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“Now I know what is going on with you,” Stella said.
“What?” she asked, putting all the coffee on the table and finding name tags to match with their drinks. Braylon had helped her carry the two trays up like he did when she had big orders.
“Aaron and Nate must have found out and they are sucking up to try to get close to your boyfriend’s brother. I bet they are trying to get an in for a job.”
“I don’t think that is it,” she said. At least she hoped not. She wasn’t going to say anything about Braylon’s status. It just went to prove that Stella never paid attention to her or that she’d had a fake diamond on for a period of time. “Not once has either of them said a word to me about Braylon. I’d ask how you found out, but my guess is the picture in the paper?”
“I didn’t even pay attention to it, but several people were talking about it on Friday. Your name wasn’t listed, but it’s obvious it’s you.”
“It is,” she said.
“I bet that is why you’re talking back to me too,” Stella said loudly. “That you’ve got this newfound love and it gives you a backbone to not do your job without me pushing you harder.”
She felt her face flush. “If you’ve got a problem with my job performance, then please talk to me in private,” she said.
She turned her head and saw a few people looking toward the conference room. The room had glass walls which helped let in the light for the cubicle area. The blinds were closed at times, but not often. The room was soundproof. Which was helping but the door was open.
“I will talk to you when we are done,” Stella said. Her boss turned to get her coffee. Both of them had their backs to the door. “I’m sick of you showing me up.”
“I don’t believe she’s doing much more than her job, Stella.”
They both turned to see Aaron standing there. He wasn’t part of this meeting so she had no idea where he’d come from.
She turned and saw Evan standing on the other side of the wall grinning.
She knew that Evan and Aaron talked a lot and she wondered if the guy she thought was hitting on her before was now trying to be an ally.
It was only going to make matters worse for her no matter how it played out. This wasn’t how she wanted her first day back from vacation to go.
She expected some comments on the article, but it was the only one run and West hadn’t commented on it publicly.
On New Year’s Day West’s engagement photo and interview would come out. She just needed to weather this week and then move past it.
Braylon had hinted that the family photo was going to be posted, so those who recognized him in that photo might go back and see the two of them in the article next week.
She’d be prepared.
There was this fear that people would want to know who she was. Or figure it out, but she trusted Braylon when he said it’d be fine.
The last thing she wanted was anyone looking into the past that she tried to pretend didn’t exist.
Lilian shouldn’t be embarrassed about it, but couldn’t help that she was.
She was making something of herself. As best as she could.
She didn’t want Braylon to think she was anything like her mother or her brother Karl.
It’s not like she had lied about her mother. She didn’t have a relationship with her and hadn’t talked to her in almost ten years.
Her foster parents, Tess and Ronnie, didn’t allow it and then her mother was in prison.
“I never said otherwise,” Stella said to Aaron.
“It didn’t sound it to me, but I could have misunderstood.”
“Possibly,” Stella said with her teeth clenched.
“Have a good day, ladies,” Aaron said and left the room.
