“That’s it. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” She scurried out of the car before she could say something foolish, something like, “Please hang up the phone and forget that I ever came up with this stupid fake-girlfriend idea.”
Melanie fumbled with her building keys. Why was the car still sitting there? It felt as if Adam’s eyes were boring into her back. Finally, the lock turned, she stumbled through the door, and the limo pulled away. She longed for a measure of relief, but all she felt was confused and disappointed.
She trudged up the stairs to her second-floor walk-up. She’d moved in after Josh had dumped her. Even if she didn’t miss him, she missed their old apartment. It was quaint and quiet, in the Chelsea neighborhood, with the best spot for reading on a Sunday afternoon, cuddled up on the couch. Luckily, that apartment had gone to a month-to-month rental, or she’d be stuck with that and her office space. The bad news was that they hadn’t renewed the apartment lease because they were looking to buy a home, one big enough for a nursery.
Melanie rounded the railing to her door. Her neighbor Owen came down from the third floor, dressed for a run.
“You’re back from your trip.” He grinned wide and jogged in place, as if to remind her that he was in exceptional shape. Funny how his perfect physique did nothing for her except reassure her that she was out for more than a hot bod. She needed a companion. A partner.
She managed a smile. Owen was harmless, even if the way he kept tabs on her bordered stalker behavior. “Yep. Just now.”
“Good to hear it. The building is too quiet without you around. Maybe we can see a movie this weekend.”
He dipped his head to make eye contact, but she was nothing if not distracted by the thoughts of Adam whirring through her head—their near miss and the aftermath, the humiliating apology and her plan to keep herself on the straight and narrow.
“Um. Maybe,” she answered. “We’ll see. I’m in the middle of a huge job right now.”
He nodded and smiled reassuringly. “Gotta keep the bills paid.”
“You know it.” Understatement of the year, actually. She unlocked the door to her unit. “I’ll let you know if my plans change.” With a quick wave, she bid Owen goodbye and let the door close. Exhausted, she leaned against it. Her apartment felt nothing like home today. It really just felt empty.
Seven
Every time Melanie opened the doors at Costello Public Relations, memories smacked her in the face. Time had dulled the pain, but it was still there—the betrayal of the man she’d once loved, the man who’d stuck her with the office lease from hell.
Things had once been perfect in this office, she and Josh working as a team, a devoted support staff around them. The sky was the limit, the future bright. She and Josh went home every night together, tired but satisfied. They were building something, and it felt wonderful.
They had made a vow to spend at least one hour each evening talking about things other than work. That typically made conversation difficult since their entire lives revolved around the business. The easiest thing was to fall into bed and make love. It wasn’t fireworks, but it was an extension of their life together, inexorably wound together. They completed each other, or so she had thought.
She’d had no idea that the last eight months of their relationship were a lie. Josh was so good at faking it, so adept at putting up a facade that said everything was peachy keen, when in fact he was sneaking around, meeting another woman, romancing her, taking her to bed.
When she’d suspected that something was going on between Josh and their client, he’d dismissed it as preposterous. The flirtation, the rapport beyond the professional, was all in her head. The next thing she knew, he had a cold and was staying home for the day, when in fact he was emptying his things out of their apartment, hopping a plane to San Francisco and relocating with his new love, his “soul mate.” Melanie didn’t want it to hurt so bad anymore. It was exhausting.
She hurried past the unmanned reception desk. It’d been months since she’d been able to keep someone on full-time. For now, it was better to run a tight ship, continue to build back the client list and come out on the other side stronger. That was the entire reason she’d done what she probably shouldn’t have done and taken this crazy Adam Langford job in the first place.
She sat at her desk, quickly remembering that she hadn’t made coffee. She sprang back out of her seat. Once that task was done and she had a steaming-hot cup of courage, she sat down to call Adam’s dad, Roger.