“Are you looking for a job?” he teases. It’s his first question every single time.

“No, Charlie, but I will take a drink.”

He shakes his head. “Can’t hurt to ask. The usual?”

“Yes, and if you want to save yourself time, bring me two.”

He shoots me a look, and I shoot one right back to let him know just how serious I am. He retreats.

Lila Fields really has come a long way.

“Spill,” Reece says as soon as Charlie is out of earshot.

“What do you want to know first?” I ask, grabbing a handful of salty peanuts from the bowl on the bar top.

“Where the heck were you all day? I went to your desk at least ten times, and you weren’t there.”

“I had a meeting this morning, and then Pierce decided to give us both the rest of the day off.”

“That doesn’t sound fair,” she scoffs, taking a sip of her martini. She’s the only person who drinks Charlie’s martinis.

“He messed up, and I think he knew he had to fix it.”

Charlie puts my drinks down in front of me. I waste no time downing a few sips of the ice-cold liquid.

I continue, “Somewhere in his head, he thought it would be a good idea to pull me into the conference room when he knew Blake would be arriving at any time for a meeting. I didn’t know he was coming, or I wouldn’t have … you know.”

“What exactly were you doing in the conference room?”

Closing my eyes, the vision of what Blake must have seen flashes, but I quickly blink it away. “He had me pinned against the wall, kissing me. I guess he wanted to mark his territory.”

Her eyes widen. “That’s not cool at all. What happened?”

I sigh, massaging my fingertips over my temples. “Blake … and Jane saw everything. I was so upset because I don’t feel like Pierce trusts me. If he did, he wouldn’t do that. And, if he’s trying to hurt Blake, it doesn’t have to tear me down in the process. I left for a few minutes, and when I came back, Blake was gone. I let Pierce have it, and we spent the rest of the afternoon making up.”

“That’s it? You just forgave him?”

Love makes forgiveness easy. Love is overwhelming—anger doesn’t stand up well against it.

“I love him.”

“And, Blake?” she asks.

“What about him?”

I finish what’s left of my first drink. “How did he handle this?”

“He was gone when I got back to the room.”

There’s a rare silence between us. I remember when I was young, my mom used to give me the silent treatment when she was angry with me. She’d wait until she didn’t want to yell before addressing whatever she needed to. Reece is doing that to me now. She has to be because she doesn’t do silence well.

“Do you remember after Blake left? Do you remember what you told me?”

I nod. My heart was torn in a million little pieces, and I had to talk to someone.

“And you know how I feel about Pierce?”

I nod again.

“Blake doesn’t deserve any of this from him. I can’t imagine what it’s like to be stuck between the two of them, but this isn’t right.”

“What do you suggest I do then? Break things off with Pierce? Cut ties with Blake completely? What is it that you’d like me to do?” This last week has been so frustrating; it’s finally boiling over.

“I just don’t want you to be stuck between them,” she says quietly. “It won’t end well … not for anyone.”

She makes sense. She always makes sense. “I’ll figure it out. I just need to wrap up this project first.”

An arm wraps around my neck. “Hey, what are you two doing here on a Monday?”

“Charlie is being extra generous with his breaks these days,” I tease. When I look back, I see Dana’s other arm wrapped around Reece. The three complete opposites reunited again.

“It’s slow, and I had some homework to do.”

“I’m softening in my old age,” Charlie chimes in. I hadn’t noticed him standing in front of us.

I laugh. “You better watch it, Charlie, or you’re going to end up with a girlfriend or something crazy like that.”

He smirks. “Whatever. That wouldn’t be crazy … it would be fucking insane. I’m going to leave the hen party before I start growing breasts. Anything I can get you girls right now?”

Looking down at my full glass, I shake my head. Reece gestures that she’s done.

“Lightweights,” he mumbles.

“See, he hasn’t changed that much,” Dana says as he walks away. “So back to my original question … what brings the two of you in? It’s like reunion night in here.”

“We have a case of the Mondays,” I answer. “A bad case that only alcohol can cure.”

“Is the design business a little rough these days?”

Reece snorts. “It’s the men in the design business that are a little too complicated these days.”

“If it makes you feel any better, Blake just left an hour ago. I think he cleaned us all out of Jack Daniel’s.”

My heart drops. Pierce may as well have poured a bottle down his throat. I didn’t help. “Did he say where he was going?” I ask.

“Charlie called him a cab. Maybe he knows.”

“I need to check on him,” I say, throwing a few bills on the bar. I turn to Reece. “I hate to cut this short.”

She waves me off. “I understand. Go.”

“I’ll get the address from Charlie,” Dana pipes in. She knows some of what went down between Blake and I—how it ended—but I haven’t told her everything.

I can’t stand the thought of Blake alone, especially when I know what he’s been through. Especially when I have no idea what Pierce said before he left earlier or what was going through his head.

“Here’s the address,” she says, handing me a piece of paper. “Good luck.”

After saying a quick goodbye, I grab a cab and read off the address I recognize as Blake’s studio. It’s not far from here, but it feels like forever before we pull into the rundown warehouse district. It’s excruciating—not knowing what I’m going to find when I get there or knowing if he’ll even be there.

When we pull up in front of Blake’s building, light shines through a single window. I pay the driver and step outside, my nerves on end as I walk up the metal stairs. I debate whether I should knock or just walk in; the second option wins only because my patience is worn so thin. I just need to know he’s okay.

The door opens much to my relief, a faint light shining in the room that’s very familiar to me—the one where he cemented himself deeper in my heart. Just placing my hand on the knob brings some of those old feelings back up.

I’m not sure what I expected when I opened the door, but this isn’t it. The protective covering that used to be on the walls is gone, replaced by splatters of paint.

Blake stands against one wall, paint covering his clothes and face. He looks as if he just completed a full twenty-six miles. His eyes lock on mine, and all I read is misery.

Agony.

Grief.

Torment.

There’s a reason he’s a brilliant artist.

“What are you doing here?” he asks, sounding out of breath.

“Dana said you’d been at the bar this afternoon. I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

He takes a few steps toward me. I shift my gaze from him to the walls, needing to break the intensity. He’s too much.

“Do you really care, Lila, or are you playing the game right along with him?”

“I’m not playing any games,” I answer, not bothering to address Pierce. His agenda is a little different than mine. “I didn’t know you were coming this morning. I never would have … I never would have done that to you.”

His chest brushes mine, and I close my eyes. My knees tremble. My cheeks flush. I should never have come here, but deep down inside, I wanted to. “I don’t know what to believe anymore. I don’t know who to trust.”

“You can trust me,” I say faintly, not bothering to open my eyes.

His breath hits my lips. “And how do I know that?”

I finally open my eyes looking right into his. “You should know by now that I can’t look into your eyes and lie to you. You can trust me. Your secrets are still mine.”