Chapter 6
“I am not.”
“Claire.”
She sighed.
“Am I that obvious?”
“Only to someone who knows you.”
She looked down at her plate.
Ethan’s smile softened.
“Hey. It’s okay.”
“It’s not fair to you.”
“Probably not. But I knew what I was getting into.”
“You asked me out.”
“Because I like you. Have for a while.”
Claire looked up.
He shrugged.
“I thought maybe you’d realize the uncomplicated guy sitting right in front of you wasn’t such a bad option.”
“You’re not a bad option.”
“That’s the kindest romantic rejection I’ve ever received.”
She laughed sadly.
Ethan reached across the table and squeezed her hand.
“Just be careful, Claire.”
“I know.”
“No, I mean really careful. Men like him are used to getting whatever they want.”
Claire stared at their joined hands.
“He’s trying to change.”
“Maybe.”
Ethan released her hand.
“But don’t mistake a man wanting you for a man being good for you.”
The words stayed with her.
Especially because she knew Ethan meant them kindly.
The following Monday, Claire saw Dominic walking through the executive floor with an elegant brunette.
The woman wore a cream-colored designer coat and moved beside him with the effortless confidence of someone who belonged there.
She touched Dominic’s arm while talking.
He leaned toward her.
Then he said something that made her laugh.
Claire turned away so quickly that she nearly knocked over her coffee.
“Interesting,” Ethan remarked from the next cubicle.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Then why are you smiling?”
“Because you’ve been staring at the same cell for forty-five seconds.”
“I’m working.”
“Of course.”
By lunchtime, the office gossip machine had invented an entire romantic history for the mysterious woman.
She came from an influential Italian family.
She had known Dominic since childhood.
Their families had been connected for decades.
Somebody claimed they had once been engaged.
Claire refused to participate.
She also became extremely professional.
When Dominic approached her desk later that afternoon, she barely looked up.
“Miss Morgan.”
“Mr. Vale.”
His eyebrows lifted.
“Mr. Vale?”
“Can I help you with something?”
“I brought you coffee.”
“Thank you.”
He placed it beside her keyboard.
She didn’t even check whether he’d gotten the order right.
Dominic waited.
“Anything else?” she asked.
“You’re upset.”
“No, I’m not.”
“You haven’t made fun of me once.”
“I’m busy.”
He studied her.
“Did I do something?”
“Of course not.”
That somehow made him look more concerned.
“I see.”