Secret Moves(44)

"I just can't handle this," he muttered to himself, feeling ridiculously juvenile. He was thirty-two years old, for God's sake. Couldn't he be more composed about this? Why didn't he just go in and speak to her?

Well, he knew why. Kris didn't call him for a reconciliation.

God, he was such a fool for hoping. How could he even think she was still interested in him? After her text at one-thirty in the morning, he should have known it was definitely all over.

One-thirty. In the morning. Kris and Blake. Arrghh!

He slowed down and headed back to his place. He couldn't bear to see Kris. Not yet. If she wanted to tell him they were over, she didn't have to. It was clear as day.

He pulled out his phone and sent her a text.

*Sorry, I can't make it.*





*******



"Glad you're here," Adam whispered to Trey as Adam let him in.

"Glad I'm here, too," Trey responded dryly, staring at Adam who looked both relieved and agitated.

"Sandy's here," Adam said in a low voice. "And she doesn't want to leave. She's in the kitchen right now making us coffee. You've got to help me get rid of her."

Trey snorted in surprise. "What? You can't get rid of her yourself?"

"I've tried! But she keeps on saying we haven't finished talking. Help me!" Adam said a little desperately.

Trey shook his head in amusement. Not too long ago, Adam had fought to defend Sandy against his and Dylan's concerns that Sandy was a little bit of a gold-digger. Adam hadn't wanted to hear anything bad against Sandy then, but he'd certainly changed his perspective now.

"But you're in love with her," he teased Adam. "Why would you want her out of your life? She's sexy, pretty…sexy, pretty…ahh, what else?…sexy, pretty…"

Adam gave him an elbow on the rib. "Be serious. I'm sick and tired of her chasing after me. I've already told her so many times we're over, but she's like a dog with a bone!"

"Of course, she is," he replied seriously. "You're dripping with money. I'm sure she aims to be the mistress of that big house Kane's designing for you."

"So what do I do, short of being outright rude and throwing her out?"

"You're much too soft on her, Adam. If everything else has failed, then be rude and just throw her out," he answered.

Adam groaned and stomped toward the kitchen.

Trey smirked at the raised voices coming from the other room. He had no sympathy for Sandy. She was lucky she'd lasted as long as she did with Adam, and gotten more than a few expensive gifts along the way. Adam was just too nice and too trusting. He was easily hooked by girls like Sandy—unlike Trey and Dylan.

Well, of course, Dylan was now undeniably hooked. But Ari was a great girl who loved Dylan beyond doubt. Dylan was a very lucky man.

Ah, Christ. Now he was calling someone who wanted to get hitched a lucky man? There was something seriously wrong with him.

"I'll call you later tonight, okay?" Sandy was saying tearfully to Adam as she was herded to the door.

"I'll be busy. Don't bother," Adam answered brusquely.

"Yes, Adam and I are going out tonight, Sandy," he called out, deciding to give his friend a helping hand.

"Hi, Trey," Sandy said with a hopeful smile. "How are you?"

Standing behind Sandy, Adam rolled his eyes. "Sandy's just leaving, Trey."

"Okay. Bye, Sandy!" he said with a goodbye wave.

With an exaggerated sigh, Sandy walked out, huffing and sniffing.

"Thank God for that," Adam said as he closed the door.

Trey chuckled mirthlessly.

"Okay, Andrews. What's going on?" Adam asked as he sat on the chair adjacent to him.

"What do you mean?" he dodged.

Adam raised his eyebrows at him. "You cut our conference call short so you could have coffee with Kris. And yet, you're here and not with her."

Trey inhaled sharply. "I don't think there was anything we needed to talk about so I texted her to let her know I couldn't make it."

"Why don't you want to talk to her?"

"She'll only say we're done, Adam. What's the point of having coffee together just to be on the receiving end of a dumping?" He wasn't about to admit he didn't trust himself to keep his composure if Kris told him straight to his face she didn't want him anymore—in a public place like a coffee shop.

"Trey, why don't you just talk to her? You're making too many assumptions. Jesus, your reaction to this is worse than a teenager's."

Trey stared at Adam. "You really think so?" he asked, allowing some hope to seep through. Maybe he had overreacted. Kris did crazy things to his system—his heart. Maybe he'd been too irrational?

"Yes, I think so," Adam replied. "Why did you change your mind about meeting up with her?"