Page 84

Lilith sputtered, looking somewhat vindicated. “I can’t believe you.”

When she spun on her heel to leave, I didn’t bother trying to correct her baseless assumptions again.

Cris was in front of me before the bells above the door chimed with her exit. “You alright, Ms. Ambrose?”

Holding up a hand, I tried to ward off the pity I felt coming off her in waves. “I’m fine. It was just a misunderstanding, but I need to go handle something.”

My eyes roamed the shop, landing on the other workers.

“Why don’t you all call it a day and start fresh tomorrow morning?”

“You sure ’bout that?”

“Positive. Go get yourselves lunch on me and then go home. I’ll see everyone tomorrow.”

I didn’t wait for her response. I grabbed up my laptop, phone and keys and hurried out to the sidewalk to get to my van.

As I pulled away from the curb with a screech of my tires, I was vaguely aware of lunch plans with Rome. I’d have to call him once I got where I was going because I wasn’t going to make it. I had more important things to take care of.

There was a great possibility that the man I’d come to see was on lunch break.

There was an even greater possibility that the woman who’d just left my shop had come straight here.

But as I weighed those odds, I decided I didn’t care enough not to go through with my plan.

Double parking, I hopped down and walked to the front door of his quaint real estate firm with my shoulders set in determination.

An older receptionist greeted me when I made it inside, her matronly smile easing some of the agitation coiled low in my gut.

“Ms. Ambrose. How nice to see you again. Is Mr. Summers expecting you?”

“No. But this is an emergency. Is he in?”

Her eyes widened with concern but she gave a simple nod. “Yes. Just a moment.”

I didn’t sit down in the small waiting room while she spoke to him, too keyed up to stay in one place. So I paced until Chance showed up in the lobby, a surprised but pleasant look on his face.

Oh, good, so he was ignorant to his wife raising hell on the other side of town.

“Goldyn, come with me.”

We made it to his office in five steps. He closed the door behind me while I took the opportunity to scan for any obvious evidence of this “obsession” Lilith claimed he had.

“Have a seat.” He stopped by the guest chair facing his desk and waited for me to comply.

“I’d rather not,” I replied. “I won’t be here long. I only came to tell you that your wife has concocted some story in her head about us and you need to check her before she shows up at my business again.”

A look of horror claimed his face before he said, “I think I can explain. But I really think it’s best if you sit down for what I have to say.”

I took two deep breaths in and popped my neck. “Fine. You have five minutes.”

Chance hurried around his desk and sat down, a grateful light entering his eyes.

“I was going to contact you later, but it’s good that you’re here now. I’ve been doing some digging and I think I finally know why you look so familiar.”

He clicked around on his computer screen before turning his monitor to face me. He gave me time to soak in the image before addressing me.

In ten seconds flat, I went from angry to feeling like I was free falling from a cliff into rocky water. Thankfully, I was sitting. But even that didn’t do much to soften the blow of his confession.