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I tossed his arm aside and leaned away. “I’ll let you know if I’m in the mood. Right now, I’m too grouchy to consider it.”
He backed up a step or two, holding both hands up. “Okay, okay. I may be dense at times, but even I can read the undercurrents. Just to say, I’m here for you if you want company.”
“Thanks, Miles.”
He finally left, and I turned over my phone. No response from Weston. My text hadn’t even been read.
It was midnight when a text rolled in. I’d been tossing and turning for an hour, sleep nowhere in sight. I guessed I’d been waiting to hear from him.
Weston:Sorry it took me so long to reply. I’ve been in meetings with lawyers and haven’t touched my phone all day. This isn’t going to end anytime soon.
Me:You don’t have to be sorry. Are you home?
Weston:Just got home. I’m about to crash.
Me:Want me to come up and crash with you?
Weston:I want that, but I know I won’t get the sleep I need if you’re here. Besides, I’ll be up at dawn for more meetings.
Me:Okay. I understand. Can you at least try to keep me apprised of what’s going on with you? I don’t love being in the dark.
Weston:I’ll try, but, baby, right now, my priority is Andes. My head is there, so if you don’t hear from me, that’s why. Love you. Goodnight.
Me:Love you too. xoxo
I clutched my phone to my aching chest. I’d been longing to hear from Weston all day, so why did I feel worse now that I had?
I rode the elevator up to eight, chewing on my lip. My stomach was a riot of butterflies. I couldn’t quite understand my body’s reaction. Dropping by to see Weston had become a regular thing, so why was I nervous today?
Probably because it had been days since we’d been face to face and our conversations had been brief and sparse. He was buried in meetings with lawyers and his executive board. I knew that, and I was being as understanding as I could, reminding myself again and again this wasn’t about me.
Renata was on the phone when I approached her desk. Her movements were harried. Her mouth was pulled into a deep frown as she nodded at what the person on the other end was saying.
Her eyes flicked to mine. I pointed to Weston’s office and mouthed, “Is he in a meeting?” She shook her head, her attention reverting back to the person she was speaking to.
I knocked lightly on Weston’s door, waiting a beat before pushing inside.
My heart dropped at the sight of him. He was at his desk, his head hanging in his hands. He didn’t look up as I crossed the room. He only reacted when I laid a hand on his shoulder and said his name.
His head jerked up, and the purple smudges under his eyes took my breath away. Weston never looked anything less than put together, even in the middle of the wilderness during our camping trip. Right now, he was ravaged.
“West,” I sighed.
He stared right through me for a moment before snapping out of his daze. “Elise. What are you doing here?”
“Checking on you.” I motioned to the paper bag I’d set on his desk. “I brought you lunch. I assumed you weren’t stopping to eat.”
His exhale was ragged with exhaustion. “If you’d called, I would have told you I’m having a working lunch in a few minutes with my lawyers. You wouldn’t have wasted your time coming up here.”
“Oh.” His tone was more curt than he’d ever taken with me. It hit me like a load of bricks. “If I’d called, would you have even answered?”
His brow lowered, a deep crease forming at the top of his nose. “Look, I don’t know what you want me to say. I’m in the middle of trying to save Andes. Do you understand how many jobs are on the line if I can’t pull a rabbit out of a hat? If I don’t answer the phone, it’s because I’m busy. This is my sole focus, which I explained to you last night. I can’t worry about answering your calls right now.”
My hand dropped from his shoulder like I’d been scalded.
I guessed I’d actually beenscolded. I couldn’t remember a time I’d felt so small. Probably high school, eating lunch in the bathroom so I didn’t have to try to choke down my food to the chants of “Ellie the Elephant.”
“Okay. I get it. I’m going to go.” I picked up the bag, crinkling it with my curled fingers. “If you need anything, let me know.”
