Bite Me (The Transfigured Ones Book 2) (14 page)

Chapter Fifteen

Magnus walked down the hallway and poked his head into Caroline's office. Where the hell was she? He'd checked in the bar, the stock room. Hell, he'd even knocked on the door of the secret booze closet.

Finally he knocked on Lilly's doorframe. “Lilly. Any idea where Caroline is? We were supposed to have lunch.”

When she looked up at him, he realized she was pissed off. “Not a clue.”

Magnus held up his hands in apology. “No worries. Sorry to interrupt.”

Had she gone upstairs without him? Maybe. She wasn't anywhere down here, and she hadn't answered his texts earlier. Jesus. What if she'd fainted?

There hadn't been an incident since the first time she'd passed out but it was really unlike her to not answer her phone or texts. He pressed the button for the service elevator impatiently and tapped his foot.

He was seriously considering taking the stairs when it finally arrived. He punched the button for the fifteenth floor. Luckily, this particular service elevator didn't get a whole lot of action these days. It was mostly just for use by the staff delivering room service, or when he, Lilly or Talan came down to the restaurant.

When the car stopped and the doors slid open, he quickly rushed toward his apartment, worry getting the best of him. He was almost at a run by the time he reached the door. Sliding his access card, he opened the door and called, “Caroline? Love?”

No answer.

He walked down the hallway, checking each room before he went into the bedroom. His eye caught the closet door, half-open. The shelves on her side had been cleared. That was odd. A check in the bathroom proved that her things were no longer in it. What in the fuck was going on? 

He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Caroline's number. After a few rings it went to her voice mail. He wandered into the living room and that was when he spotted her key on the counter. Had she left him?

An ache in his chest, he walked to the counter and saw the print out. Picking it up, he read the byline. Kathleen's article? What did this have to do with anything? And then he started to read it.

“Oh bloody hell,” he murmured. There were several misquotes and a few out-and-out lies. He'd never even spoken of the argument with Caroline's parents. And if he had, it wouldn't have been in that way! He'd nearly fallen apart himself when she'd cried on him in the shower. To give a quote like that would have been bloody cruel.  How could she even think he'd do that?

The  more he read, the worst it got. Kathleen had well and truly fucked him. She used every single piece of information he'd given her against him. His hands were shaking when he picked up the phone. He dialed Caroline again. And this time it went directly to voice mail.

“Caroline. Love. Please call me back. We really need to talk. It's not at all what it looks like. Please. Call me when you get this. I need to explain. I love you. Bye.”

Magnus hung up the phone and sank down onto the couch. Caroline left him. He worried that eventually their differences might split them up. Instead it was some stupid bloody woman that he hadn't thought about in years. A random ex-employee that really knew how to hold a grudge, apparently.

Kathleen had left him with a business card. He'd stuck it in a drawer along with the rest of the cards he'd gotten over the years. Perhaps it was time to give her a call. She'd made a statement with her bullshit article, so now it would be his turn to talk.

Striding down the hallway with new purpose, he opened the desk drawer and pulled the stack of business cards, flipping through until he found hers. He was so angry his hand was nearly shaking when he dialed.

After a few rings, he heard Kathleen's voice over the line. “Hello?”

“Kathleen. It's Magnus.”

She gave a quick laugh and said, “I thought I'd be hearing from you. Liked my article, did you? I bet Caroline did too, right?”

“So clearly there were some hard feelings,” he said, his anger barely held in check.

“After I left because you were too stubborn to promote a woman, I was out of work for months. With your shitty references, I had to work in a fucking doughnut shop. You ruined my life, Magnus!”

Magnus snorted. “You think I didn't promote you because you're a woman? That had nothing to do with it.”

“That's bullshit, Magnus. Never once in your career have you ever promoted a woman.”

“You're not a very good reporter either. Then again, you're not too focused on the facts. My current sous chef is named Veronica. She started out my line making bloody salads. She worked hard and learned. All you ever did was bloody talk about how you thought things should be done.”

At her silence he went on, “Now that you royally fucked up my relationship, is that going to get you the promotion you wanted? Will you sleep better at night now knowing she won't even answer my calls?”

“I won't feel guilty about this, Magnus. You were an arrogant asshole and you haven't changed a bit. So, fuck you.”

“I don't want you to feel guilty about this. Clearly it was a long time coming. Every time you get that satisfied little smirk on your face, thinking about how you fucked up my relationship, I want you to remember this, though. I didn't bloody promote you because you weren't a leader. You're supposed to lead by example. I run a tight ship and demand the best from my workers. I'm also the first to get there and the last to go home every day. I give my best every single fucking day I'm in the kitchen. I would do just about anything to make sure that the kitchen is running well. As for your bad reference I'd like to remind you that you walked out on me mid-shift in a tantrum. In the decade or so that you were waiting to get your revenge on the big bad misogynist, it didn't occur to you that you might've been the problem?

That
is why you would have been a terrible leader. It was obvious then and clearly that hasn't fucking changed. So why don't you stew over that for the next decade or so?”

Magnus disconnected the phone, and was tempted to throw it at the wall. Instead, he took a deep breath and checked the time. Then he dialed Caroline once more and was sent immediately to voice mail.

“Fuck!”

Yep. That pretty much summed up everything.

****

“Look, Magnus. Enough is enough. You've been bouncing between angry and depressed for the last week and a half. What gives?” Veronica asked.

“Bugger off,” he said, as he frenched a rack of lamb. She continued to watch him until he finally stopped shearing the meat and sinew off the bone long enough to give her a glare. “I mean it!”

“Put the damn knife down and talk to me, Magnus. You're starting to scare me.”

“Don't you have some bloody work to be doing?”

She gave him one last disappointed look and then said, “Yes, Chef.”

Goddammit. She'd only been trying to help.

He worked, watching her for the next few minutes. Her usual sunny countenance was gone. She looked... hurt.

Now he felt guilty on top of every other fucking thing he was feeling right now. Rubbing his forearm against the bridge of his nose in frustration, he yelled. “Veronica. Walk-in. Now.”

“Yes, Chef,” she answered, setting down her own knife and heading toward the walk-in cooler.

He followed her in and said, “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be a prick. Caroline and I split up. I'm hanging on by a bloody thread. Please don't badger me about it.”

“Oh God, I'm sorry. I hadn't seen her around, but I didn't realize. What did you do?”

Magnus glared at her. “See. This is what I meant. I don't want to—”

“You're a mess, Magnus. You're snapping at everyone. You're not paying attention. You cut yourself the other night. When was the last time you did that?”

He responded to her question with one of his own. “I think she might have been gone by the time you started, but you remember the stories about Kathleen Church, right?”

“Uhm, yeah. She was a cautionary tale. I got most of the story. What does she have to do with any of this though?”

“Well... the other day, she interviewed me. She's a food writer now. She was perfectly friendly. I thought maybe she'd gotten over the whole business. Obviously, she moved on to something she's more suited at, right?”

Veronica gave him a cautious nod.

“She took the information I gave her, what she probably overheard at the party, and made me look really bad. She basically quoted me as saying that the whole menu and drink pairing was my idea, that I had worked on the drinks because the flavor combinations were off. She made it look like I tore apart Caroline professionally. And personally. I'm sure you heard about the scene at the party, right? Her parents showed up. They're not nice people. It was pretty nasty. Kathleen said that I called it embarrassing and inappropriate in the workplace. None of that is true.”

“Wow.”

“I know. When I called her to confront her about it, she told me she thought the reason she didn't get promoted is because she was a woman. I told her about you and she shut right up. She told me she wouldn't let me make her feel guilty about ruining my bloody relationship. I told her in great detail why she was never promoted. It was nice to be able to tell her off. None of that makes it any better, though. It hurts to even get out of bed.”

Veronica snorted. “You're not sexist.”

“I'm many things, but that's not one of them,” he agreed.

“Did you explain that to Caroline?”

“Oh, wow! Why didn't I think of that?” he asked sourly.

“Cut the crap, Magnus.”

He rubbed a hand over his face and said, “Sorry. Sorry. Christ. You're right. I'm a fucking mess. I tried to call her but she won't take my calls. I don't want to create an issue for her here. I don't just want to show up at her house because that's... stalkerish.”

“She didn't even let you explain?”

“To be fair, Kathleen weaved enough of my egocentric bullshit into it, that it made for very believable reading. With the other personal stuff she has going on, I can see why she'd assume.”

Veronica held up a hand. “Wait. You're not giving her a free pass on this, are you? She didn't even let you explain the situation to her. That's not fair.”

“I'm hurt. She's just taken what this random woman said over everything I hope that I've shown her about myself. I'm pissed off. I can't bloody do anything about it. I'm not even sure I'd want to, either,” he admitted.

Veronica merely raised an eyebrow. Her expression clearly said, “Yeah, right,” but wisely she said nothing.

“So that's what's wrong with me. Now you know. Please just back off and let me get through the day.”

She held up her hands and said, “If you need anything, I'm here.”

Veronica was right. He'd been going back and forth between depression and being angry pretty regularly. He needed to figure out how to fix things between he and Caroline or he needed to know how to bloody forget her. He couldn't take much more of this.

Chapter Sixteen

The bar was quiet right now, which suited Caroline's mood perfectly. There were a few couples, but it was exceedingly slow. Even for a Sunday night. She rearranged the bottles on the shelf. Poor Cody Lee had clearly been slammed during the early afternoon because the bottles weren't even close to being in the right order.

Pulling a completely empty bottle down, she read the label and then tossed it. After a quick glance around the bar, she slipped into the storage closet to get a replacement. When she turned around after locking the door, she gasped. “Jesus. You scared the crap out of me.”

“Sorry!” Veronica smiled, holding up her hands. “Didn't intend to scare you. Do you, uh, have a minute to talk?”

Well, she didn't go for the throat, so that was a good sign. She wasn't under any illusions that Veronica was here to make friends. This had to be about Magnus and she really didn't want to talk about any of it. She was just trying to get by without crying. Caroline couldn't bring herself to be outright rude. Instead she waved a hand at the empty bar and said, “Let me just get all these thirsty customers taken care of...”

Veronica looked around and smiled. “Yeah. Looks like you're slammed.”

“So dead. All night.”

“The kitchen's not much better. Magnus has us cleaning grease traps to kill the time. Have you ever cleaned one of those?”

Caroline grimaced and shook her head no.

“You're lucky,” she advised. “But, we both know I'm here to talk about Magnus. Caroline. He's broken.”

“Broken? I'm broken. He took credit for my work and completely humiliated me over a personal matter that was humiliating enough beforehand.”

“Do you really, really believe he'd say that stuff? He's completely in love with you. Do you think that little of him?”

“I didn't, at first. It seemed so out of character that I actually spoke with the interviewer about it. She offered to let me listen to the recordings of their conversation. It was a little difficult to think the best of him once she offered me proof. Look. I'm heartsick over this. I'm not eating right. I can't sleep. I'm a mess too. I'm sorry your friend is upset, but I can't talk about this-”

“Then just listen to me. I'm going to tell you a story then, and we'll see whether it helps or not, okay?”

Annoyed now, Caroline threw her hands in the air and said, “Sure. Why not?”

Ignoring her snide remark, Veronica spoke. “A few years before I worked with Magnus, there was a woman that worked at the restaurant. Smart. Talented. Totally shitty as a leader. She was rude, argumentative, and didn't really inspire anyone to want to follow her. So she gets passed over for a few promotions, rightly so. Then she makes a huge scene in the middle of Saturday night dinner service and just walks out in the middle of a shift. It was so bad that when someone disagreed with Magnus on the line when I first started, everyone else would accuse them of pulling a Kathleen. It was Kathleen Church. That's the woman who you spoke to. She thought Magnus was a misogynist and that's why she never got a promotion. She ended up at some crappy doughnut shop and took the blame out on him.”

“Wait, so this was over ten years ago. You're telling me Kathleen held a grudge for this long and took it out on him by trashing me? That's completely insane.”

Veronica nodded. “Absolutely. And you'd already know that if you had asked him.”

Caroline held up a hand. “When a reporter offers you recordings, I'd consider that empirical evidence. I didn't ask for them because I couldn't bear to hear him say any of what was written.”

Again, Veronica said, “You'd already know the truth if you would have asked him.”

“Not that this is any of your damn business,” Caroline explained, working up to some real anger, “but I've been being trashed by people that were supposed to love me my whole life. So you'll pardon if I wanted to skip hearing it from the only man I've ever loved.  I won't let you make me feel bad about that. I wasn't being a bitch. I was protecting myself for once.”

Veronica held up her hands in surrender. “That's between you and Magnus. For the love of God, talk to him.”

As Veronica turned to leave, Caroline felt the regret swamp her. “It was all lies?”

“'Fraid so, Caroline.”

Caroline watched as she walked away. A sick feeling in her gut, she dropped her chin against her chest. “Shit. Shit. Shit!”

****

Her hands shaking, she pushed through the swinging door of the kitchen. She'd waited in her office until she'd seen most of the staff go home. She took a look around to confirm Magnus was alone. Veronica was right. He looked so sad and she'd done that to him. It left a pit in her stomach.

“Magnus,” she said, tentatively.

“What?”

“I wondered if you had a minute to talk?” she asked.

The way that his body stiffened didn't bode very well for her. “Now you want to talk,” he asked, not even looking up from his task. “Shall I just drop what I'm doing now that you're ready?”

“I'll wait until you're done.” She chewed her lip nervously, watching him go through a range of emotions.

His hands kept working, but he was silent for so long that she was about to give up when he finally spoke. “Spoiler alert. I'm going to keep working until you leave.”

Her heart sank. “I'm sorry,” she said quietly.

“I don't care,” he said, looking up at her for the first time. His tone of voice was so cold. So monotone. It was like he'd completely shut down on her. And it was entirely her fault. That was the part that really stung.

So, she played the only card she had left. “Easy Mac.”

Magnus tossed the knife down and turned to fully face her. “What do you want from me? I've given you everything I have, Caroline. I don't have anything left!”

Her eyes filled with tears, but she blinked them back. “I'm sorry I hurt you. I'm sorry I didn't let you explain. That's all I wanted to say.”

When he stared blankly but said nothing, she gave him a sad smile and then turned to leave. She wiped at the first stupid tear drop as it hit her cheek. She just needed to make it outside and she'd have a good cry in her car. Every single step hurt but she couldn't make him listen. No matter how much she wanted him to, she couldn't make him care. Her tears began to flow, unchecked.

She was a few feet from the door when Magnus called out to her. “Goddammit. Stop. Don't go.”

Tears streaming down her face, she turned around to face him. “I'm so sorry. I didn't realize you knew her. I didn't know the history.”

“Veronica talked to you?” he asked.

“Yeah. I didn't really believe the article at first. There were pieces of you in it, but some of it didn't sound like you at all. Not the you that I knew. I was going to talk to you after work about it but I ended up talking to her first. She offered to let me listen to the recordings. There was no way I could have listened to it, so I took her at her word. Journalistic integrity and all of that.”

The hard expression on his face softened slightly. “Makes sense. I've got a very healthy self-esteem. Sometimes that translates into arrogance.”

In spite of the tears still running down her face, her lips twitched. “True.”

“I wish you would have talked to me.”

“I wish I would have, too. She told me that you hit on her at the end of the interview. According to her story, you told her she was much thinner than I was.”

Magnus cursed. “I really bloody hate that woman.”

“Yeah. I'm not a fan either. She basically managed to hit on both of my big issues and I totally let her do it. I'm not making excuses. I fucked up by not talking to you, but I wanted to explain it and to apologize. I'm sorry. I should have talked to you and I didn't.

He nodded. “I understand.”

She shrugged, no longer sure what to say. “So, good night, I guess.”

“What the hell? You say all that and then you leave?” Magnus asked.

Caroline miserably asked, “What else is there?”

“You called Easy Mac. There's dinner,” he said, his tone exasperated. “Have you forgotten how this works?”

“I didn't realize it was still an option. I screwed up really badly. I'm so sorry,” she said again.

“I forgive you. I'm sorry too. I should have kept calling, or come over, or sky written it. I was too proud and too stupid. Please come over here,” he pleaded, holding out his arms.

Before he could even finish the invitation, she flung herself at him. “Oh God, I missed this,” she admitted when his arms wrapped around her.

“Me too, love. Me too.” A moment later he hesitantly asked, “Are we done fighting now?”

“I hope so,” she said, both laughing and crying against him. “I love you so much, Magnus. I was having a hell of a time living without you.”

“I don't want you to. Ever. I love you too, Caroline.” He tilted her chin up and wiped the tears away. “No more of that. No more tears. Let me just put this crap away and we'll go upstairs.”

“Oh. You don't wanna keep on working till I leave now?” she asked, arching an eyebrow.

“I'm not letting you go again, love. I've decided I'm keeping you. It turns out I'm miserable without you,” he explained.

“I've been a mess, too. Not sleeping right. Not eating well. In fact,” she admitted, mopping at her face. “I have a small confession to make.”

“Okay...”

She could see the hesitation in his face, so she blurted. “I ate cold ravioli from a can last night.”

“Caroline!” he cried, his voice equal parts censure and shock.

“In my defense, my entire apartment is basically packed up at this point.” When she spotted his confused look, she reminded him, “Our fight didn't stop my whole moving at the end of the month thing. I just had to find somewhere else to go.”

“And did you?” he asked quietly.

She nodded. “Yep. I'm supposed to put down my deposit and sign in the morning.”

His expression sober, he said, “I wish you wouldn't, love. You should move in with me like we'd planned.”

“Are you sure? If you wanted to wait, I would understand,” she said, her voice cracking.

“I know we have some things to work through, but I'd very much like you to move in while we do that. I don't want to wait, Caroline. I meant it when I said I was keeping you.”

“I'm so sorry I doubted you,” she repeated. She couldn't even find the words to express it properly.

“Sweetheart. Stop,” he ordered. “The only thing I need from you is a promise. If something like this happens again, ask me about it. If I fuck things up, or you think that I have, just talk to me. I'll never deliberately hurt you. I swear it.”

“I'll always talk to you,” she promised. “Oh, and yes. I'll move in.

“I'd like that.” Then he leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss. 

The entire time they were apart, her world had been washed in foggy gray. At night, when she was lying in bed alone, that was the worst, though. The loss and pain closed in on her like shadows. The cold practically seeped into her bones. She couldn't ever recall a time she'd felt more alone.

Magnus's touch chased the shadows away. When his lips touched hers, everything that had been so out of focus just... clicked back into place. His love warmed her and in that moment, she knew she was home.

The End

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