Page 88 of Book Club Confidential

Shit. She’d thought about him a hundred times since leaving Hello, Marketing. Things had been going well between them, but his texts had stalled the last few days, and she hadn’t reached out either. There was too much to say. At first, she’d had a ball to attend, then Kate’s ass was caught on camera. They’d spoken briefly about that the next morning, but life had gone straight downhill from there. Plus, what would he think of her now?

Oh, yeah. He’d think she was a quitter. Which was true.

She dragged a heavy hand over her face, then glanced at the clock before answering. Nearly noon, and she was a hungry, filthy, rotting potato. Complete with cold coffee on the table at her side.

The phone rang again, and her traitorous thumb accepted the call. “Hello?”

“Hey,” he said. “Long time no talk.”

“Sorry about that,” she said. “I’ve just been so—busy.” She cringed at the lie, looking around the unkempt room. Busy transforming into a slug or some kind of taproot vegetable that thrived while buried in dirt.

She stood, and the world tilted. She couldn’t talk to Grant while marinating in her funk. Whenever they spoke or texted, Tessa felt as if he could somehow see her, or maybe see right through her. Either way, she couldn’t sit still. And she needed to eat before she collapsed.

She gathered cast-off napkins, dirty plates, and empty glasses on her way to the kitchen, phone trapped between her ear and shoulder.

“I figured,” he said. “I didn’t want to bother you. How’s he doing?”

Tessa stilled, arms loaded above her sink. “Who?”

“Your brother.” Grant’s tone suggested he felt as confused as she did.

“Oh.” She emptied her hands and leaned against the counter. She’d nearly forgotten that the last time Grant called, Devin arrived for their outing. “Good. He likes his local sponsor. He made friends in his support group, and he’s having fun looking for a full-time job. Thank you for asking.”

“And how are you?”

She opened the refrigerator and sighed. The offerings were just as uninspiring now as they had been this morning. She needed to go grocery shopping. She closed her refrigerator. “I’m fine.”

“Any chance you have some time today to take a look at the other office space?” he asked.

Her eyelids fell shut. “I am so sorry.”

“Any specific reason why?” he asked.

Tessa felt her insides knotting and her shoulders rising toward her ears. “Yes. I should’ve reached out to you sooner. There’s something we need to talk about.”

“This is about your work?”

She grimaced, unable to find the words to say she’d quit only days after signing a contract with him.

“Hmm,” he said, softly, in her silence. “I was afraid of that, and I’m sincerely sorry.”

“You are?”

“Someone from your office called me this morning to say they’re handling my accounts now,” he said. “Initially, I was shocked, but now I just feel terrible.”

Her mouth opened, then snapped shut. Someone called Grant? Were they calling her clients? Panic welled, and she hurried back to the couch.

She knew she should’ve emailed all her clients as soon as she— Former clients, she mentally corrected. She should’ve contacted them immediately instead of waiting for inspiration or the right moment. Now someone was making the calls for her.

She looked longingly toward her pillow, wishing she could scream.

“I have to know,” Grant said. “Are you passing me to another agent because I came on too strong over dinner that night? Was it the kiss? I knew I shouldn’t have done that. It was too much, and I made you uncomfortable.”

“No.” Her thoughts split down the middle as she attempted to log in to her work email and also process his words. “You didn’t.”

“I pushed the envelope,” he rattled on, apology thick in his tone. “You agreed to a professional dinner, but I crossed a line, and I am truly sorry.”

“No,” she repeated.