And for how long?
Had he overheard?
No.
He couldn't have.
I mean, sure, he used the back door a lot during business hours. But that didn't mean he had used it just now.Maybe he was still outside?
Maybe somewhere unseen?
But where?
I gave a hard swallow.Nowhere from the looks of it.
Franny was still staring toward the window, as if expecting Griff to reappear at any moment, preferably oiled up and shirtless. When another long moment passed with no sighting, she muttered, "Oh, poo."
She looked disappointed.
I felt nauseous.
Again, my gaze strayed to the connecting door. He could be listening on the other side of it right now – or even worse, five minutes ago.
I mentally rewound everything I'd just said, replaying again and again the parts where I'd insisted that he wasn't my type.How would I ever face him?
Then again, maybe it was better if hehadoverheard. Probably, he would be relieved. AndIwould still have my dignity.
But at what cost? We had a decent working relationship.What if I'd just mucked it up by making things way too personal?
From the other side of the counter, Franny reached out and gave my hand a little pat. "Oh, cheer up. I'm sure you'll see him soon."
Yeah, that's what I was afraid of.
I snuck another quick glance at the connecting door. If I were smart, I'd march through it the moment Franny left, just to make sure that Griff was somewhere else – preferably somewhere loud and clanking where conversations couldn't carry.
But what if hewasthere?
I took a deep, calming breath. Well, inthatcase, I'd just need to see if he was acting funny and take it from there.
It was such a good plan, and it might have worked swimmingly except for one tiny problem. I'd barely said goodbye to Franny when the door jingled again, announcing the arrival of someone new – or rather, someone old, at least in terms of my own history.
I froze. I stared. And then I swallowed.
A chill zipped down my spine, fast and sharp, like a ghost had just appeared with no warning – except it was no phantom.
It was my ex-boyfriend.
Yes,thatex-boyfriend.
It was Devon Harris, looking snappier than I'd ever seen him. And worst of all, he wasn't alone.
25
What's-Her-Face and the Sidekick
Maisie
It took a long moment before my brain caught up with my eyes. But then, when everything clicked, my stomach hit my toes before the rest of me remembered how to breathe.
