“So, you’re done?”

Valerie glanced up at him again and then around at her messy station. “Yeah, just about.”

“Listen Val. What do you say we go grab a drink, kind of a peace offering?”

Valerie shook her head but smiled. “No, I don’t think so.” She stood up and began gathering things to stuff into her briefcase.

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t think us going out in the first place was ever a good idea. We both knew it would be frowned upon, and now look what’s happening.”

“C’mon Val, since when can’t two colleagues get together for a drink after work? I know a place that serves the best peach Mojitos. Ever been to Moreno’s?”

Valerie’s face shot up from her briefcase expecting to see a smirk on his face, but he was serious. It took a moment but then she couldn’t help laughing. “You wanna take me to Moreno’s?”

“Yeah, why’s that so funny?”

Valerie pictured herself walking in there with Luke while maybe Angel or possibly even Alex waited on them and laughed even harder.

“What?” Luke obviously didn’t get it, but he seemed pleased with her sudden change in mood.

She hadn’t laughed so hard in a very long time. When she was finally composed enough, she wiped the sides of her eyes. She’d been so uptight lately she actually felt some of the tension release. “You know what? I think I will have that drink with you after all. Only not at Moreno’s.”

Valerie was starving—as usual, so they went to an all-you-can-eat sushi bar. She began to give him a vague explanation about Moreno’s, and then decided just to tell him the truth. They weren’t seeing each other anymore, so, what did it matter?

Luke took it in stride and didn’t ask any more questions. He teased her about the amount of food she could put away. They talked about the seminar that Valerie had no intention of canceling. She was counting on George Stone to pull her out of this mood.

Luke wasn’t the wittiest. He was a bit too uptight for that. Maybe it was that she was already in a giggly mood from his invitation to Moreno’s, but she laughed a lot through out dinner.

In the end, she was glad she went. It was nice not to think about Bruce or Alex for at least a few hours.

*

First thing Friday morning Valerie got a call on her private extension from Bruce. “You must not care too much about your reputation in that office. Do you?”

Valerie stood up. “Your calls are doing nothing to change what anyone here thinks about me. Everyone thinks you’re a psycho idiot. You’re not taken seriously, Bruce.”

“You better watch what you say to me, Valerie. I swear to God I’ll make you regret it.” His tone was much harsher than she heard before, and it sent a chill up her spine.

“You don’t scare me, Bruce,” she lied. “I saw what you were made of at the club. Why don’t you just do us both a favor and get a damn life? I want nothing to do with you and never will.”

“I had a life, darling. A good one, until you ruined it. Remember that!”

Valerie squeezed her eyes shut. He was going to blame her forever. “You ruined your own-”

“Tell me something, darling. Is Luke the first man you’ve been in love with?”

Jesus, for someone who thought he knew so much, he had no idea how far from the truth he was. Apparently, he fell for her story. Hadn’t he noticed she wasn’t seeing him anymore?

“Yes.” She kept her eyes closed, concentrating hard on sounding as sincere as she could. Not wanting anyone in the office to hear her, her voice was barely a whisper. “I’ve never felt for anyone the way I feel about him.”

“But you broke up with him. Why?”

Her eyes bolted open. How could he know? She heard his maniacal laughter low at first then louder with more conviction. The line suddenly went dead. Squeezing the receiver she stood there even after the dial tone started blaring in her ear. With a deep breath, she hung it up. She had too much on her mind to add this to her plate.

Valerie was out of the office most of the day showing properties and meeting with potential clients. She managed to keep her mind off Bruce. She went back to the office and worked for a while before finally calling it a night.

It was already getting dark and she walked quickly through the empty parking lot. Her briefcase weighed heavy on her shoulder, and the stack of files she carried rendered her completely vulnerable if anyone approached her. She thought she heard footsteps behind her but decided she was just being paranoid. Still, she picked up her step, feeling her heart beat a little faster. She’d almost reached her car when she heard the footsteps again.

“Hey, Valerie.”

Valerie jumped and half the files she held dropped to the ground. She spun around, ready to scream until she saw Alex staring at her wide-eyed.

CHAPTER 12

“I’m sorry, Val. I didn’t mean to startle you.” Alex felt terrible. He was down on one knee immediately, retrieving the papers she’d dropped.

“Oh my God.” She put the stuff she managed to hold on to onto the trunk of her car, and then leaned against the bumper. Her hand clenched her chest. “My heart almost stopped, Alex.”

“I can see that.” Alex glanced up at her from where he finished gathering her things. “I’m sorry. Why you working so late anyway? I was beginning to think maybe you got a ride home and just left your car overnight.” Among many other infuriating things he’d been imagining she could be engaged in at this late hour in an empty office. He’d been this close to barging in there to find out for himself.