Her Guardians: Her Guardians Trilogy Book 1 (39 page)

“No, sir.
We’re not.”

“And why not?”

“It’s complicated.”

He laughed
. “Isn’t it always?”

I laugh
ed with him, thinking he must know from experience.

“This complication,” he said, interrupting our laughter.
“It hasn’t got anything to do with a certain Mr. Andrews, does it?”

I gasped a little
. “How did you know?”

“I’ve seen you two together.
It’s not hard to see.”

I sunk my bottom on the side of the desk.
“Oh, god…”

I buried my head in my hands. If he had noticed, so had others. No wonder I seem to be getting a reputation around here.

“I didn’t mean to upset you with it.
I would actually like to help you. You’ve helped me more than enough. It’s the least I could do.”

He paused
for a moment, scanning my face. “Listen, maybe here is not the place. Did you book that lunch appointment?”

Taking a couple of deep breaths
, I nodded. “Yes.”

“Good.
We’ll speak then. Are there any messages?”

“Funnily enough, no.”
I frowned a little, wondering how that was possible.

“That’s probably because they were all calling me on my mobile,” he said, laughing.
“It hasn’t stopped.”

Just
as he said this, his phone rang again. “See?” He threw his hands up in exasperation.

With the laughter coming
, I watched as he disappeared into his office and shut the door.

The silence soon rained upon the room as I moved around the desk and sat down.
Touching my lips, I could still feel the lasting effects of Stephen’s wonderful kiss. I was feeling so upset and was beside myself with horror before that kiss. Stephen had somehow completely erased it from my head. I felt grateful to him for that, but now that he had, it made my decision that much more paramount.

I had to think of what I was going to do
, and it had to be soon. I was hurting everyone with my indecision, even though I felt like I didn’t really deserve to have a decision to make. I didn’t deserve to have a choice.

Choice
…that seemed like an ugly word to me now. What choice did I have when I would selfishly be taking them away from where they belonged? I couldn’t seem to help myself, though. I needed them like I needed fresh air. It was as clear to me now as it ever was, but it was only now that I finally realised it.

It took another thirty minutes of
waiting before Simon came out of his office. He smiled brightly and asked if I was ready to go.

O
nce at the restaurant, Simon recommended the lasagne so that’s what I ordered. With the orders taken, we settled in and waited on our food.

“So, how has it
been since yesterday?” I was eager to hear the news.

He sighed
heavily, but managed to brandish half a smile. “Not great. Molly won’t talk to me. It’s ironic, really. He took her when she was a child but, somehow, I’m the monster.”

“It won’t last forever.
” I offered him a gentle smile. “This Justin guy has obviously managed to brainwash her. He’s had years to do it, remember. He’s practically all she’s ever known. I bet he has made it so that she couldn’t possibly live without him.”

Simon nodded and played with
the glass in front of him. “She’s actually got people talking to her now. From what I know so far, he held her in the basement for quite some time. I spoke to an expert and they said she must have been scared to death. She probably thought she was going to die, but he must have showed her some acts of kindness. Molly would have been so appreciative towards him for keeping her alive that she actually started to form a bond with him. It was the same thing you had said. It all sounds so ridiculous but, apparently, it happens.”

“I know it does.
It sounds ridiculous to you and me, but it’s normal for Molly. I’m assuming Caroline is his?”

“Yes.
That just adds more complications to it all. He’s her dad and she can’t understand why he has been taken away from her. It’s all one big mess.”

Placing my hand on his arm
, I looked him in the eye. “I’m not going to tell you that what you have ahead of you is going to be easy. I think you know that more than I do, but you know she is alive, and you know that she is safe. One day, with some much needed therapy, she will come around. I’m sure of it. But at least you have found her now.”

“A
nd I have you to thank for that.” His smile was heart-warming and it made me feel good.

“I’d do it again in
a heartbeat.”

Our drinks
came soon after that, causing us to move onto other subjects.

“So,
if you don’t mind me asking, what is the deal with you, Stephen, and Michael?”

I sigh
ed. “Well, as I said, it’s complicated.”

“Do you like them both?”

“Yes.” I thought it best to be honest.

“I can see how that would complicate matters.
From what I know of each of them, they’re both good men. Do you know what you’re going to do?”

“Well, at the moment
, I keep thinking I need time to think, but every time I try to put some distance between us, they both throw themselves back into my life and complicate matters even further.”

“You are a very attractive lady, Cassie.
I can see why they would find it hard. I’m not saying that in a creepy way, just so you know. I’m married and my wife is my life, but I’m not blind.”

“Thanks—I think.”
I giggled into my drink, almost spilling some.

He laughed
right back at me. “Why don’t you make a list?”

“Excus
e me?”

“Make a list of the pros and cons of each of them and see who comes up
on top.”

I pulled my head back in shock.
“That sounds horrible.”

“I know it does, but they don’t have to know.
At the end of the day, it might help you to decide on what you want. You must realise that you can’t go on like this, stringing them both on.”

“Yes.
” I sighed, looking down at the table. “I know all too well.”

“Have you thought about breaking it off with them?”

I must have looked completely beside myself because he didn’t wait for my answer before he continued, “I take that as a no then. You obviously have some strong feelings for them. I must say, I don’t envy you in this situation. I just hope you make the right choice that will make you truly happy.”

“Thank you, sir.
That’s kind.”

“We’re not at work now, Cassie.
You don’t have to be so formal with me.”

“I know.
It just feels strange calling you Simon.”

He smiled
again. “I bought my wife a little present—well…two, actually.”

I grinned back
, glad for the change in subject. “Oh, yes?”

He placed his hand is
his pocket, placing a little wrapped box on the table. The way he looked at it would make you think it was a treasure bestowed upon him.

“I’ve jumped
the gun a bit, but I couldn’t help myself. It’s a pregnancy test kit.”

“Oh.
” I looked down at the present, raising my eyebrow.

“She’s still late,
but she still doesn’t want to take it. I think she will be frightened of the disappointment. We’ve been trying so hard, but it’s never happened. We’ve had a couple of false alarms along the way, and I think my wife is too scared to go back there again.”

“Well, she can’t hide it for much longer.
She will have to know one way or the other, just to put your minds at rest.” I paused for a moment. “What was the other gift you got her?”

He looked
at me a moment, frowning. Suddenly, his features changed when he remembered. Digging in his other pocket, he pulled out five pieces of rock candy and laid them on the table.

My laughter erupted at the sight
, which took up one-half of Simon’s side of the table. “She’s going to love you for that.”

“Well
, let’s just hope she loves me for the other gift.”

“If you’re there to hold her hand, I’m sure she’ll be okay.”

With our smiles shining brightly, the waiter walked up with our meals, and the smell had me salivating. It looked equally gorgeous so I was keen to taste it.

“How’s the
lasagne?”

“
Mmm…lovely, thank you,” I said after the first bite. “A bit hot, though.” I took a swig of water as Simon sat there chuckling.

“I’m sorry I threw you into the lion’s den this morning.
I was hoping Ruth would be there to help you but, as you already know, she’s sick. Hopefully, she will be back tomorrow. She knows how important this week is for you.”

“That’s fine,” I offered
, trying to relieve the pressure. “It really hasn’t been hard at all. It looks like you took the brunt of it today.”

“Yes, well
, that’s what happens when you give too many people your mobile instead of just keeping it to a landline. I suppose I’ve always been that way.” Pausing for a moment, he took a bite. “I’m going to have to apologise again to you. After this lunch, I’m going back home. Our family has taken quite a bit of a shock since yesterday, and it’s only fair that I should be there for them. I’m not sure I’ll be in tomorrow, either. That’s another reason why I want Ruth to be there with you.”

“It’s really okay if s
he’s not, Simon. I will answer all your calls and, unless it’s really urgent, I will take a message. It can be as simple as that if you want.”

“Sounds great.
I just don’t want anyone putting you on the spot.”

“I’m sure I can handle a few phone calls.”

With a nod of his head and a quick bite of his lasagne, he smiled. “I’m sure you can.”

Chapter 19

Later in the day, Kali popped her head through the door of my new office and smiled. “Look who we have here.”

“Hi
, Kali. How’s it been going today? Does everyone hate me?”

“Nah, don’t worry about that
. You did good to get here, girl. What did you do? Give the Chief a blow job or something?”

“Kali!”
I scolded, but I was laughing along with her. I knew she didn’t mean anything by it. It was just her nature.

“Seriously
, though, how has it been?”

“Good so far.
Because the Chief has some personal stuff at home to attend to, I’m kind of left on my own. Hopefully, Ruth will be here tomorrow so she can show me the ropes.

“
Anyway, enough about me, how are you and Hamish doing?” As I raised my eyebrow, she laughed.

“Okay.”
A big, mischievous grin appeared on her face. “He’s a little pussycat at work, but a lion in bed.” She stuck her tongue out slightly and winked.

Just as Kali was about to elaborate,
the one and only walked through the door. “Kali, I’ve been looking for you. I know you must be finished for the day and I wanted to ask you out for a drink.”

He stood
there, scratching his head a little. He looked a little nervous, but it was quite adorable.

It was kind of funny to think
that shy Hamish was an animal in bed. I had to chuckle a little.

“Sorry, Hamish.
I was actually in here to ask Cassie the same thing. We haven’t caught up in a while and I would like to go out with her. What do you say, Cassie?” She turned her attention back to me.

“Sounds great.”

“Good. I’ll see you later, though, Hamish.” She purred the words seductively at him.

“Okay,
Kitten.” He smiled from ear-to-ear. “Text me when you’re ready.”