Yes, he was my boss, but I still wanted answers.
And I wanted themnow.
Chapter 29
Becka
By the time I reached him, the nearest elevator was already open, and he was striding into it. I rushed in behind him and watched in awkward silence as he hit the buttons for two floors – seventeen and eighteen.
Eighteen was mine, so I could only assume that seventeen was his.
As the elevator doors slid shut, leaving the two of us alone in the confined space, I looked to him and said, "Well?"
He didn't even glance in my direction. Instead, he kept his gaze straight ahead, facing the elevator doors instead of me. In a tight voice, he replied, "Well what?"
"Oh come on. You know what. Listen, I know you're not big on wasting time, so why don't you just tell me?"
With slow deliberation, he finally turned to face me. "If you've got a question, you're gonna have to be more specific."
"All right." I pointed to the paperback. "Is that my book?"
He made no move to hand it over. "No comment."
It was easy to guess whatthatmeant. "So how'd you get it?"
His gaze hardened, and the silence stretched out. As the elevator climbed, my heart sank. I could just imagine how he'd come into contact with the book, along with the person who'd swiped it from me.
I said, "I'm just curious, that's all."
"Yeah? Well I'm not paying you to be curious."
I almost flinched. His words stung, even more so because they were technically true. And if he were an ordinary boss – as opposed to a family friend who'd practically dragged me here against my original wishes – I might've simply let it go.
