“No.” He laughed good-naturedly. “That sounds fun. I’m in.”
“Well, then.” She tapped her finger against his red tie. “Prepare yourself for the best send-off of all time.”
“I’ll try, Mel. Thanks.” His baby blues lit up as he gave her a genuine smile, then he turned to me. “How about it, Gina? Drinks tonight?”
“Oh, I, uh . . .” Truth be told, it seemed like they’d forgotten me standing there. I wondered if this ‘we’ going out for drinks tonight was just ‘Mel,’ but it’s not like I could tag along to find out. “I can’t, guys, sorry. Rehearsal for Ellen’s wedding, then dinner after.”
Mel’s lips pursed as if mentioning the wedding were a personal slight. She could be sensitive sometimes but I knew Ellen didn’t invite many people from work due to the cost. “Not sure how late Ellen’s dinner will run, but call if you can meet up with us after. I’m sure we’ll still be out.”
“Have fun.” I took the opportunity to step away and fill a plate with food. Most people had shaken Chris’s hand, loaded up on grub, then taken it back to their desks. The conference room was a good size, but couldn’t fit more than twenty. Once they’d bid Chris farewell, they disappeared to enjoy the rest of their lunch hour.
For some reason, even with the awkwardness, I felt obligated to stay. I’d paid the caterers and Rach had agreed to do clean-up since I’d organized. But knowing how sad Chris seemed about moving on from a place he loved working, I wanted to be here for him—even if from a distance. So I picked a vacant chair at the end of the table and chatted with Dawn Parsons, the newest addition to the sales team. Until Chris leaves, that is. Dawn’s been assigned to train the new guy replacing Chris on Monday.
After lunch, I gave Chris a hug that was painfully hard to keep brief. His spice-scented cologne brought back memories from last night—mainly the warmth of his lips against mine—and I wanted to sink into him and bury my head in his chest. “Like you said, this is a positive move. They’re lucky to have you.”
His head turned toward me. “Thanks, Gina.”
Since my throat was closing up, I let go, backed up, then all but sped down the hall. I pressed the elevator button and the down arrow lit. Waiting for the doors to open, I blinked back tears. It was better this way. I’d find the lasting relationship I was looking for and he’d find the next flavor of the month. Maybe Mel. She was pretty, seemed interested, and it would no longer break his rule to go out with her. . . .
My stomach roiled and I forced the picture of the two of them together out of my mind.
Ding. The elevator settled onto the floor, then the doors opened. I stepped in, leaned back against the oak-lined side wall and tapped the first floor button, wishing this day were over.
The doors slowly moved toward each other then jerked to a stop when a white-sleeved arm thrust between them.
Chris stepped in. “Going down?”
****
Straightening, I watched as Chris hit the first floor button, then I quickly dabbed the corners of my eyes before he leaned back and stole a glance at me. “Weren’t there still people at your party?”
“Not many.” His tone was even and he stood as straight as I did, both of us facing the elevator doors. Given how stiffly we stood, we could probably have fallback careers as palace guards. “You should join us for drinks after the rehearsal dinner, Gina. At least consider it.”
I had considered it and a shredded heart wasn’t on my wish list. “Not tonight.”
His feet shifted. “Tomorrow night, then?”
“Chris . . . ” I sighed, fighting for the strength to keep turning him down. “Tomorrow night’s the wedding.”
“So?”
“I’m taking Ethan.” If I ever got around to asking him, that is.
He made a bemused sound. “You going to tell him we kissed last night?”
“No.” I growled as the elevator wiggled to a halt. “That was a mistake.”
The twin doors opened and Chris followed me into the hall. “Look, Gina.” He quieted a moment as my accounting assistant passed us in the hall with a curious glance. “I didn’t sleep much last night, trying to figure out what has you worked up.”
“I’m not worked up.” I tossed over my shoulder, my annoyed tone contradicting my words. “I just don’t want to go out with you. How many times do I have to say it?”
He followed me into my office and pushed the door shut. “If you didn’t feel something for me, you wouldn’t have kissed me. How difficult is it to pick Truth instead? Not too hard.”
“I never pick Truth.” I spun around and faced him. “Not even in middle school, which is the only other time I’ve played this ridiculous game.”
“Why?” He stepped forward, his voice turning gentle. “Why don’t you ever pick Truth?”
I ached to tell him and struggled to keep myself in check as I remembered Kristen’s psyche wisdom. Keep making the same choices in life and you’ll keep seeing the same results. If I kept going for terminal bachelors, I’d be single forever. “It’s none of your business.”
“When it keeps me up at night, I think it is.” He plunged a hand through his hair. “Man, you can be so frustrating.”
I tried not to show how jostled I felt by the first part of his confession. He’d been thinking about me. At night. So much that he couldn’t sleep! I suppressed the urge to ask for details because, in the end, it wouldn’t change anything. You can’t make a player commit . . . no matter how much you may want them to. “We’ve been friends for five years, Chris. Let’s not end things like this.”
He shook his head. “You’re right.”
That had been too easy. “I am?”
“Yes. We’re not ending things like this.” Instead of leaving, he grabbed the back of a chair, twisted it so it faced the other, then sat down. “I’ve been thinking about what you said last night. That I hop from girl to girl.”
I eyed the chair next to him as he gestured to it, but I refused to sit. “And?”
He leaned back in the chair and laced his hands behind his head. “Why should that matter to you?”
My face heated. “It doesn’t.”
His mouth curved upward. “Then why are you blushing?”
Every irritated nerve in my body tightened. “This may be your last day, but some of us still have work to do. So, if you wouldn’t mind . . . ”
The smirk left his face and he leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “For five years I watched you bring George to company parties and I heard you guys were together for some time before that.”
I hugged my belly. “You must think I’m pretty pathetic for staying with someone so long, when he obviously wasn’t serious about me.”
He shook his head as if I weren’t getting it. “I’m thankful George didn’t get his act together. Because it means I still have a chance.”
Fireworks blasted off in my chest, causing my heart to pound. “Chris . . . ”
“When I heard you two had broken up, I wanted to ask you out. But I didn’t want to be a rebound. So I forced myself to wait, to give you time to get over him.”
My legs threatened to give way, so I dropped into the chair. “But you seem to play the field. Like you never want to settle down.”
He reached for my hand, tracing my palm in small circles until his baby blue eyes met mine. “I’d settle down with the right girl.”
My pulse galloped. “Oh?”
He took a deep breath. “My ex-girlfriend and I were together for three years.”
That straightened my spine. “Who? How? When?”
Stunned? Me? No, not much.
“We went out in college and a couple years after we graduated.” He shook his head a little, but continued tracing my hand. “You seem surprised.”
“Well, yeah.” I pressed my lips together and fought to make sense of what he’d just told me. “You’re like a date-aholic.”
“I date, sure.” He shrugged, his hand still holding mine. “But if it doesn’t feel right I’m not going to lead a girl on by pretending it’s going somewhere when it’s not.”
I stared at him, processing everything I’d just learned. “How could it feel wrong with that many girls?”
His eyes held mine. “Because they weren’t you.”
My heart flipped and an overwhelming rush of emotion flowed through me. Joy. Passion. Fear. Way too much fear. Phantom feelings of excruciating heartbreak flooded my chest, twisting and gnawing at me.
Self-preservation kicked in and I yanked my hand away. “I’m dating Ethan.”
“But you wouldn’t have kissed me if—”
“I had a lot to drink, okay?” I stood and threw my arms up. “I’ve told you no a thousand times. Why can’t you take a hint?”
He flinched as if I’d slapped him.
Instead of putting my arms around him, like I wanted to, I bit out a laugh. “I just told you I choose Ethan. Do you think it’s right to encroach on another man’s girl?”
His lips thinned and he slowly rose to his feet. “No. Of course not.”