Page 63 of Miss Understanding

“I hear she’s one of my most reliable. I assume you’re waiting until she gets off?”

He was giving me the excuse I’d been searching for to stay until Kendall was off work. “Yes.”

“Good. The staff cars are parked in a garage underground on the P3 level. I’ll let Mikey, the bodyguard who escorts them out, know to clear you. Like I said, we take security very seriously.”

Now all I had to wonder was what would happen when she saw me by her car.

Chapter Thirty

Kendall

It continued to be a busy night after I returned to the bar. The only difference from before my trip upstairs was that now I kept searching the room for Liam.

Damn. He’d made me miss him already. Which made no sense. Before last week, I’d have done just about anything to get him off my mind. How the hell had he gone from being the bane of my existence to meaning something to me—in merely a week?

I understood why he was hesitant to start something with someone he worked with. It made sense, considering the firm was his life and he took seriously both the position he held and the one to which he aspired. As for me, I truly did plan to quit the firm within the year. I might not know exactly what I wanted to do with my life, but I did know the firm wasn’t my end game.

Thankfully, Jose didn’t pry once I returned. Not that we had the time to chat. But even so, I was so confused about Liam’s behavior in showing up here tonight—but then not wanting to pursue anything—that I wouldn’t have wanted to talk about it.

Two thirty finally rolled around, allowing me to take the deep breath I took at the end of every shift. I was exhausted. We worked quickly to clean up the bar and ensure we could get out on time.

“You’re done, my love. Go home.” Jose had already turned over the registers and was writing down what we needed to restock for tomorrow.

“You sure? I can do some mixers.”

“Nah. Plenty of time. Go. Get some sleep. See you tomorrow night.”

“See you then.”

Mikey met me at the elevator as he always did with the girls. Although the parking garage was secure, you could never be too careful. We waited on a couple others before he pressed the down button. Although I typically took the bus to the law firm during the week, I drove to the club on Fridays and Saturdays, so I wouldn’t have to deal with public transportation at this hour.

Coming off the elevator, I walked toward my Honda Civic, only to stop dead in my tracks.

Liam was leaned against it.

Mikey was by my side. “Mr. Maxwell said he was cleared, but you say the word, and I can unclear him right now.”

Mikey was a good few inches taller than my boss and could probably use me as a free weight. He was intimidating as shit, so I had no doubt he would do as he said. “No. No. He’s good.”

I walked up to Liam, watching him push off my car while distractedly staring over my shoulder, probably at the mountain of the man behind me.

“Your bodyguard doesn’t look happy to see me here.”

“He’s not generally happy about much. I’m surprised you stayed.” I wasn’t above wishing he’d ask me to come home with him, but what the hell had changed since we’d talked four hours ago?

“Do you, um, think we can talk some more?”

Considering how dead on my feet I was, talking might be the only thing I was capable of at the moment. “Here?”

“No. I could come to your place, or you to mine? Or we could find an all-night diner. Or hell, this can wait until tomorrow when you’re not exhausted.”

I knew for a fact if we waited until tomorrow, one or both of us would chicken out. But there was no way I’d have him over to my tiny studio apartment where my suitcase had exploded, strewing my clothes all about. And a diner wouldn’t afford us privacy. “How about I go to your place?”

“Do you want to leave your car here and drive in mine?”

My heart kicked into overdrive. “How about I follow you? I’ll need my car in the morning.” I didn’t want to have to come back to downtown LA to get my ride.

“Okay. I’m in the dark blue Tesla. I’ll wait outside the garage for you.”