Page 53 of A Wolfe in the Woods

“Lunch,” I said weakly. “Doctor’s orders. If I don’t eat something soon, I might actually pass out on the office floor again.”

Bernie nodded sagely like he approved of the prescription. “A wise plan. I’ll have a banana-walnut muffin ready for you as a snack when you return.”

I smiled faintly despite myself. Bernie always made me feel better.

Just then a voice cut across the office floor.

“Bernard.”

Erik.

Bernie’s eyes widened theatrically, and he slowly turned his head toward me, bulging his eyes in exaggerated dread. “Speak of the devil,” he muttered under his breath.

I couldn’t help it—I giggled. Bernie gave a small shrug, straightened his tie, and headed toward Erik’s office.

When I got down to the lobby, my heels clacked on the marble floors. Looking down, I saw my reflection peering up at me. A strange, lost girl in her upside-down world. I saw her frown.

I looked terrible.

“Most people eat lunch around noon, you know,” came the voice.

I inhaled a quick breath as my head snapped up, my steps faltering on the polished marble. Shock made me blink at the familiar figure who was rising from the sleek, modern couches in the reception area. I thought he looked out of place in his jeans and black T-shirt. I half expected to see flecks of sawdust on him, like he was plucked fresh from Juniper Hollow, cabin number six, and transported into Skoll Corp’s lobby.

“I had to lie to the guards because they thought I was loitering while I was waiting for you,” Jonathan told me when he was within arm’s length. Even though I was in heels and not sneakers, he towered over me, making me crane my neck back to look up at him. “I almost thought you weren’t in the office today.”

“What are you doing here?” I asked when my tongue finally unstuck itself from the roof of my mouth. “You…you shouldn’t be here.”

Now that my initial shock had passed, I felt my guard go up. I imagined bricks stacking, piece by piece. Strong and stable. Impenetrable.

“Any lunch plans?” Jonathan asked, peering at me with too-familiar blue eyes that looked lighter in the bright lobby. Hisgaze flicked over my shoulder to the guards who had probably been giving him a hard time. “I was hoping we could talk. Got a lot to explain…and probably some apologizing to do.”

I could feel the security lenses tracking us even here, subtle but constant—the space itself always listening. “Only some?” I asked, my tone a little harsh.

“A lot,” he amended. “Have lunch with me.”

My spine stiffened. “No, I don’t think?—”

“I can tell you whatever you want to know about me and your grandmother,” he added. “No half-truths. The whole truth.”

My jaw tightened as I stared up at him. His shoulders were so wide, I couldn’t see the doors leading outside. It almost hurt to look at him…because I couldn’t help but remember him up at Cryer’s Point. His teasing grin. His goofy, surprising jokes. The way the warm timbre of his voice curled in my belly.

Was this just another test of his?

But…why come all the way to Graymore just to twist the knife?

I’d searched his name while I’d been back, just to verify the truth of Meg’s words. Perhaps to make myself feel better. Perhaps to confirm that hewasa corrupt bastard, that I’d just read him all wrong.

And it had felt like a punch in the gut, seeing photos of him underneath headlines. In a suit and tie, surrounded by other men in suit and ties, their faces drawn and cold. It didn’t make sense to me. In the end, it hadn’t made me feel better. It had made me feel worse.

But one thing Ididascertain from my extensive web sleuthing was that shortly after the trial, Jonathan Wolfe had disappeared. Left his job and Graymore shortly after.

So why come back? If he really had wanted to disappear, why risk coming back here just to speak with me?

Nothing about Jonathan Wolfe made sense.

But he’d dangled a carrot in front of me…one I couldn’t resist, no matter how cruel his words had been in Juniper Woods. This was about my grandmother. Nothing more.

“There’s a café here in the plaza,” I said, brushing past him.