Chapter 0164
How… strange. Where did Dawn from HR disappear to?
Perhaps she realized she had the wrong time and place when she was standing alone outside the office. I would have been pretty embarrassed about that too. Not embarrassed enough to leave without explaining myself but….
Dawn was so achingly professional, it seemed odd for her to just up and vanish.
Well, no matter. One way or another, she was gone now and I could get to work. I returned to Logan’s office.
“You take care of that HR rep for me?” Logan asked.
“She’s gone,” I said.
“Good.” Logan motioned me closer. When I walked toward him, he lifted his gaze to mine once more. “We have to be careful here at the office.”
“I know,” I said. “We will.”
Logan nodded. Yet as his gaze drifted away, back to his computer screen, I noticed it made a detour down to the front of my blouse first.
I crossed my arms and gave him a flat look.
“What?” he asked, brows rising.
“I’m not the only one who has to be careful,” I said. “In fact, it’s you who has to be the most cautious. You have so much to lose, Logan.”
Doubt began to coil up from the debts of my heart, curling uncomfortably around my insides. Maybe a relationship with Logan was impossible. For the sake of his job and mine.
I almost had enough money saved up for a deposit on an apartment. My couch surfing days were over. I couldn’t afford to forfeit this income.
nearly
“Don’t worry,” Logan said. With the desk between us, we weren’t exactly close. Yet his words and his soft gaze wrapped around me like a warm comforting blanket. “It’s going to be okay.”
I trusted him, so I trusted his assurance. The tight colls in my chest slowly loosened, “Okay,” I said.
Logan checked his watch. “I better get to this meeting
“Is it just with HR?” I asked. I hadn’t had a chance to look at today’s schedule yet.
“No, it’s all the department heads.” Logan began shuffling some paperwork together. When he had a nice- sized pile, he stuffed it all into a folder and stood.
Walking past me, he flashed me a smile. “Keep an eye on things here, won’t you?”
I gave him a smile of my own. “Yes, Sir.”
His smile shifted then, as the heat in his eyes kicked up a notch. He swallowed thickly, “I need to go.
+25 BONUS
Chapter 0164
He was already at the door. I didn’t know why he hesitated. “Then go.”
His gaze dropped to my mouth and I understood. I licked my lips, and he swallowed again.
“From now on,” he said, “Don’t wear lipstick.”
That… was not what I expected him to say right now. “Why?”
“Because then there won’t be any evidence if I kiss you.” With that, he walked out the door and left me staring after him.
As soon as he was gone, I rushed to the bathroom to wipe off my lipstick.
“I sat at my desk, put my items away, and started my day in earnest. I had the usual pile of emails and
messages to sort through. Logan had a laundry list of dates and times for me to add to his calendar. And I had a few calls to make to set up meetings for him.
Typical workday things
A half–hour into my day, and the landline on my desk began to ring. I promptly answered it.
“Hello?”
“Hazel.” Logan spoke with his CEO voice, the one that meant all business, while also giving me secret shivers. I pushed those impure thoughts away for the moment, knowing he wouldn’t call during a meeting unless it was something important.
“How can I help you, Sir?” I asked, sticking to professionalism. I could be on speakerphone.
“Go into my desk and see if you can find the report on the Office Supply client that I printed last night. It’s not with my other files.”
“Right away, Sir.”
“Good. Then bring it here.”
“I’ll be right there.”
“Great. Thanks.” The line went dead. At least I got a thank you, if not a goodbye.
I returned the phone to the cradle, and then went into Logan’s office. He’d taken all of the loose papers from his desktop, so the missing file had to be in one of his drawers. I opened one of the ends first, but only found some loose supplies: a stapler, some empty folders, a carton of pencils and pens.
I closed that drawer and moved to the center one. If I wanted to keep something important handy, that’s where I would have put it. There were a few papers here, so I lifted them to shuffle through, searching for the correct file.
As I shuffled, a small rectangular photo fell down from the pile and onto the floor near the chair.
Knowing a photo wasn’t what I was looking for, I continued to search the papers.
“A–ha!” I said in victory as I finally found the report Logan meant, printed yesterday. I placed that report on his desktop as I returned the others to the drawer. Then I dropped into a crouch to reach for the lonel photo that had fallen. Moving the chair out of the way, grabbed the photo and stood.
Chapter 0164
+25 BONUS
The photo was a somewhat grainy and fuzzy picture of a woman wearing a ring. The ring was the only thing in focus.
I stilled. I knew that ring.
It looked a hell of a lot like the one I had woken up wearing in Vegas. That had to be coincidence. Maybe there were a lot of giant rings like that. Could it be some kind of style in the more well–to–do circles?
The woman, however, also kind of looked like me…
No. That had to be a coincidence too. There were plenty of blonde girls walking around.
I flipped the photo over and saw writing on the back in Logan’s handwriting.
Wife, it read, followed by a date I knew well. That night I’d blacked out in Vegas and woke up married.
It was a coincidence. It had to be.
Maybe this wasn’t even the same ring. I hadn’t seen it since Natalie claimed it as her own.
I needed to put this picture back where I found it and go on with my day. Logan was waiting on me to deliver this report. I’m shirking my responsibilities by spending so much time gawking at a private photo that I had no right to see.
Still, I couldn’t help but gawk.
This woman in the photo looked too much like me, and that ring looked too much like the ring I had been given by my mystery husband.
And what did Logan mean, Wife? Was this his wife?
My head spun; I was starting to feel dizzy.
Put the photo back in the desk, I ordered myself.
Instead, I put it into my pocket.
Shaking away the thoughts for now, I grabbed the report and left the office.
When I saw Logan, I pretended nothing was wrong. He met me at the door of the meeting room and accepted the report.
“Thanks,” he said. Then the door closed behind him, separating us.
I didn’t tell him I was a thief. But the photo weighed heavy in my pocket.
I needed to consult my friends about this. Then I’d put it back.
He’d never know it was gone.
