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He chuckled, steadying me with a hand on my arm. The touch sent sparks shooting through my body, and I jerked away like I’d been burned.
It was then that I noticed the woman standing next to him. Tall, blonde, and gorgeous in a way that made me want to crawl under a rock and hide. She looked like she’d just stepped off a runway, all legs and perfect hair and a smile that could probably stop traffic.
“Oh, uh, let me introduce you,” Fury said, clearing his throat. Was it my imagination, or did he sound a bit flustered? “Sienna, this is Olivia Hartley, my real estate agent. Olivia, this is Sienna Marquez, talent coordinator at Club Privé. “
Olivia extended a perfectly manicured hand, her smile never wavering. “Pleasure to meet you, Sienna.”
An awkward silence fell over us, broken only by Vanessa clearing her throat behind me. “Oh! Sorry,” I said, stepping aside. “This is my roommate and best friend, Vanessa Rodriguez.”
More pleasantries were exchanged, but I barely heard them. My mind was too busy spinning, trying to make sense of the scene before me. Fury and Olivia, looking like the perfect power couple. The way they stood just a little too close to each other. The slight rumple in Fury’s shirt that suggested it had spent the night on a floor somewhere.
“Well, we should get going. I’m about to sign the rental agreement for our new office building,” Fury said, breaking into my thoughts. “It was great running into you, Sienna. Vanessa, nice to meet you.”
“You too,” Vanessa replied, her tone warm, but her eyes narrowed slightly as she glanced between Fury and me.
As they walked away, I noticed how Olivia’s hand rested on the small of Fury’s back, guiding him through the door. It was such a slight gesture, but it spoke volumes.
“Earth to Sienna,” Vanessa’s voice cut through my haze. “You okay there? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I shook my head, plastering on a smile that felt more like a grimace. “I’m fine. Just hungry. Let’s get a table.”
We were seated quickly, the bustling lunchtime crowd providing a welcome distraction from my tumultuous thoughts. I buried my nose in the menu, pretending to be deeply invested in the difference between the Niçoise and Cobb salads.
“So,” Vanessa said, her tone deceptively casual, “that was the famous Fury, huh?”
I looked up, meeting her knowing gaze. “Famous? Hardly. He’s just Gavin’s new money guy.”
Vanessa raised an eyebrow. “Uh-huh. And I suppose that’s why you looked like you wanted to claw that Olivia woman’s eyes out?”
“I did not!” I protested, but even I could hear the lack of conviction in my voice. “She seems... nice.”
“Nice,” Vanessa repeated flatly. “Right.”
I sighed, setting down my menu. “What do you want me to say, V? That I’m jealous? That seeing Fury with some leggy blonde bothers me? Because it doesn’t. It can’t.”
Vanessa reached across the table, placing her hand over mine. “Sweetie, it’s okay if it bothers you. You’re allowed to have feelings, you know.”
I pulled my hand away, suddenly finding the tablecloth fascinating. “I don’t have feelings. Not for Fury, not for anyone. I can’t afford to.”
“Sienna,” Vanessa said softly, “we’ve been over this. You can’t keep punishing yourself for what happened with Ralf. It wasn’t your fault.”
“Can we not do this right now? Please? I thought this was supposed to be a fun lunch to celebrate your day off.”
Vanessa sighed, but nodded. “Okay, okay. I’ll drop it. For now. But we’re not done talking about this, missy.”
I rolled my eyes, grateful for the reprieve. “Yes, mom.”
Our waiter arrived then, a welcome distraction. We placed our orders—a Cobb salad for me, the duck confit for Vanessa—and settled into easier conversation. Vanessa regaled me with tales from the ER, each story more outrageous than the last.
“And then,” she said, barely containing her laughter, “the guy says, ‘But doc, I swear, I just slipped and fell on it!’”
I choked on my water, laughing despite myself. “No way. People actually say that?”
Vanessa nodded solemnly. “More often than you’d think. It’s like they forget we’ve heard every excuse in the book.”
As our food arrived, the conversation drifted to safer topics – Vanessa’s latest yoga obsession, my ongoing battle with the ancient coffee maker in our apartment. But even as I laughed at her impression of our sweet neighbor, Mrs. Goldstein, I couldn’t shake the image of Fury and Olivia from my mind.
Why did it bother me so much? It’s not like I had any claim on him. Hell, I barely knew the guy. And yet...
