Totally Worth It, page 13
Afterward, they were as relaxed with each other as before.
Meg stretched out on her side propped up on one elbow, studying Mia’s face as she listened to Mia vent about work. Interrupting her midsentence, Meg gently rubbed Mia’s upper lip with her thumb.
“What is this scar from?”
Mia let out a small laugh. “I should probably tell you some story about how I arrested this huge guy and that he fought back until I used my mad skills to take him down.” As she spoke, Mia had shifted her weight and grabbed Meg’s wrist, flipping her over onto her back and landing on top of her with a smile. “But that would be a lie,” Mia said dropping a kiss on Meg’s lips.
“So, the real story…” Meg drawled out.
Mia shook her head and hung her chin for a second before answering. As she started she let out a small breath through her gleaming white grin. “Honestly? It was my third week out of the academy. My training officer and I had just stopped at Dunkin Donuts. No jokes please,” Mia instructed through her devilish smile. Meg obeyed, tightly tucking her lips in exaggeration. “Anyway we got our first big call over the radio. My first big call, I should say. Robbery in progress, like two blocks away. I was so excited, so nervous.” She laughed a little as she continued. “I opened the car door too fast and stepped forward at the same time. Split my lip. Got four stitches. Total rookie move.”
“Love it.” Meg couldn’t keep the smile from breaking through.
“Which? The scar or the story?”
“Both, actually.”
Mia rolled off onto her back. “Oh my God. I don’t even feel like moving.”
Without thinking, Meg answered casually, “Don’t. Stay here.”
Mia arched her eyebrows. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.”
In less than five minutes, they were curled around one another in comfortable silence before falling fast asleep.
*
Looking at the calendar distractedly, Meg realized that her night with Mia had unfolded exactly one week ago today. It felt like longer than that. Probably because she’d been in London, trapped in back-to-back meetings, since she’d woken up the morning after to an email informing her that she was already booked on an afternoon flight.
Scanning through Sasha’s notes in the double-wide cubicle that passed as her workspace in London, Meg allowed her mind to drift back to that event, indulging in the memory. She nodded to herself as she acknowledged that it had been surprisingly sweet for a booty call—she felt no need to sugarcoat it. Eight thirty p.m. She was supposed to be back home already, but instead she’d been at the office for fourteen and a half hours trying to calm down her—correction—Sasha’s most needy client. She idly wondered if she would have the courage, if she were at home, to text Mia right now and suggest she stop by again after work tonight. As though they were on the same wavelength, her phone buzzed on the desk with a text from Mia.
Up for company tonight? I get off at 12.
Before she could even write a response, a second text came through.
Which means you could be getting off by 12:30…
Meg laughed out loud. Sadly she typed back her regrets, explaining that there was a change in her schedule and she was in London until the end of the week.
Mia answered simply with a sad-face emoticon.
She was about to type back when Nigel came up behind her.
“Meg, have you got the numbers sheets for the warehouse staff?”
Snapping right back into work mode, Meg answered him in a cranky tone. “The breakout sheets, you mean? No, I didn’t do them.”
Looking up from the stack of papers he was carrying, Nigel responded. “I know. Sash did them before she left. They should have been in the file.”
“Well, they’re not.” Meg was annoyed. Another chore added to the list.
“Can you check her office? I’m positive she did them.”
With a huff, Meg got up and trudged into Sasha’s office. Of course the file cabinet was locked, adding to her frustration. It irritated Meg that this girl consistently dumped all her work on them and then didn’t even have the courtesy to leave them free access to her resources. Now she had to find the goddamn file key too. She wondered if this situation could possibly get any more annoying.
That question was answered with a resounding yes one millisecond later as Meg opened Sasha’s top desk drawer. There she found a single file-cabinet key and next to it a copy of Sasha Michaels’s most recent pay stub. Her mouth went slack and her eyes nearly fell out of her head when she saw the numerals on Sasha’s paycheck. Quickly doing the calculations in her head, Meg discovered that Sasha was making exactly 31 percent more than she was. They had the same job title, had been employed for the exact same length of time, and Meg was handling all of her projects for far less money. Life was not fucking fair.
Shaking her head, she shoved the drawer shut and opened the file cabinet. The folder she was looking for was right in front. She plucked it out, turned around, and took a good look at Sasha’s office. On the surface she let herself believe that she was searching for clues to gain a better understanding of this girl who was still such a mystery to her. But deep down she knew that a part of her was hoping to find more concrete evidence that Sasha was a complete slacker.
Meg gave a full eye roll when she noticed Sasha’s diploma from Oxford University perfectly framed and hung on the far wall. She spied a small potted plant in the corner of the L-shaped desk and snidely wondered if watering it was a task expected of her as well. Then she was drawn to a silver double-hinged picture frame containing two photographs. Meg had never met Sasha but she had looked her up on Sullivan’s internal website. She knew what Sasha looked like—dark hair, pasty complexion—completely average. As Meg studied this picture she chuckled inwardly, wondering who Sasha had pissed off in HR because the girl in this picture was breathtaking. Placing the file on the desk, Meg picked up the frame to sneak a closer look.
The photo on the left was a close-up of Sasha on graduation day with a woman who could only be her mother. She was still in her cap and gown, long straight dark hair flowing past her shoulders. She had deep sapphire-blue eyes framed by the kind of lashes people paid good money to replicate. Her broad smile showed perfectly straight teeth and accented the high cheekbones that gave her face an almost heart-like shape. In the opposite photo, she stood on the street in downtown London her arms wrapped around some guy’s neck, undoubtedly her boyfriend. He was equally gorgeous, with the same creamy skin and dark hair. In this picture Sasha’s hair was full of wavy curls. It figured that she would be one of those girls who could wear their hair straight or curly and look just as beautiful. Her smile matched the first photo. Meg noticed how happy Sasha looked in both. And why shouldn’t she be, Meg thought with a sigh. She was fucking beautiful, had a hot boyfriend, was making a shitload of money, and never had to be at work.
Meg was so engrossed that she didn’t even notice Nigel in the doorway until he spoke.
“She’s a looker, eh?”
“Huh? Uh, yeah.” Meg shook her head and put the frame back in its place on the desk, embarrassed at having been caught. “I don’t know what I’m doing. I found the sheets. I just got distracted for a sec.”
Nigel laughed. “Don’t worry, you’re not the first.”
Meg crinkled her brow. “What do you mean?”
“Nothing. Just that Sasha is beautiful. Kind of objectively beautiful, you know? Everyone fancies her. Men, women. She turns all of their heads. Plus she’s darling. The genuine article, you might say. Not like one of those cold ice queens.”
Meg wondered if Sasha was just allowed free rein to do whatever she wanted because she happened to be blessed with good looks. She clearly had everyone in the London office securely wrapped around her finger.
Grabbing the file, she went out on a limb. “So what’s going on with her? She barely works. What’s the deal, anyway?” There was no mistaking the annoyance in her voice.
Nigel nodded toward the photo that Meg had put down a moment earlier. “Her mum is sick. She has cancer. Sasha has been going home to see her, take care of her. I think it’s not going well.” He looked at the floor and seemed genuinely affected. “I gather she may not make it.”
Meg dropped her shoulders and sighed, disappointed in herself for her typically untimely comment. “Well, now I feel like a jerk.”
Nigel met her gaze. “Nah. Someone should have told you. You are doing all of her work.”
Meg started toward the door. “Come on. Let’s finish up and get out of here.”
Nigel took the folder from Meg as she reached him. “I’m meeting up with some of my mates after. Come have a drink with us.”
Meg didn’t even have to think about it. “Nigel, I think it’s entirely likely that I will have several.” She smiled back at him.
Chapter Fourteen
Looking in the mirror, Lexi used one finger to blend the classic red lipstick onto her full bottom lip, wiping the excess on a piece of her sister’s junk mail piled on the dresser. She futzed with her hair as she waited for Julie to pick her up. She was truly looking forward to tonight. This was the first time she’d ever had a girlfriend on Valentine’s Day and she wanted everything to be perfect.
Julie had made reservations in a nice local restaurant. It wasn’t too extravagant but it was quaint and cozy. To Lexi, it seemed just right for them. Its overall vibe matched their relationship—not too intense, but certainly serious. In the past, Julie had sometimes had the tendency to go overboard, but this seemed right on cue. The past month had proved that they were finally on even footing. Inwardly, Lexi scolded herself for doubting that they would get here.
When her phone rang, she was so sure it was Julie calling to say she’d be there in a few minutes that she didn’t even look at the caller ID before tapping the answer button. Her heart dropped as she saw the name Jesse illuminated on the screen.
“Hello?” She clenched her eyes closed knowing her voice revealed her surprise.
“Hey, Lexi, it’s Jesse.”
“Hi.” Lexi was trying but she couldn’t mask the elation in her voice.
“Sorry to bother you. There’s been some development in Lucy Weston’s case. I wanted to update you. Are you busy right now?”
Lexi wanted to lie, but she knew she would get caught. Any minute now, her doorbell was going to ring and her parents would yell for her. “I’m just getting ready to go out.”
There was a noticeable pause before Jesse spoke. “Ah, right. Valentine’s Day. Well, this will only take a second.”
Lexi wondered if Jesse was still at work or if she was calling from across the street. In the background she heard Marnie open the front door for Julie, who had just arrived.
“I just got off the phone with my buddy, Nick. You remember him, right? The PI?”
“Mm-hmm,” Lexi answered, trying to focus on two conversations at once.
“Well, he gave me a lot of information about what’s really going on in Lucy’s IA.”
“Oh, yeah?” Lexi managed. She was distracted listening to Marnie and Julie chat away in the hall. Lexi’s parents had both been smitten with Julie since the moment they met her.
“Yeah,” Jesse said with a heavy sigh. “So I want to bring Lucy in tomorrow to discuss her options. I know it’s not a regular day for you, but I’d really like it if you could be there.”
“Okay.”
“I know you have class, but we’ll work around your schedule,” Jesse offered.
“Sure. I’m finished with class tomorrow by eleven thirty.”
“Great. I’ll set it up.” There was a short silence. “All right, then—”
Lexi was suddenly overcome with anticipation. “Wait. You never told me what it was. What did Nick tell you?”
Another long sigh escaped Jesse. “It’s a long story. Not all of which centers on Lucy.” She paused. “I’ll fill you in on everything tomorrow.”
As Jesse was about to end the call again, Lexi stopped her. Again. “Uh, Jesse?” Hearing herself say her name out loud sounded funny and it caught her off guard even though it had come out of her mouth.
“Yeah?” Jesse answered in her effortlessly sexy voice.
“Did you want me to do it? Call Lucy, I mean, to set up the meeting. I know that’s sort of my job.”
“That’s okay. I’ll do it. You go have fun on your date.” Jesse let out a silky laugh. “But, Lexi…” Jesse drawled her name, and her lyrical tone was sultry and playful at the same time. “You know what they say, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“Hmmph. What does that leave?” Lexi bantered back to her own surprise.
“Not much, honey. Not much.”
Lexi heard Jesse’s throaty chuckle fade in the distance as she hung up. She looked in the mirror, still holding the phone, and watched as her cheeks filled with color at the thought of Jesse’s implication.
*
Lexi swirled the wine in her glass as she desperately tried to concentrate on Julie’s conversation. She kept replaying the call with Jesse over and over in her head. Before walking out of her bedroom to greet Julie, Lexi had made sure to thoroughly collect herself. She had forcibly blocked out the last part of the phone call. It kept creeping back in though. Over the last few months there had been moments with Jesse, times she hadn’t been quite sure if she heard some intent or inflection in Jesse’s tone or if it was all in her head. Tonight she was sure.
“You okay, Lex? You seem distracted.” Julie pushed around the remainder of her entree with her fork.
Lexi placed her hand on top of Julie’s, stilling her fidgeting, something Lexi knew Julie did when she was anxious. “Nope. I’m fine.” She ran her hand up Julie’s forearm, rubbing it gently for emphasis.
“So, what do you think?” Julie was waiting for a response to a question she’d obviously missed. Damn.
“About what?”
Julie flipped her hand and took Lexi’s hand in hers as she spoke sincerely. “Vacation this summer. Just me and you.” Squinting, she looked mildly disappointed as she added, “Were you even listening?”
“Yes. Sorry, I am a little distracted. You want to go away this summer. But I’m taking the bar this summer, so I’m not sure how that’s going to work,” Lexi answered skeptically.
“I know. That’s why I said August. The bar is in July, I thought.” Julie shifted in her seat. “You really weren’t listening.” She dropped Lexi’s hand entirely.
“I just have some stuff on my mind. Work stuff,” Lexi added. Julie could not have looked less interested. “I have a big meeting tomorrow and I guess I’m trying to mentally prepare for it.” It was partially true, she rationalized to herself.
Julie jumped all over her excuse. “Tomorrow? Tomorrow’s Thursday. You don’t even have your internship on Thursdays.”
Lexi could feel the knot forming in her stomach as she realized that her impending explanation was going to cause confrontation. Cringing, she began anyway. “I know, but Jess called me before.” She heard her own voice catch as she abbreviated Jesse’s name, and she knew Julie caught it too. “She asked if I could come in for this meeting.”
“Jess?” The disdain in Julie’s tone was unmistakable. “You call her Jess now? How cute,” she said, pointedly making fun of Lexi.
Lexi just looked down at her plate in front of her and pleaded, “Please don’t, Julie.”
But Julie was already off and running. “Don’t what? Don’t be annoyed?” She let out an angry huff. “Right. I’m supposed to be just fine with the fact that your predator of a boss calls you up on Valentine’s Day with some scam about how she needs you to come in. Please.” She grabbed for her drink, spilling a little on the tablecloth. “You know what, Lex? I think I’m pretty justified in being annoyed at that. I mean, look at you now.” She gestured. “Whatever she said, it worked, because you haven’t paid attention to me all night.”
Lexi rubbed her forehead, trying to keep her composure. She could feel the color drain from her face when she realized what she was about to do. She shook her head and didn’t lift her eyes from her plate.
“This isn’t going to work.” Lexi said it in so even a tone, it was as though she was informing herself for the first time at this very moment.
“What?” Julie responded with such sharpness that it jolted Lexi, directing her attention to Julie.
She reached out and tried to touch Julie but Julie recoiled. Lexi’s voice filled with emotion as she attempted an explanation. “I think maybe we’re just not on the same path right now.”
“Are you kidding me?” Julie’s voice was a mix of pain and anger.
Lexi pressed on, holding Julie’s stare. “Look. You’re talking about taking a vacation six months from now. All I want to do is talk about tomorrow. I listen to you talk about work all the time. Well, tomorrow is important to me. I’m nervous and excited. I’m working on a huge case and it’s a big deal for me to even be involved. And you know, I think I may get offered a position at this firm, which I’m not sure I even want because I don’t really think this is the kind of law I’m interested in. But it would be a job and it’s not like I have anything else lined up. So I’m confused and I want to talk to you about it.” Lexi broke eye contact but continued to talk. “I mean, these are the things I should be able to talk to my girlfriend about. But every time I mention my job or say Jesse’s name—who is my boss, by the way—you totally freak out or roll your eyes. You totally dismiss me.”
There was dead silence between them for a minute before Lexi spoke again.
