Chapter 14

A MERE WEEK AGO, she’d walked around on Cloud Nine. How could things change so fast? Kiera leaned against the bureau and slid it, inch by inch, across the room. She’d already moved the desk so she could put this in its place. After that, she’d turn the bed, too. With the furniture moved around, the room appeared smaller, but so what? Maybe now she wouldn’t think of the two-faced jerk every time she came upstairs. If she had the energy, she would change things around downstairs when she finished up here.

One final good push got the bureau against the wall.

Finally. Kiera took a step back. The bureau looked okay there, but the desk had fit better. In another few months, maybe she would move it back. By then, she would’ve scrubbed Grayson Sherbrooke from her head.

Keep telling yourself that. Kiera ignored the voice and reached for the drawers she’d stacked against a wall. She replaced five of them, then picked up the last one. The one that contained the clothes Gray had left behind. She didn’t stop to consider her actions. She balled them up and tossed them into the trash. He’d never miss them. By now, he probably didn’t remember he’d even left stuff here.

How could she have ever believed he’d done all that traveling for work? Was she really that naîve? Gray didn’t know the meaning of the word work. Instead of working, he used his family’s money and influence wherever he wanted, whenever he wanted and with whomever he chose.

She wished she’d listened to her mom. She’d told her Gray would break her heart. That he wasn’t the settling down type.

Mom had been right and the next time she said a guy was wrong for her, Kiera would listen and bolt the door against him.

Kiera shoved the last drawer into the bureau, the force shaking the mirror. Seven years of bad luck was the last thing she needed.

With the desk and bureau moved, she set her sights on the bed. For now, she’d push it up against the wall. No one needed to get in on the other side, and it would give her a little more open space.

Kiera turned the bed; thankful the darn thing slid so well on the area rug, and found a single white sock hiding underneath. Gray’s.

As she’d done with the rest of his stuff, she tossed the sock in the trash. They hadn’t been together that long, yet she kept finding his stuff everywhere. Little reminders that sent thoughts of him back into focus. Yesterday, she’d found the extra winter gloves he’d left behind. The day before that, the razor he’d left in her bathroom had set off tears for an hour. She hoped she didn’t find any more of his belongings.

With the other furniture moved, she started pushing the nightstand back into place. A sound downstairs caught her attention and she paused, trying to identify it. Before she could, Kiera heard another sound that she recognized, and froze. Her apartment door had just closed.

Kiera looked around for anything she could use as a weapon. When nothing useful appeared, she hoped she remembered a little of what she learned in her women’s self defense class. She patted her pockets.

Fudge. Her phone was downstairs.

Well, she couldn’t stay up here and get cornered. She had to make a run for it.

She prepared to sprint down the stairs, her heart racing so fast her chest hurt.

“Good, you’re home.” Gray appeared at the bottom of the stairs and she fell to her knees.

Gray might be a cheating jerk, but he wouldn’t physically hurt her.

“You scared the hell out of me.” Kiera put her hand over her racing heart and stood up, her legs a little wobbly. “Did you forget how to knock?”

“Sorry. You haven’t answered any of my calls, and I didn’t think you would let me in.”

Well, he got that right. “If you’re here for the things you left behind, give me a minute and I’ll get them.”

“That’s not why I’m here. I need to talk to you.” He came up the stairs toward her.

“Well, I don’t need to talk to you.” If she knew it wouldn’t kill him, she’d push him back down the stairs.

“Please, Kiera.” He raked a hand through his hair. “I only want to talk and work things out between us. I miss you.”

She missed him too, but she’d never tell him that. “There’s nothing to talk about, Gray. You’re free to see anyone you want. Have a great life.”

“I can’t accept that.” He came toward her and took her hands. “You love me as much as I love you. We’ll work through this.”

Tears gathered in her eyes, and she blinked to keep them from falling. “Correction, I loved you. Past tense. There’s nothing to work out.” She tugged her hands free. “Please go and leave your key here.”

She didn’t need any more surprise visits from him, and the building manager would charge her to change the locks.

“You don’t mean that.”

“I’ve never meant anything more. Go.”

His shoulders slumped. “If you change your mind, I moved into The Hillcrest yesterday.”

She watched him walk down the stairs. If he’d done almost anything else, she could forgive him. No one was perfect. Cheating… That, she couldn’t get past. She’d rather be alone than be with someone who cheated on her.

Kiera stood until she heard the door close downstairs. Confident that she was alone, she let the tears she’d held back flow. How she wished she’d never gone for lunch with Gray after Trent’s wedding. If she had declined the invitation, she could have saved herself so much heartache.

Life sucked. Gray rested his head in his hands. How had everything gone south so damn fast? One minute, they had been discussing wedding dates, and the next she was walking out the door on him. It all seemed like a bad dream. Unfortunately, he knew he was wide-awake. The constant ache in his chest reminded him twenty-four seven.

What was his next step? Today’s conversation proved she was as upset now as when she left their hotel room.

She still loved him. He knew she did. She might say otherwise, but Kiera couldn’t turn her emotions on and off like that. She only said she didn’t love him to either protect herself or hurt him. Or both. It didn’t matter. He needed her to believe him. It looked like in order to make that happen, though, he would need to tell her the truth about his work with the Agency. Something he couldn’t do yet.

The wait until he could was going to kill him.

He needed some fresh air. He yanked the door open and came face to face with his brother.

“You moved in,” Trent said, his hand up as if about to knock. “Addie said she saw you in the lobby when she left this morning.”

“I moved in a few days ago. I guess I didn’t see her down there.”

His older brother looked happy. The way he’d felt the night Kiera accepted his proposal.

“Are you going to let me in?”

He could use a distraction. “Yeah, sure.”

Gray walked back toward the kitchen. Other than the bedroom, it was the only area that had furniture.

“Going for the minimalist look?” Trent paused in the living room before he joined Gray in the kitchen. “You and Kiera can stay with us if you want until this place is ready.”

“I’ve got furniture coming tomorrow.”

“Addie wanted me to invite you two up for dinner tonight.”

One word described how he viewed a night with his happily married brother. Hell.

“Thanks, but I’ll pass.”

“If Kiera’s working, how about tomorrow? She might like some company besides you. I know I would.”

“Go to hell.” He should’ve shut the door in his brother’s face rather than let him in.

Trent shot him a dirty look. “For someone who just got engaged, you’re in a foul mood. Did Kiera kick you to the dog house already?”

Why had he ever told Trent he planned on proposing?

In Gray’s head, his fist made contact with Trent’s face but his brother didn’t deserve the brunt of his frustration, so he kept his hands clasped together. “Get lost.”

“What’s up your ass? I’m joking with you.”

Gray knew that, and most days he’d appreciate his brother’s company. Today he didn’t have the patience.

“It’s been a rough week.”

“Did she say no?” Trent asked, all humor gone from his voice.

“She said yes and the next day gave me back the ring.”

“Did she say why?”

“She thinks I cheated on her.”

Trent glared at him and crossed his arms. “Did you?”

This time Gray did make a fist. “What do you think?”

“I don’t know. She must have had a reason to think that.”

Oh, she had a reason all right. “Go home, Trent. This doesn’t concern you.”

Trent remained seated. “Kiera’s a good friend. She deserves better than you screwing around behind her back.”

He slammed his fist down on the counter. “I never cheated on her.”

“What happened?”

“I’ve been working with Nadia Danilova on a project. Kiera saw some pictures of me and Nadia at a party together.”

“Nadia—”

“It was completely innocent, but it didn’t look that way.”

“Gray, we don’t have plans for any new hotels in Russia.” Trent’s eyes narrowed. “Just what were you doing with Nadia?”

“You’ve had your butt down here in Providence since the summer. You don’t know what new projects are going on anymore.” This would be so much easier if he could just tell his brother the whole truth.

“Maybe you’re right.” Trent appeared unconvinced as he stood up. “If there is anything I can do let me know. We’ll eat around six if you change your mind about dinner.”

He’d make lousy company tonight. He might subject his brother to that, but not his sister-in-law. He’d stay home, order some takeout, and wallow in his own misery alone.

What had possessed her to move furniture alone? Kiera rubbed her lower back. Again today she was paying the price for her silly idea. The worse part was, it hadn’t helped. She still thought of Gray every time she walked into the bedroom.

“You look as if your dog died,” Erica said as she passed through the kitchen.

“Just one of those days, Erica.”

The waitress picked up the meals she needed. “I know what you mean. At least we’re almost done.”

“True.” She’d prepared her last meal for the night. The kitchen closed in five minutes.

When Pierre had called and asked her to come in early to work Robin’s lunch shift in addition to her own, she’d agreed. She’d had no other plans. After an afternoon and evening in the kitchen though, she was looking forward to a shower and a comfortable bed.

Unless she had another night like last night, then she’d have a hot shower and hours on the couch watching television to look forward to.

She didn’t get it. People were supposed to sleep a lot when they were unhappy. She’d hardly slept at all since her return from Anguilla, and it was catching up to her. That afternoon, she’d put sugar instead of salt into the cream sauce she’d made. Only by accident, had she discovered her mistake before it was served. Yesterday at home, she’d cut herself while chopping onions, a task she could usually do blindfolded. If she missed much more sleep, she’d either maim herself or get herself fired. At this point, she didn’t know which was worse.

Kiera turned off the stove and tried to think more positive thoughts. She had tomorrow off, and it was supposed to be a beautiful day.

“Are you working tomorrow?” Phyllis, a co-worker, asked as she stopped next to Kiera’s car after work.

“No, I have tomorrow and Tuesday off. I’ll be here Wednesday night.”

“I guess I won’t see you again until next week. Tuesday starts my vacation. Have a good week.”

Kiera unlocked her car door. “You, too. Have fun.”

Phyllis got into a car and leaned over to kiss the driver.

The nagging ache in Kiera’s chest tightened. She rubbed a hand over her heart and wished the pain would turn to hate. Hate would be much easier to handle, and she wanted to hate Gray. He’d betrayed her and destroyed their friendship. The stupid emotion refused to come no matter how many times she reminded herself of what he had done.

“No more thoughts of him tonight,” Kiera said. If she said the words enough, her mind might listen eventually. “Think about a hot shower.” She started the car and cranked up the radio.

She started singing the chorus of the song on the radio when her phone interrupted her. Gray’s name showed up in bright white letters. They hadn’t talked since the day he showed up at her loft.

Kiera reached for the phone the same way she would a rattlesnake, but it stopped ringing before she could answer it or decline the call. Before she could put the phone down, it rang again. This time she hit decline. “Please don’t ring again.”

Her plea went unheard.

“Hello.”

“I didn’t wake you, did I? I thought you’d be on your way home from work.”

Gray’s voice washed over her, dragging up the emotions she’d been pushing down every day since their vacation.

“I’m driving home now. What do you want?”

He didn’t answer right away, and she wondered if she’d lost the call.

“Kiera, I need to see you. There are things I need to explain.”

“There’s nothing more to say, Gray. Just leave me alone.” A few tears rolled down her cheeks.

“That’s not true. Give me an hour. That’s all I’m asking.”

Did she hear desperation in his voice? No, it was probably guilt. Well, at least he felt that well deserved emotion.

“Fine. One hour that’s it. I’ll meet you at Ambrosia on Benefit Street tomorrow.” She didn’t want him at her place or anywhere near it.

“The things I need to explain, I can’t say there.”

“Where then? Not at my apartment or yours.”

“I need you to come to DC. I’m here now.”

He’d lost his mind. He wanted to talk but expected her to travel. “No. We can meet whenever you get back.”

“I’m asking a lot, but please we need to have this conversation at the White House. Come down here and let me explain. Afterward, I’ll leave you alone if you want. You have my promise. I’ll pay for you to fly down. If you want, I’ll ask Jake to pick you up at the airport instead of me. He can drive you back later too.”

The White House? “Why there?”

“It just has to be.”

He had her intrigued. “You’ll stop bothering me? No more phone calls or surprise visits?”

“If that’s what you want.”

“It is.” Kiera wiped another tear away. “Fine. I’ll come and talk to you for an hour. Afterward I’m coming home. Alone, Gray. Understand?”

“Thank you.”

The two words had her taking a deep breath so that she didn’t lose it.

“I can make the plane reservations for you.”

“No. I’ll handle it myself. Just tell me what airport I should fly into.” She didn’t want anything from him, which reminded her of the money he’d left on her table. “Did you get back the money you left for my flight home from Anguilla? I mailed it to you.”

“Yes. I wish you had kept it.”

“I don’t want anything from you. Now, what airport should I fly into?

“Reagan National. When you have your flight info, text it to me. I’ll make sure Jake picks you up.”

“Fine.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow. I love you.”

The tenderness and passion in his voice poured through the line. Man, he was a good actor.

“Goodbye, Gray.”