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“Things don’t seem to be going quite as planned.”
I turn my head to find that Roy has sidled up to me. He’s watching the crowd closely. Zach weaves through it, the snake in the grass.
“No. They’re not,” I grunt.
“Here’s the thing.”
The hairs on the back of my neck stand up in warning. Roy is using a tone he rarely breaks out, one only for the most dire of situations. When he has to put his foot down, when he’s meeting potential investors and clients one-on-one, or when he’s pissed.
“I don’t know what’s going on with you two. But I’m aware that everything isn’t as it seems. I know it was my idea to announce the engagement tonight, so if it falls through, that’s on me.” Roy’s eyes meet mine, flinty, more than a foot of height between our gazes. “Whatever this is, though, Jenson, you better sort it out. Everything seems to be falling apart, lately, and I’d hate to see you lose a woman like Mel in the midst of it.”
And with that, he waltzes off, a look of calm content on his face.
That’s how Roy gets you.
He’s a shrewd old man, and while my anxiety has only ratcheted up, I feel oddly…reassured. He didn’t approach me to call me out on a lie or to declare that he’s leaning heavily toward Zach taking over the company.
No. He wanted to make sure I hold onto what matters.
So I’m the last one to know, I suppose.
I take one more long look around the room before someone reaches out and touches my arm tentatively. Adrian Kenny is wearing a well-tailored suit, the look on her face serious, phone in hand.
“Jenson.” She leans in. “Mel isn’t coming.”
The world screeches to a stop.
I stare down at Adrian, mind completely blank except for that little voice.This was always a possibility.
Did you really expect her to stick it out?
For you?
“Why?” It’s more of a rhetorical question, but Adrian swallows and lifts her phone slightly.
“I…she had an emergency come up. I just heard from her; she can’t be here tonight. And…she’s going to need Monday and Tuesday off, too. I’m fine to step in for her, I just…”
She trails off, talk of work and business out of place in this setting.
All I can do is take a deep breath and brace myself.
I should have known that even after all this time, Mel would walk away from me without an ounce of guilt.
She already did it once, after all.
Chapter23
Melanie
“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
With a laugh, I roll over on my side. In the dark, I can barely see Jenson’s eyes, but I know he’s watching me—he always is. I just turned eighteen and I feel grown up, even though a part of me thinks that might not be true quite yet.
“I don’t know…do you?”
The comforter shifts as he shrugs. His hand trails lightly up my thigh, rests at my hip bone, and I shiver. Lately I’ve been thinking we should…or, maybe it’s my body, not my brain, doing the thinking. Because this close to him, in a bed, all I want is to press myself up against him.
I’ll never get over how good Jenson Sharpe makes me feel.
