Page 87 of One Bad Idea

Choosing my words very carefully, I said, "Well, I guess Iamcurious, since I locked the door."

"Yeah? Well, it wasn't locked an hour ago."

I felt my jaw clench. So Darla hadn't been kidding? She reallydidhave a key?

This posed a whole slew of other questions.What had happened after I left?

Had she gone through my drawers?

Scrolled through my phone?

No.That, at least, was impossible since I'd recently added a password.

But the rest of it was a strong possibility. I looked to Jaden and asked, "Was it unlocked or open?"

"You mean the door?" he said. "It wasn't shut, I can tell you that."

Lovely.

So not only had Darla snooped in my office, she'd left the door wide open so others could snoop, too.

How nice.

And now, I felt more awkward than ever. By returning the phone, Jaden had done me a favor. And he was being a pretty good sport about it, too.

As for myself, I'd been a terrible sport from the moment he'd knocked. Still, the unexpected visit wasn't the only thing that had set me off. It was the recollection of what Darla had told me about Cassidy's job.

I wassotempted to call him on it. And yet, I hated the thought of giving him the satisfaction. Plus, what did it matter? It's not like he'd ever change his mind or give Cassidy a break.

Rather, he'd just go on being his awful self, except for times like this when he was surprisingly decent.

He was the most confusing person I'd ever met.

And now, neither one of us was talking. I couldn’t help but wonder, what was he waiting for?

Was I supposed to invite him in?

The thought was obnoxiously appealing and repulsive all at the same time.

He was trouble, plain and simple.

So why was it, I wondered, that I couldn’t stop thinking about him, even when I shouldn't?

Obviously, I'd lost my mind, that's why.

Finally, it was Jaden who broke the silence. "So, are you gonna tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

"Why you're so pissed off."

I stifled a curse. This was just like him, blunt to a fault. Normally, I was fairly blunt myself. But this was so embarrassingly complicated, especially when it came to my job.

Obviously, he and Darla were closer than I'd originally realized. If it came down to a choice, I knew which way he'd go. Plus, I was a brand new employee – and even worse, one he hadn't wanted to hire in the first place.

Even about Cassidy, what was I supposed to say?Why'd you sabotage my friend?

No matter how I sliced it, I could only lose if I complained now. I reminded myself that it wasn't just my own job on the chopping block. The brothers owned the place where Cassidy worked, which meant she could be fired just as easily as she'd been hired.