Page 5 of Keeping Collette

“Collette, wait!” Astrid called out, but she ignored her friend and boss. Given everything that was going on in her life, Collette believed Astrid wouldn’t hold the fact she’d ignored her, against her.

Somehow she found her way out of the office and to the bank of elevators. Thank goodness it was the weekend and the doors opened immediately after she pressed the call button.

Hitting the “G” for ground floor, she leaned against the back of the cart and blew out a breath.

What was she going to do now?

Had she let pride get the better of her?

Perhaps, but she didn’t want someone to half-ass their job because they didn’t like her and had trouble reconciling that she knew Courtney best and her disappearing wasn’t normal behavior for her.

The doors slid shut, and she let go of the control she had and allowed the tears to leak out of her eyes and down her cheeks.

She swiped them away as the doors opened again. There may be no one in the lobby of the building, but there would be plenty outside, and she didn’t need anyone looking at her weirdly.

Thankful for the quietness, she headed over to the cluster of couches and chairs that graced the foyer. She would take a minute to compose herself, and when she felt more in control, she would head to the police station and hound them again. Perhaps if she was constantly in their face, they would do something.

The chair was soft and squishy, and she sank down in it, feeling as if she was being given a hug. She could do with a one. One where the person wrapped her up tight, but not overly, just enough pressure to feel safe. As that wasn’t an option, the chair would have to do.

The ding of the elevator echoed around the building, and Collette slouched a little lower. It was likely Astrid coming after her, and while she couldn’t hide forever, she needed a few more seconds to compose herself.

She dabbed her eyes with the tissue she’d scrounged up from the depths of her handbag, aware of the footfalls of someone approaching her.

What type of shoes was Astrid wearing?

Had she had on heels or flats? Flats most likely, who wore heels to an office meeting on the weekend when they had toddlers to chase around? If she was honest, she’d been surprised when Astrid had told her that she would be at the meeting.

Collette was grateful for Astrid’s support, but right this second, she wanted to be alone.

“If you’re trying to hide, you’re not doing a very good job.”

The voice was deep and definitely didn’t belong to Astrid. Nor did it belong to her husband Callum, either.

Which only left her with one possibility.

Ugh, please don’t let it be Deal.

Luck was not on her side. Deal took the chair opposite her. He leaned forward a little, leaving his arms to hang loosely between his legs.

She wasn’t going to notice his strong forearms or the hint of a tattoo on his left arm which was peeking beneath the rolled-up sleeve of the blue shirt he was wearing. A business shirt at that. Maybe some people did get dressed in business attire for a weekend meeting. The gray pants he wore stretched tight across his thighs.

Collette dragged her focus off his arms and legs and looked around the foyer for something else to focus on other than him. “What do you want?” she snapped, when there wasn’t anything interesting to look at instead.

“I came to apologize again. I seem always say the wrong thing when I’m talking to you. I’m sorry for how I acted when I was asked to take the lead. I was surprised by it and didn’t handle it well, giving you the impression I didn’t care about you or your sister.”

Could she trust his apology? Or had he been sent to seek her out? She hadn’t missed the looks the others had given him when he’d questioned her about her sister. Or how he reacted to Ox’s request.

“I’m not surprised you’re having trouble believing my sincerity. I deserve your mistrust.” Deal sat back and rested his hands on the arm of the chair. The pose may have given the impression he was relaxed, but she would bet her month’s rent that he could spring into action at the drop of the hat if the circumstances called for it.

“Can you blame me? You’ve been nothing but suspicious since you first met me last night.” The anger that no one was taking her seriously, and the fire to find her sister and to show this man that she wasn’t a weak, helpless female, flowed through her.

“You’re right, you have no reason to trust me. Or believe me. But I am sorry. My reaction last night was wrong. It’s something I have to sort out myself, but believe me when I say, I do want to help you find your sister. We all do.”

He did seem sincere, but she still had issues with it all. There was still a part of her that thought, beneath the apology he’d given, Deal believed Courtney was off doing her own thing, and not giving a shit about her sister and how her actions would make Collette feel.

“Look, come back upstairs,” Deal said, when the silence between them dragged on. “Cass is still working on your sister’s last known location as well as doing some other computer magic. You came to us for help. Let us give it to you. We’ll do more than the police ever would.”

Collette studied the man sitting opposite her. His hazel eyes were clear, and he wasn’t looking away. His attention fully on her. If someone was lying, they’d look away. She’d seen it plenty of times with her parents when they tried to convince her they’d stopped using—they hadn’t. The only time her mom had stopped was when she’d been pregnant with her and Courtney. It hadn’t taken her long to get back into the habit after they’d been born.