Page 16

I frown, setting my pad down. "A delivery? For me? I'm not expecting anything, Sarah."

"Come see!" She grabs my wrist and tugs me through the double doors into the employee breakroom.

Sitting right on the center table is a massive, fragrant bouquet of deep red roses and a small, sleek velvet box wrapped with a satin ribbon. A tiny white envelope with my name scripted across the front is tucked into the stems.

"Open the box first!" Sarah squeals, hovering over my shoulder.

I reach out, untie the ribbon, and pop the velvet lid open. A gorgeous diamond tennis bracelet catches the harsh fluorescent lighting of the breakroom, sparkling like crazy.

Sarah lets out a low whistle. "Holy shit, Alexis... that’s easily thousands of dollars."

My stomach drops into a cold knot. I snatch the card out of the roses, ripping open the envelope.

A little something to brighten your night. Thinking of you and wishing sweet Milly a full and speedy recovery. — N.

Sarah is practically gushing in my ear. "Oh my God, who is N? Wait, silly me, that’s Nolan! You hit the jackpot⁠—"

Her voice fades into background noise as pure dread settles in my chest.

How the hell does Nolan know about Milly? I have never talked to him about my life. I’ve barely given him more than one-word answers when he orders his drinks. The fact that he knows my sick grandmother's name—and that she's unwell—means he's been digging into me.

"I'm returning it," I say flatly, my voice cold as ice.

Sarah's eyes widen in utter shock. "Wait, what?! Alexis, are you crazy? That's a⁠—"

"I don't care," I interrupt, grabbing the velvet box and snatching up the bouquet of roses. "I'm not taking a damn thing from him."

Before she can say another word, I spin on my heel, push through the breakroom doors, and march back out onto the floor.

I can feel a dozen pairs of eyes locking onto me as I march through the tables clutching the giant bouquet of red roses and the sleek velvet jewelry box.

I don't care who's watching. I stride directly over to Nolan's table, where he sits flanked by Brendan and Lachlan, all three of them nursing tumblers of whiskey.

Nolan looks up, a cool, arrogant smirk spreading across his face as he sees what’s in my hands.

Without saying a word, I place the bouquet down onto the center of their table, setting the velvet box right on top of the cloth.

"I appreciate the thought, Nolan, but I can’t accept this.”

Nolan leans back in his seat, resting his chin on his steepled fingers, completely unbothered by my scene. "Come on now, sweetheart," he smooths out, his dark eyes gleaming. "I only wanted to help. A girl like you shouldn't have to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders all by herself."

"How do you know about my grandmother, Nolan?" I demand, my knuckles turning white against my apron.

Nolan chuckles, taking a slow sip of his drink. "I like knowing things about people who interest me, Alexis. It's a habit of mine."

A cold spike of pure fury shoots through my chest, but I keep my tone softer than I intend.

"I’d really rather you didn’t look into my family," I say through gritted teeth, holding his gaze until he subtly tilts his head. "Do you understand me? My grandmother’s life is private, and I’d really like to keep it that way."

Before he can answer, I turn on my heel and storm straight off the floor.

I push through the double doors of the rest room, letting the door swing shut behind me, blocking out the chatter and jazz music. I march straight to the marble sink, grip the edges until my fingers ache, and look at myself in the mirror. My face is flushed, my chest heaving with furious, ragged breaths.

I turn on the tap, splashing cold water onto my wrists, trying to erase away the lingering grease of Nolan's creeping gaze.

He investigated me. He knows about Milly.

I lean over the sink, closing my eyes, taking deep, steadying breaths to force the rising panic down into my stomach.