“Oh my gosh, I almost forgot. I start my new job tomorrow. I’m basically a real adult now. Jealous?”
“I’m jealous of anyone that gets your time.” She blushes at that, and I love seeing it.
“Why don’t you meet me for lunch?”
“How about I pick you up for breakfast, then lunch?” I counter, and she nods.
“Perfect. Meet me here in the morning, and you can drop me off downtown.”
“Where are you working?”
“JM Technologies. You remember them, right? I think your dad knew the old owner.”
“John Malice?” My body goes rigid at the sound of that name twice in one night.
“Yeah, his son Gray runs it now. I landed a job in the lab. Can you believe my luck?” She bounces on her toes with excitement. “Key, what’s wrong?”
She must notice how still I’ve become, and I try to calm down. “Gray was at your party tonight.”
“Was he?” She sounds genuinely surprised then brushes it off. “I’m sure my parents invited his mom or something since they all run in those circles. You know how it is.”
“Yeah, you're probably right.” I clench my jaw and remind myself to stay in control.
“So you’ll be here to pick me up for my first day of school?” She’s making a joke, and meanwhile I’m trying not to rip apart the fire hydrant next to us.
“Yep, I’ll text you.” I lean down and place a kiss on her forehead before breathing in her scent. It eases the anxiety and makes me see things clearly. I’m going to look into this Gray Malice and find out exactly what the fuck he was talking about with my dad tonight and why he just so happened to hire my Elsy.
“Thank you for my present.” She holds the ring box against her chest as she steps inside her building.
“Don’t peek,” I warn, and she pretends to be offended.
“Me?”
“You forget I know you better than anyone, Elsy.”
“Which means you should have known better than to give me a present and tell me not to open it.” When I start to call out after her, she waves her hand and turns around. “See you in the morning.”
The door to her building closes behind her, and I stand there for a long moment until I see the light in her apartment come on.
Now the real work begins.