“Of course,” Marin said. “Absolutely. Does Oriana know you and Lane are seeing each other or should I give her some other reason why you’re not going to be consulted on this part of the case?”
Elle swallowed past the knot in her throat. “She knows.”
Marin nodded. “Great. Well, we’ll handle it from here. She’ll be in good hands.”
Hands. Lane’s hands.
Elle’s stomach sank to her toes and nausea shimmered through her. “Sounds good.”
Marin got to her feet and headed to the door, but before she stepped out, she glanced back. “Nice chatting with you, Elle.”
Elle let out a breath. They hardly ever called each other by their first names, and she recognized the peace offering for what it was. “Have a good day, Marin.”
Marin smiled and slipped out of the office, clicking the door shut quietly behind her.
Elle put her head on her desk, her body feeling too heavy to hold up. Lane was going to have sessions with Jun Alexis. Beautiful, young, talented Jun. A rock star in her own right. Someone whose songs Lane listened to. Someone who wasn’t Elle.
She was supposed to be handling this maturely.
She wanted to vomit.
Chapter 25
Lane stepped out of the dance studio and into the night air with a smile on his face, laughing at something Carlotta had said. They’d had a victorious session tonight. Carlotta had been able to strip down fully to the costume she’d wear in the movie, no darkness, no blindfolds needed. She’d played the role of seductress with convincing confidence and had nailed her lines without a tremor in her voice. There’d been a few tears afterward but only of relief. She’d done it.
“I can’t believe that was our last session,” she said as they headed into the parking lot, the cicadas singing so loudly they almost drowned her out.
A breeze had picked up outside, chasing off some of the humidity from earlier in the day, and the parking lot’s sodium lights were just coming on, casting an orange glow over everything. “I never doubted you’d make your deadline. You were determined from the very start. You should be proud of yourself.”
She grinned, her face half in darkness. “I am. I kicked ass. But I couldn’t have done this without you.” She stopped in front of him and reached out, taking both his hands in hers. “Thank you, Lane. Seriously. You’re a great guy. I thought there was no way this was going to work and then I met you, and…I’m not sure I’ve ever felt so safe with someone. You never made me feel uncomfortable or screwed up. I felt like a friend was holding my hand the whole time.”
The comment warmed him from the inside out. That was the highest praise he could receive from a client, especially one who fought the types of demons Carlotta had to face. This was why he did this job, for moments like this when he could see the difference it made for someone. He gave her hands a squeeze. “You’re welcome. Thanks for trusting me with your treatment. I don’t take that lightly.”
Her eyes shimmered in the soft glow of the lights and she stepped forward to hug him. He held her loosely and then she kissed him on the cheek. “I’ll send you tickets for the premiere. You can come and see your hard work on screen. Plus, my boobs in high definition—which I will choose not to think about or I’ll be back in your office in the fetal position.”
He stepped back and smiled. “I wouldn’t miss it. And you and your boobs are going to do great.”
She laughed, the sound echoing through the mostly empty parking lot. “Well, I guess this is good-bye for now.”
“I’ll walk you to your car.” He led her toward the red Mustang she’d rented and opened her door for her. When she’d driven away, he took a breath, relishing that feeling of knowing he’d helped someone.
He reached to pull his phone out his pocket to see if Elle was on her way to meet him, but the glint of orange lights off blond hair caught his attention in his periphery. He spun that way, finding a familiar face. Elle was sitting on a bench under one of the big oak trees next to the building. Her car was parked nearby, but he hadn’t seen it in the dark.
She stood when she saw him coming her way. She was hugging her elbows, looking chilled despite the warm evening.
He smiled when he got close and gave her a quick kiss and hug. “Hey, you got here early.”
She glanced toward the road then back to him, a far off look on her face. “Yeah, I had an errand to run in town and I finished up earlier than I thought. Figured I’d come by in case you were done.”
“Sorry. We ended up needing the whole time. Were you waiting long?”
She shrugged and looked his way. “Not too long. I got to see the sunset. It was nice.”
The words were casual enough, but something was off. Her whole demeanor was edged with something jagged. “What’s wrong?”
“I didn’t say anything was wrong.”
Grim awareness hit him. “You saw me with my client.”