“I…I don’t want anything from you.” And I don’t. I don’t want to ever have to see this man again, but how will that be possible if I continue my relationship with Nick.
As if reading my thoughts, he smirks. “Then maybe you need to reevaluate your relationship with Nicholas. I want you to leave him. Because if you don’t, then I promise you that you will be seeing a lot more of me.” And with that last statement, he backs up and exits the building.
Break up with Nick? No, I don’t want that. I enjoy Nick too much, and we’re good together. I’m not ready to end things. I also don’t want to have to see his father ever again. I don’t want to have to relive everything that happened all those years ago. I back up and slide down the wall, onto my butt with my knees pulled up in front of me. I wrap my arms around my knees and lay my forehead against my kneecaps.
I won’t walk away from Nick, but how can I stay with him and keep this secret? How can I expect him to be honest with me in our relationship if I can’t be honest with him? As I take a deep breath, I hear the chime of the door. Someone has just entered. I look up, cutting my eyes in the direction of the door and see Jeffery walking my way. I push myself up and off the floor.
“Shannon, are you okay?” he asks. Man, I must look awful if he can tell something is wrong. I take another deep breath and plaster on a smile.
“Of course. What can I help you with?” I ask. His eyebrows knit together, as if he doesn’t believe me. Oh, well. This is none of his business.
“I’ve been trying to reach you for a few weeks, but Jenny has been telling me you’ve been unavailable.”
“I’m sorry. I haven’t been in.” I hesitate, remembering Nick’s call to him. That was so embarrassing, but I need to address it. “And I’m sorry about Nick.”
“So, Lockhart.” It’s a statement rather than a question I think.
“Yes,” I say, confirming for him that I am seeing Nick if he was questioning that. His eyebrows knit together and he shakes his head. “What is it I can do for you, Jeffery?” I ask, hoping to bring the conversation back to business.
“I’m making cosmetic changes to my office. It’s located downtown in Pasadena. I want to contract you for fifteen to twenty framed photos.” This is pleasing news to hear and a great way to get my name out to more people. Jeffery is the CEO of an architecture firm.
“So far, everything you’ve said sounds good.” I beam at him. My mind briefly drifts to Nick. He’s going to hate this, but business is business. There is nothing personal between Jeffery and me.
“I was hoping you would say that. I’ll have my assistant call you next week to set up a meeting.” He turns on his heels, striding out the door. How in the hell am I’m going to break this to Nick? Neither one of us really talks about work, so maybe I should keep quiet and not bring up the subject. I know that seems like lying, and I guess it really is, but bat shit crazy Nick hasn’t shown his face and I’d like to keep it that way.
SEVENTEEN
The weekend comes and goes too quickly, as does my Monday afternoon scouting locations for the shoot Jeffery wants me to do. His assistant called me first thing this morning, giving me a few details and set up a meeting with Jeffery. From our brief conversation this morning, I learned Jeffery wants framed photographs of structures and buildings in and around LA to be used as artwork to fill his office space.
We are supposed to meet at 10.00am on Friday to discuss the project in detail. Until then, I want to have some ideas to lay out in front of him. There are tons of buildings throughout the city, so this project is not only going to be easy, but fun.
It’s been well over a month since I’ve shot any photos for professional purposes, so I’m itching to put my Nikon D4 back into my hands. She is a beauty. I haven’t been inside Jeffery’s office before, so I don’t have any idea what the layout looks like. Come Friday, I’ll have a better idea what I’m going to do for his space.
Even though my day has been long, I’m not tired. But I am glad to be back home. This is because Nick should be home in about an hour. Since the accident a week ago, this is the first day Nick hasn’t been fussing over me or calling to check on me. I didn’t realize how much I miss it until arriving home.
After putting dog food into each of the dogs’ food bowls on the kitchen floor, I wash my hands. Once they are dry, I retrieve a bottle of water from the refrigerator. Opening the bottle, I go to take a swallow when I hear the front door open then quickly slam shut with a loud thud. The noise startles me, but I remember Nick is the only other person with a key. It can’t be anyone else. I place the water on the counter and exit the kitchen. When I enter the living room, my eyes lock onto Nick’s. The look in his eyes is a mixture of anger, betrayal, and hurt. I recognize the look. It’s the same one I had when I realized Allison was the person Luke cheated on me with.