The tension between us was so thick it made it hard to breathe.She shifted in her seat, clearing her throat.
“Colton, or should I say, Mr.Fox, thank you for your concern, and there may have been a time I’d have taken you up on that offer, but right now isn’t the time.I’m here to help you.”
“Doesn’t mean that if you need to run something past me, I can’t help you.”
“This is a working relationship only.There will be no personal exchanges,” she said, straightening in her seat.
I couldn’t help but shake my head.She was seriously acting as if she’d never known me before, and I hated it.Instead of continuing to drive, I pulled my truck over to the side of the road, put it in park, and then turned to look at her.
“So, you get to know all these things about my personal life, but I can’t know about yours?”
She looked at me and frowned.
“Well?”
“Correct, because without me knowing the personal side of you, I can’t help you.”
“Hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but you know shit about me.Oh, and from now on, you’ll only ever know what I want you to, and right now, you aren’t privy to knowing anything.”
“Believe me, I know more about you than you think I do.Oh, and also, I couldn’t agree with you more.Truth is, I can barely recognize the person you used to be.”
Her words stung.Her words also confirmed where my place was, and it wasn’t being her friend.
“There it is, finally, baby girl admits knowing me.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”She asked.
“Exactly that.”I answered.
“You are impossible,” she gritted.
I put the truck back into drive and pulled away from the curb, making my way back into my neighborhood.I pulled into the driveway and sat there, waiting for her to get out.
“Aren’t you going to shut the truck off?”
“Nope, it’s still early, and I have some errands to run,” I said.
“Well, I’m supposed to shadow you.So let’s go,” Emma said, putting her belt back on.
“Not this time,” I bit out.“You’re staying here.”
I could see the shock in her eyes from the tone I’d used, and even though she stared at me, she knew she would not win.She took her seatbelt off, grabbed her purse, and climbed out of the truck.She stood in the driveway watching me as I backed away.
Chapter Eight
Emma
After Colton left,I sat in the kitchen, a hot cup of tea in front of me, trying to compose myself.I’d just booked the designer we used to come in while we were away next week to work her magic on the house.
I closed my laptop and wrapped my hands around the warm mug.Perhaps I’d been a little too harsh by not sharing things in my personal life with him, but I was so used to never allowing my personal and business life to cross, it only came naturally.It was a rule I’d lived by, and regardless of who he was, I planned to keep it that way.
I glanced at the clock.It was only six, and I really needed some fresh air and a neutral space to calm down in.I booked an Uber and figured I’d head downtown and do some shopping.I’d seen a bookstore downtown the other day, and it had been a while since I’d stepped foot into one.I could use a new book to read.
The car dropped me off, and I slipped inside, first grabbing myself a hot chocolate.Then I slowly made my way to the back of the store, where I started browsing the romance section.I was certain the girls at the office would laugh if they knew I read romance books.It had been my best-kept secret to date.
I scanned the section looking for a couple of my favorite authors and grabbed two new releases from the shelves.I continued on, finally taking a seat in one of the oversized armchairs that they had in the store so you could read for a bit.
I took a sip of my drink as I looked out the store’s side window.I watched as cars pulled up, dropping off passengers, and then I saw a very familiar black truck with a Dominators logo on the tailgate pull up.As I watched out the window, Colton climbed out of the driver’s side and slipped into an unmarked building.
