Page 62 of Margot

“Shit, I need to see what’s going on at work. I wasn’t planning on being snowed in. I also wanted us to get to Dr. Adler’s office.”

“How are the roads?” Sutton asked.

“They’re not bad. Just wet but if it’s supposed to go overnight, I don’t know what they’ll look like in the morning.” I walked over to the window and felt Sutton’s eyes on me. The confusion started to settle in again and I couldn’t tell if she wanted me or if she just liked to look at me.

“Why don’t you stop past Red Wing now before it gets too bad?” She eyed me and I nodded slowly. More confusion.

“You want me to go to work right now?” I chuckled a bit.

“I don’t want you to but at least you won’t have to keep thinking about work while we get snowed in for a little while.”

“I just need to check up on something that I can’t check my emails for.” Before we left to go on vacation, I sent a letter to the regional Red Wing director and requested to have Ebony moved out of our Baltimore office. I asked for her response to be sent via letter since our email system isn’t very secure.

“I’ll get started on dinner while you’re gone,” she said easily. Her mood was totally different from before I went grocery shopping. It was a part of what was making me crave stability.

Maybe Sutton was right though. Maybe I needed a little more time out of the house. I figured that’s what she was hinting at.

“Okay…I guess I’ll be back in a little while. Find something for us to watch on TV.”

“I can do that.” When she smiled, it melted my damn heart. I wanted a little girl with Sutton’s smile and eyes. I wanted a perfect mini version of her.

I leaned in to kiss her forehead but then remembered that we were on shaky ground and backed up. She pressed her lips together and pulled in a deep breath through her nose before giving me a curt nod.

How the fuck was I supposed to know when she wanted affection and when she didn’t?

I slid my arms right back into my coat and walked out of the door not knowing if Suttons’ feelings were crushed or not because she wouldn’t fucking talk to me about anything. I was glad to get out of the house and focus on something else. When we were in Hawaii, I didn’t have anything to chew on mentally.

Well, I didn’t need anything when I had Margot. My only regret was not spending more time with her and not digging deeper into all the fucked up things that happened in her past.

I made a vow to pluck her brain the next time we spoke. I just hoped the next time wouldn’t be the last time. Since she was on my mind, I sent her a quick text.

Me: Thinking about you.

Margot: While you’re at home with the wife?

Me: I’m at work for a moment. Not at home.

I didn’t get a reply so I decided to kill the engine and go inside.

When I walked into Red Wing offices, it was eerily silent without the whir of copy machines, computers, and the coffee maker. Everything was dark and the only thing that shone were the power down lights on the computer monitors.

I headed straight for my office. I didn’t even bother flicking on the light. I was only looking for one thing: the letter from regional telling me that my request to have Ebony removed from our office went through.

I sat at my desk and sighed as I flipped through all the mail that had accumulated since I’d been away. That much mail was ridiculous for someone who opted to go paperless.

I found the envelope I was looking for at the bottom of the stack of mail and tore into it. My eyes scanned the lines of text until I got to the only part that mattered. The regional manager would see to it that Ebony was moved at the end of the month.

A smile curved my lips up and I leaned back in my chair, satisfied. I couldn’t work around a woman so determined to throw herself at me and break apart my marriage. Especially not after what she did to Sutton.

I jerked upright in my chair when I heard a knock on the glass door outside.

Who the hell was at Red Wing this time of the evening with a snowstorm looming over us?

I pushed to my feet and walked into the main lobby. I blinked a few times when I saw her. Her long hair whipped around in the wind and snowflakes nestled themselves in between her strands.

My heart pounded in my chest and I fumbled to unlock the door. I held it open and looked around outside to make sure nobody was hanging around, watching.

It was completely empty.