As it was, I’d been pushing her away as much as I could. With the exception of the club, that was. However, after our scene, after her apology, after me telling her that we were good, I’d hardly spoken to her. Aside from a couple of text messages, I hadn’t reached out, but in my defense, I’d been busy taking care of my grandmother.
Or was that an excuse?
I could’ve stopped by last night to talk, but I’d opted to let things run their course, to step back one more time and see what she would do. But she had apologized, so perhaps the ball was back in my court. That was the only thing I’d been anticipating, but for some reason, I was still having a hard time approaching her. What I needed was for Addison to make a move. To come to me. To pursue me. Otherwise, I felt as though I was encroaching on the rule she’d so hastily instilled. Telling me that the office was for business only had been the line in the sand. The line I refused to cross.
“Mr. Snowden?”
I glanced up from my computer screen, wondering how long she’d been standing there. I’d been lost in my own head and hadn’t even noticed her. “Yes?”
“Is there anything else you need from me before I head home for the day?” Addison asked, coming to stand in my office doorway.
I shook my head but motioned her into the room, then nodded toward the chair across from my desk. She moved closer but took her time sitting down. It was as though she was nervous to be this close to me.
“How’d the day go? I saw Luci earlier. She’s evidently stressed.”
“She is, but that’s not surprising. She’s getting married on Saturday and she has a million little details to take care of.”
“Is there anything you can do to help her?”
“I told Dale to send all calls to me for this week. Between him and me, we’re trying to answer what we can. Jordan’s pitching in as well, so I think we’ve got it covered.”
“Let me know if I can do anything to help. And I’ll talk to Landon and Langston. See if we can’t get Luci to delegate more of her workload. It needs to be done, anyway, since they’ll be gone for three weeks. You’ll have to cover her during that time.”
“I know. And I told her that. I’m sure she’s just getting jittery. But I promise, I’ll make sure she’s taken care of.” She glanced at the door. “So, if you don’t need anything else…”
I studied her for a moment, weighing my options as to how to approach a subject I knew needed to be addressed. A solid month and a half had passed since we met her and the three of us had gone headstrong into a relationship only to come to an abrupt halt. Emotions were high, mine included, but I was at a loss as to how to make this work without overstepping.
“Oh,” Addison spoke up. “I do have a question.”
“What’s that?”
“Did you tell Master Edge I could no longer work at the club?”
“I did.” In all fairness, I had done it before things went south, wanting to take some of the stress off Addison, to give us more time with her. Unfortunately, Greg hadn’t talked to her until Friday. “Does that bother you?”
She gave me that what-do-you-think look. “I’m not sure how I’ll manage paying my dues, plus my rent and utilities. But I guess when the time comes, I’ll figure it out. Or I’ll just cancel my membership.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. “We’ll make sure it’s taken care of.”
Addison shook her head. “No. Thanks, but no. You and Mr. Parker have done enough for me. I can’t ask for anything more. I just want to do a good job for you. And once I’m on my feet, I’ll be able to get a place of my own.”
Ahh. So she was going to play it that way? The woman was nothing if not rebellious.
“If that’s the way you want it,” I replied.
My response obviously wasn’t what she’d expected. I should’ve realized by now that she spoke in a way to get a rise out of someone, to force a confrontation. It explained her overreaction that had blown this all out of proportion.
I could see the concern on her face. “It seems to be what everyone wants.”
Okay, it was time to be up-front with her.
“No. Actually, it’s not. We’re playing this your way, Addison. Not the other way around.”
Her eyes lingered on my face for long moments before she finally spoke. “Yeah. It’s just… Well…”
“Well what?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I thought we could at least find a way to be…friends.”
She didn’t want that any more than we did.
“I think there’s something wrong with Mr. Parker,” she noted. “He hardly even looks at me.”
