I shook my head. “Rubbish. She’s been trying to ruin mine for years now, and has she succeeded yet?”
Lizzy and Kate both stared at me. “Holy shit,” Lizzy said. “That’s one vindictive little woman.”
“It’s a bloody mess,” I said, raking a hand through my close-cropped hair. “Come on, Kate. Better get on the road.”
Kate stood up, and I saw that she was shaking. “Are we going to her apartment?”
I shook my head. When Kate stepped closer, I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and hugged her close. “No,” I said. “We’re going to where she works. Don’t be afraid, Kate. I promise nothing else bad will happen.”
“Okay,” she finally replied. She and Lizzy hugged and then we were on our way.
I realized that the last time I’d been alone with Kate, we’d been plastered to each other, kissing deeply. I still felt the same animalistic, lustful pull towards her body, but I could tell this whole situation was distracting her, and I didn’t want to make her even more uncomfortable than she already felt. Still, when she walked in front of me, her ass swinging from side to side, it was hard to restrain the powerful desire.
“Are you okay?” I asked as we stood outside Lizzy’s apartment, waiting for a cab to pass so that we could cross the street to my car. “You’re being very quiet.”
She let out a long sigh. “It’s silly,” she said. “It’s just…well, when I came over here, I was hoping to avoid drama, you know?” She looked up at me and tried to smile. “I was trying to get away from a weird situation. I should have known better than to run from my problems.”
I gave her a gentle smile. “I doubt Hannah was stalking you before you came to Manchester,” I said lightly. “After all, she’s only bothering you because we’re spending time together. She’s jealous.”
Kate didn’t say anything. She sat quietly and tried to digest the information as we got in the car, and as I drove towards the offices of the Manchester Evening News, I kept waiting for her to say something. But she stayed silent the whole time, deep in thought. I wondered what she’d meant when she said she was trying to get away from drama. Was it all about that ex-boyfriend she’d mentioned, or was there something else? With a girl as beautiful and well-known as Kate, I imagined she’d probably had to deal with some pretty shady shit over time.
When we arrived, she looked at me. Her face was very pale, almost white. “What are you going to say?”
I set my lips in a thin line. “She’s going to know she can’t fuck with us,” I growled. “And she’s going to apologize to you.”
I thought I saw a hint of a smile on Kate’s face as she climbed out of the car, but by the time she was standing by my side, she looked solemn once again.
“Here we go,” I muttered under my breath. “Hannah, you nasty creature, just wait until I’m through with you...”
Chapter Ten
Kate
I couldn’t help but feel intimidated as Jay led me into a giant complex of buildings. When I’d first seen the Manchester Evening News site, I’d assumed it was kind of a small, local affair, but these offices were gigantic and obviously open all night. There was a stunning redheaded receptionist sitting at the front desk in the lobby, and as she watched us approach, she scowled at me and let her eyes hang all over Jay.
“Hi, Jay,” she said in a chirpy, flirty tone. “I haven’t seen you around here in a while.”
“It’s been too long, love,” Jay said with a roguish grin and a wink. “How have you been doing?”
As we stepped closer, I realized he was using his charms on her. Part of me bristled at that, and I immediately felt a weird mix of guilt and shame rush through my body. Why the hell was I feeling like I had any kind of a claim on Jay? I obviously didn’t—I barely knew him. Even though he’d spilled that information about his past, I didn’t think it meant we were in any sort of relationship. He was obviously used to talking with strange girls, because he was with a different one all the time, and soon that was all I’d be. Just a strange girl who got tangled up in a mess with his ex-girlfriend.
“We’re here to see Hannah Joyce,” Jay said. He leaned over the counter and winked at the receptionist. She was practically drooling, and I had to look away or else I thought I’d be sick.
“I don’t know…” she said slowly. “If you don’t have an appointment, I really shouldn’t let you back there.”
“Come on,” Jay pleaded. “You know me.”