“Why did you think that?”
“Because she never told me about the end of the day meeting. I don’t know. Her whole attitude toward me was confusing, and I don’t know what to think, which is probably what she wants. Or to make me miserable, so I’ll quit.”
“This is your dream job, and you worked hard to get it. Don’t let her do that to you.” Taking my hand in his, he placed it on the gearshift with his on top.
“I won’t. Thanks for being a good listener. It’s . . . ” I stopped, not wanting to insult him.
“Surprising?” He raised a brow in question.
“Sorry, that wasn’t nice,” I admitted.
He shrugged. “It is what it is. We're still learning about each other.” He pulled up in front of an Italian restaurant. After typing on his phone for a moment, a boy no older than seventeen came out holding two big brown paper bags.
“Here’s your order, Mr. Jenner. Have a good night.” When Jenner slipped him his tip, the boy’s smile nearly blinded us. “Thank you so much. Again, have a wonderful night.” He nearly skipped back inside the restaurant.
Jenner handed me the bags before he pulled out of his spot and back onto the road. The smell of garlic and tomato sauce assaulted my nose in the best possible way. Damn, was I hungry. I’d been so busy at work that I hadn’t even thought about lunch.
“This smells divine, but you know I could have cooked us something, right?”
“I thought you deserved a break on your first day.” He smiled over at me with a shy smile, and I nearly fainted. While his Hollywood smile showed how gorgeous he was, the smile I just saw showed who he was on the inside, and it made me fall just a little bit more for him.
When we got to a stoplight, I leaned over the console and pressed a kiss to his stubbly cheek. Normally he was clean-shaven, but I found I preferred him with a smattering of stubble.
His hand caught the back of my head and pulled me back into him. Our lips melded together, and as his tongue swept across my lower one, a car horn honked from behind us. Laughing, I sat back down in my seat.
“Not that I’m complaining, but what was that for?”
“For you being you. Thank you for letting down your walls and showing me who you really are.” I was grateful I was one of the few he’d shown himself to.
“I’m glad you like what you see.”
It didn’t take us long to roll passed the security guard and into the garage.
“Before I forget, Alex called today and invited us back to Missouri for the fourth. I guess they’re celebrating there since she has to hand over Mason to his dad for a couple of weeks after that. What do you say? Do you want to go?”
“Oh, um . . . I hadn’t even thought about it, but if you want to go, we can.”
“I think it would be nice to get away. It’s a nice little town where no one will bother us. Normally when I go, I stay with them. Everyone does. They have a nice big house that’s in a gated community that Colton Patrick owns.”
“Really? Will he be there?” I asked, maybe a little too enthused going by the side-eye Jenner gave me.
“I can’t say,” he gritted. “She did say the other day that Anna was going to be gone most of the summer.” Was he trying to remind me that Colton Patrick was married?
He placed our dinner onto the counter a little too hard before he started to pull everything out in a hasty manner. Wrapping my hands around one arm to stop him, I leaned into his side. “Hey, I don’t have the hots for him, so you don’t need to worry.”
He stopped what he was doing and turned to me. “Who do you have the hots for?”
I wasn’t sure if he only wanted me to say him, which made sense or if he really wanted to know who his competition might be. Not that he had any. Again, I found this side of him even more attractive.
“Hmm,” I hummed and put my thumb and forefinger to my chin as if I was trying to think of who it would be. “A certain tall, dark, and handsome man whose name I happen to have tattooed on my finger.”
He quirked one brow. “Really? Anyone else?”
“Only you. Now I’m going to get out of my work clothes and into something more comfortable that I can spill tomato sauce on. I’ll be right back.”
“Yeah, sure. Get comfortable.” His eyes darted around the kitchen, no longer looking at me before he went back to work, pulling out all the containers. The man didn’t know how to order for two, it seemed. He always ordered way more than the two of us could eat, even though he could put away quite a lot of food.
Slowly I walked backward, watching him and wondering why he had all of a sudden started to act weird. Once he was out of view, I turned around and walked to my bedroom. The moment I stepped foot inside, I took off my heels and rubbed at my aching feet. I wasn’t used to wearing heels for long stretches of time, and now I was paying for it. Maybe I’d get in the hot tub after dinner to make them feel better. I started to strip out of my blouse and skirt as I made my way inside my closet when I noticed all of my things were gone. Not one item of clothing was hanging up. I searched through the drawers of the dresser and found everything gone. Even my bathroom stuff was missing.
Tears filled my eyes as I looked around to find every last item of mine absent from my bedroom. There weren’t even boxes with my stuff packed up. Trudging back out to the kitchen, I found Jenner sitting in the living room with the TV on, the remote in his hand, and a plate full of food on his lap.
“I wasn’t sure what you’d want to watch so—” His words cut off when he caught sight of me. “Abbi? What’s wrong?” He looked me up and down. “Are you hurt?”
If he wanted me gone, why was he playing this silly ruse? He could have had the balls to tell me to my face that he was breaking our deal. A tear slipped down my cheek and then another and another until a torrent of tears cascaded down my face.
Jenner all but threw his plate on the table and rushed to me. He was about to wrap me in his arms when I held up my hand. None of this made any sense. Why had he brought me back here? Why the dinner? Just why? Maybe he was getting back at me, and all of this had been a game. He deserved an Oscar for his performance.
“Why? I thought we started something good between us, but I guess I was wrong. I’ll . . . call an Uber and be out of your hair. Don’t worry, you never have to see me again, but you’re going to be the one to explain this to Catherine, not me.”
I stormed into the kitchen and grabbed my things, and was opening the front door when he slammed his hand on it, forcing it closed.
“What the fuck are you talking about? Don’t run away. Talk to me,” he yelled. One hand wrapped around my arm and turned me toward him. His face was red, with every feature pinched.
“Talk to you,” I shrieked. “Like you talked to me before you packed up all my things. What did you do with them, huh? Did you donate them or throw them away? Tell me,” I demanded as I slammed my fists on his chest.
Grabbing both my wrists with one hand, he laughed. A full-on belly laugh, the sick bastard. “This is about your belongings?”
“What else would it be about?” I fought to pull out of his hold, but he was too strong for me, and I never had a chance.