“Here you are, Miss Christmas. I know you’ve hardly taken a break today so I thought you might need something to eat.”
Holly lifted her attention from the bundle of papers on her desk to smile her thanks to Janet. Her words hovered precariously at the edge of her lips as the smoked mussel salad, a specialty from the restaurant in the complex at the base of the tower and enticingly presented on the boardroom’s best china, sent her stomach on a sudden looping roller-coaster ride.
“How thoughtful. Thank you, Janet.” She managed, swallowing against the nauseating metallic taste that flooded her mouth. She hastily averted her eyes. “Will you excuse me? I think I need to freshen up a bit first.”
“Are you okay? You’ve gone awfully pale.”
“Yes—yes. I’m fine. I’ll be back in a minute.” Her ears roared, and the back of her neck felt as though it was encased in a cold, clammy grip as she forced the words past her lips and swept around the side of her desk.
Stay down, stay down, stay down. She said the words over and over in her mind, praying the silent mantra would help her maintain her equilibrium until she made it to the ladies’ room.
Thankfully the stalls were all empty, and Holly slammed and locked the door behind her and dropped to her knees, her hands clutching the cold porcelain as if her life depended on it while she dry-retched over the bowl.
With watering eyes and shaky hands, she tore off a few squares of toilet paper and wiped at her face. When would this end? She’d have to see a doctor soon. If she didn’t get on top of things, she couldn’t visit Andrea, and as much as she’d wanted to deny the specialist’s report and ignore the sorrow in his eyes as he’d delivered the latest news, she knew she wouldn’t have her precious friend much longer.
Holly’s chest tightened painfully at the admission before she resolutely pushed the thought aside. She couldn’t deal with that now. Some things were just too much to bear. She hauled herself upright and leaned back against the door while she waited for the dizziness to subside, which finally, thankfully, it did.
Janet had returned to her own desk by the time Holly reemerged on the scene. Without looking too closely at the contents of the plate, she lifted it from her desk and took it to the kitchenette off their office suite, hastily dumping the contents in the plastic-lined bin and throwing a few paper towels over the top for good measure.
She settled herself back at her desk, trying to make sense of the scattered words on her screen.
Connor came out of his office and leaned against her desk. “Are you okay? Janet said you weren’t looking too well a minute ago.”
“She’s exaggerating, really. I’ll be fine.”
“Whatever, it’s time you called it a day. You look shattered.”
“The contract’s almost complete. If you’re sure you don’t need me …?” The words she’d left unspoken trailed away into nothing at the fire that blazed dark and hungry in eyes that all day had been as cold and glittering hard as obsidian.
“Need you, Holly?” Cynicism curled his lips, and she futilely wished her words unsaid.
“Right, I’ll be off then.” She severed eye contact, hastily gathered up her things and switched her monitor off.
“Before you go, come into my office.” He didn’t wait for a response.
All the remaining energy she had left within her sagged from her body in a whoosh. Holly steadied herself against her desk struggling to summon the reserves she needed to face him again.
“Yes?” she enquired as she hovered in the doorway.
“Come in and close the door.”
Her nerves jangled as she did as instructed and came further into his office. She averted her eyes from his desk and the view beyond it. Holly didn’t think she’d ever be able to walk in here again and not see the two of them, their reflections as starkly painted in her mind’s eye as they’d been in the glass reflection that night only a few weeks ago.
“Take a seat,” Connor instructed firmly.
“I’d prefer to stand. This will only take a minute, won’t it?”
“That all depends,” he answered.
“Depends? On what?” Holly clenched the straps of her handbag so tight her fingers hurt.
Connor came closer and took her by the elbow, leading her firmly to the long sofa at the end of his office. “Sit.”
She sat, perched at the edge, and pulled her legs away slightly as Connor loomed over her.
Holly looked about as frightened as a deer caught in a hunter’s sights, Connor realised. What was she hiding? He’d tried several times during her holiday to contact her, but she didn’t answer her phone at home and when he’d driven by she hadn’t come to the door.