Chapter 149: Chapter 149 Ghosts That Won’t Stay Buried
Elara
After dinner, Yardley didn’t fight Nancy over the bill.
But as we were leaving, he said quietly, "Thanks for tonight, Nancy. Next time, let me treat you."
I watched Nancy’s cheeks flush pink at his words, and she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear - a nervous habit I’d noticed she had.
I caught Dominic’s eye-roll from across the table.
My husband was clearly thinking the same thing I was.
[Real subtle there, Yardley. Leave the door wide open why don’t you.]
When it was time to head home, I offered to drop Nancy off at her place.
Nancy looked between me and Yardley, clearly torn. "Are you sure? I don’t want to put you out of your way..."
"It’s no trouble at all," I insisted, shooting Yardley a look that said ’back off.’
Once she was safely inside, I turned to Dominic in the passenger seat. "Is your brother interested in my colleague?"
"Pretty obviously, yes." Dominic’s tone was dry with amusement.
I’d had a feeling something was up.
When we were all saying our goodbyes, Yardley had smoothly offered to give Nancy a ride home, but I’d jumped in and shut that down real quick.
I had no clue if Nancy was even remotely interested in him, and the last thing I wanted was to throw her into some weird situation.
"Well, he’s a big boy. He can figure out his own love life," I said firmly. "Besides, Nancy’s never been married."
Just a different life experience than Yardley, who’s navigating single parenthood.
Dominic’s lips curved slightly. "Neither has my brother, technically."
"What?"
"He and Orion’s mom? They were never actually married. It’s complicated."
--
I’d thought my conversation with Zack had been crystal clear the other day. Apparently the man had selective hearing, because the next day, he showed up at my company again.
I was in the middle of reviewing budget projections when my assistant knocked on my door. "Ms. Elara? Security is on line one."
My stomach immediately knotted. Security calls were never good news.
The front desk security called up to my office. "Ms. Elara, there’s someone here to see you. Says his name is Zack."
"Male?" My voice came out cold.
"Yes, ma’am. Tall guy, expensive suit. He’s been pacing around the lobby for about ten minutes. Should I send him up?"
I felt my stomach drop.
[Seriously? After everything I’d said to him?]
[Zack. Fucking fantastic. I had no idea what he thought he was accomplishing.]
"No. I’ll be down in five minutes."
"You got it, ma’am. Want me to stick around when you talk to him?"
The concern in the security guard’s voice was touching, but this was my mess to clean up. "No, but thanks. I can handle this."
I saved my work and grabbed my jacket, steeling myself for whatever dramatic scene was about to unfold.
I grabbed my phone and headed downstairs, where I spotted his tall figure standing just outside the entrance.
He was pacing back and forth like a caged animal, running his hands through his hair. When he saw me approaching through the glass doors, he stopped mid-stride.
My eyes locked onto what he was wearing, and I felt like I’d been sucker punched.
That deep gray suit. I’d picked it out myself.
I’d blown three months of my pathetic intern salary to have it custom tailored for his birthday.
The memory hit me like a freight train. I could still remember the excitement I’d felt, imagining the look on his face when he opened the box.
We were supposed to celebrate together that day.
But Zack had canceled at the last minute, claiming a sudden business trip. He’d be back in three days, he promised.
Instead, I’d spent his birthday alone in my tiny apartment, staring at that empty gift box and wondering what I’d done wrong.
I still remembered staying up all night like some lovesick idiot, checking my phone every five minutes.
God, I wanted to travel back in time and shake some sense into that naive girl.
And now he had the balls to show up wearing that exact suit. The irony was suffocating.
I pushed through the glass doors, my heels clicking sharply on the pavement.
I crossed my arms and approached him coldly. "What do you want?"
"Elara, you lied to me."
His voice was accusatory, like I was the one who’d wronged him. The audacity was breathtaking.
