Page 110 of Lose You Twice

For one long second, no one moves.

Finally, Coleson bends down, grabs his towels, and throws them into the cart with a little more force than necessary.

“Happy?”

“No,” I say. “But thank you.”

Coleson grabs his bag and shoves toward the door. Grayson doesn’t move out of the way until the last second, just enough to let him pass.

The door swings shut behind Coleson.

The room exhales.

Kai makes the smallest sound behind me.

I turn because if I don’t, I’ll start shaking.

He’s right there, even closer than I expected. His face may look controlled, but his eyes are burning bright with anger, jaw clenched tight.

I should be annoyed at him, and I am, but only a little.

But I’m also warm all over, and my throat feels too tight, and I hate how much it mattered that he didn’t step in front of me, acting as if I couldn’t take care of myself. He stood at my back and made Coleson understand I wasn’t standing there alone. That I had support.

Kai must notice my mind going a million miles a minute, and whatever he sees on my face, he isn’t a fan. Without moving his gaze from mine, he speaks to the remainder of his team. “Show’s over. If you’re dressed, leave. If you’re not dressed, hurry up and get it done.”

I hear shuffling and mumbling, and soon it’s almost silent in the room.

Then he steps back, giving me space and finally breaking eye contact.

I should appreciate it, but my thoughts are still swirling, and I have no idea what to make of everything I’m feeling. Instead of trying to unpack everything that just happened, I turn to my laundry cart and start heading for the machines.

I know Kai is following closely behind me, as my body is still humiliatingly fluent in him.

I make it to the laundry room and grab the detergent, making sure to add extra sanitizer for this round of stinky towels.

“I’m fine, you know,” I say, still facing the washer. “You don’t have to babysit.”

“I didn’t ask.”

“You were going to.”

“That I was.”

At least he’s honest.

Kai lets the door shut, but leaves a few feet of space between us as I start taking the clean load of towels out of the dryer and folding them. “You didn’t have to do that.”

His jaw flexes. “Do what?”

“Step in.”

“I didn’t want to overstep, but what he said wasn’t okay, Wren. I would’ve stepped in for anyone, but especially you.”

The anger I was hoping to grab onto slips through my fingers at his words.

“He was trying to make you feel small,” Kai says. “To make you question whether you were respected. No one, and definitely not a woman working in a room surrounded by men, deserves that disrespect.”

“I know.”