The Hardest Part (21 page)

"
Reed told me he bought it for you, but only after he did it. Once he's made up his mind, he's a very difficult man to reason with. He's just trying to be nice, Emily. You're reading too much into it."

Reading too much into it?
It was a twenty-three hundred dollar dress. "It just doesn't feel right."

"
Can I ask you something?" Lexi asked when I sat there staring at the table for a long minute.

I nodded.

She bit her lip, hesitating.
"Did something happen between the two of you?"

An ache hit my chest and I swallowed hard.
"Why? Did he say something?"

"
Well, he asks about you sometimes, and when I told him I was going dress shopping, he wanted to know if you would be there. Then, the other day, he asked me a really awkward question."

"
What's that?" I was pretty sure my heart was in my throat.

"
He asked if you were seeing anyone."

My mouth dropped open. What kind of question was that? Of course I wasn't seeing anyone. Would he really think I would’ve slept with him if I was seeing someone else?

"
Something did happen between the two of you, didn't it?" she asked. My eyes closed. This was such a mess
—
a mess I created. The last thing I wanted to do was make this a big deal. I didn't want what happened between Reed and me to interfere with my and Lexi's friendship.

"
When you and Brandon went out of town, when you asked me to check on him, we spent a night together," I confessed.

It sounded like she choked or something and then her eyes grew wide while my entire face fell. I felt bad for keeping it from her for so long.

"
You actually spent the night at his place?"

Does she really want me to spell it out for her?
I wasn’t sure how much clearer I could be.

I nodded as I closed my eyes again.

"
Okay, so from the look on your face, this was a bad thing."

I nodded again, opening my eyes.
"It's just complicated. It wasn't all bad. It just shouldn't have happened."

"
Oh no, this is all my fault. I shouldn't have asked you to go over there."

"
No, no, it wasn't your fault. We both had a weak moment and it was a mistake."

"
Does Reed think it was a mistake?" she asked, her voice cautious.

I swallowed hard.
How am I supposed to answer that?
"I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who thinks it was a mistake. Or at least I'm the one who doesn't want it to happen again anyway."

"
Why didn't you tell me? Or why didn't Reed tell me?"

I shrugged.
"I didn't want it to come between our friendship. It was just that one time and it won't happen again. I promise."

She shook her head.
"I knew something was up when you two were acting weird the other day at the dress shop and then the way you two were trying to avoid staring at each other at dinner that night. Brandon thought I was crazy, but I know my brother, and I know when he sees something he wants."

My stomach dropped to the floor.

"
Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't mind if the two of you wanted to get together, but I totally respect whatever you want to do. And I just want you to know, Reed is a good guy. He's changed a lot in the past few years. Yes, he used to have this reputation as a womanizer, but that was when he was in college. He just wasn't ready to settle down with one girl. It was all in innocent fun. I don't think any girl got her heart broken. I actually don't think he's had a girlfriend of any kind in a couple years now."

I remembered him whispering something like that to me that night. He told me he hadn't been with anyone in years. I wasn't exactly sure what to think of that, and the last thing I wanted to do was hurt him. Neither Lexi nor Reed knew what kind of demons I was running from. Allowing anyone to come close to me could be dangerous if Jake ever found me. Jake knew he could hurt me by hurting the people I cared about. Back in Vegas, when I actually had friends, he would threaten to hurt them if I did anything stupid. Mainly if I tried to get away from him again. Eventually, over time, he slowly pushed away all the friends I had anyway.

"
It's not going to happen again." My voice was firm. "I've told him that."
Well, I told him I needed some space. It's kind of the same thing, right?

"
I just want you to be happy, and I want you to know that I'm here if you need me."

I smiled.
"Thanks."

"
So what do you think you're going to do about the dress?"

"
Definitely returning it," I answered. "I just don't feel right about keeping it."

Her shoulders and face fell all at once.
"But you looked beautiful in that dress, Emily. What's the harm in keeping it?"

"
Um, a lot, actually. It's kind of leading him on, don't you think?"

She shook her head.
"It's just going to hurt his feelings if you give it back. I know my brother pretty well, and I can safely say that he doesn't expect anything in return. I think he's really just trying to be nice."

"
It doesn't feel right, Lexi."

"
Do what you want, but I think it would be a pity to let a beautiful dress go to waste." She shrugged.

The uneasiness in my stomach worsened.

T
WO WEEKS
later, the dress was still hanging behind my office door. It was probably not a smart thing to leave a twenty-three-hundred-dollar dress out in the open, but I couldn't bring myself to take it home. I felt like if I brought it home, then I was accepting his gift. But I guess not returning it was accepting it in a way, too, right?

I hadn't spoken to Reed in those two weeks either. I didn’t know what to say to him. Should I have called him and said thank you for the dress? I probably would've if I thought I was actually going to keep it, but every day for the past couple of weeks, I had told myself that the dress was going back. It had to go back.

However, with every day that passed, the event got closer and closer and my life at work got more and more hectic. I couldn't be sure, but I secretly thought that Christine was trying to keep me so busy that I couldn't return the dress. She only asked me a few times what I was planning to do after work, and every day I told her I was going to return the dress. Then, she would insist I couldn't leave that day until way after the store was closed. It took me almost two weeks to catch on to what she was doing.

Tonight was the Black and White event and I was now out of time. Tonight I would have to wear the dress or I wouldn't have anything else to wear.

Sharon and Christine had headed over to the event hall a couple of hours ago, while Isabel and I were heading over soon.

"
Hey, are you just about ready?" Isabel asked, leaning against my office door. Her eyes grew wide when she got a good look at me. "Emily, you're not even dressed yet."

"
Yeah, I know. I just have to print these programs. Christine and Sharon called me and said they can't find their copies anywhere. I'll be about fifteen more minutes."

"
We're going to be late if we don't leave here soon. It's already seven p.m."

"
I know, I know. I just need a few more minutes. I don't know where those programs went. I handed them to Christine as she walked out the door." I had to reprint and refold the programs again. I was folding them as fast as I could.

I glanced up and saw that Isabel was fully dressed, her hair and makeup perfect. I was barely going to have enough time to get dressed, let alone do anything to my face or hair.

Isabel sighed and came to stand beside me.
"Let me finish these. Please go get dressed. I don't want us to be late."

"
Oh my gosh, you're the best. Thank you." I smiled over at her and then hurried to grab my dress from behind the door. I ran to the bathroom; it only took me a few minutes to slip into the dress. I took another minute to touch up my makeup and then ran a brush quickly through my hair. It would just have to be good enough.

I half walked, half ran back to my office, slipping on my high heels when I was only a few feet away.

"
I'm ready, Isabel."

When I walked into my office, I nearly hit the ceiling. Reed was leaning against my desk, facing me.

"
Jesus, Reed," I gasped, holding my chest. I took a couple steps back. "You scared me." I stood there and took him in while my heart pounded.

He looked amazing dressed in his tuxedo. His hair was slicked back and there was a small amount of stubble on his face. I'd never seen him look so sexy. It had been weeks since we had seen each other and I forgot how gorgeous he was.

"
Sorry if I scared you. Isabel caught me on her way out and said it was okay if I waited in here for you." With each word he spoke, his eyes moved up another inch of my body, starting at my feet and working his way up to meet my eyes. I tried to ignore the way his eyes were devouring me.

"
Isabel left?" I asked, my heart pounding harder against my chest. I wasn’t sure if it was pounding from the way he was looking at me
—
like he wanted to take me right there
—
or the fact that Isabel had left me and we were now alone.

He nodded, still wearing the same easy smile.
"Yeah, she had a handful of papers and said that she needed to get them to the event or something. She was in a real hurry to get out of here."

No way. She really left me?
The car service Sharon ordered was supposed to be for the both of us.

"
Is there something I can help you with?" I asked, making my way over to my desk to get my purse.

"
Sharon told me to stop by. She said I needed to finish up the paperwork and pay the remaining balance on the account. She told me to come by around seven."

What? Why would she tell him that?
"Sharon's gone. She's been gone for hours."

My stomach clenched when I realized what was going on. They planned this. They all planned this. Isabel, Christine, and Sharon set me up.

"
I'm sorry. I don't know why she told you that." I cleared my throat. "But let me go see if your folder is on her desk. I'm sure I can finish everything up for you."

When I got to Sharon's office, I closed the door and leaned against the wall, trying to get myself under control.
Why does he have to be so good-looking, smell so good, and be so sweet?
This would all have been so much easier if he wasn't all of those things.

By the time I returned to my office, the event was starting in under an hour. Reed was in the same place I had left him, leaning against my desk, looking sexier than ever. I let out a large breath as I took a seat at my desk.

"
So there are only a few places I need you to sign, then a check for the balance."

He leaned over and signed the few documents I had just handed him and then he handed me a check. There were no words spoken between us, and I couldn't help but stare at him while he wasn't looking.

"
Well, I think that's everything," I said, gathering the paperwork and forming it into a neat pile. A part of me was ready to get this over with, but another part of me wished that I could prolong it a little longer, or even forever. After the event tonight, I wasn't sure how much I would see of him.

"
I do have one more request," he said. I glanced up at him through my eyelashes and saw him smiling at me.
I’ll miss that smile, too.

"
What's that?" One more second with him was better than nothing.

"
Be my date for the Black and White event." His words caused my entire body to rush with heat. Instantly, my heart was hammering against my chest again. I swallowed deeply and looked down at my desk. A few silent seconds passed before I lifted my eyes to meet his again. My breath caught in my throat when I saw the smile had dropped from his face, replaced with the serious expression it now held.

"
I can't be your date, Reed." Inside, I was screaming yes, but my conscience knew better and the words were out of my mouth before I could even think straight.

"
And why is that?" he asked, his forehead creasing.

Is he serious?
There were so many reasons I couldn't be his date, but the most obvious reason was that I was working tonight. "Well, I'm not really a guest tonight. I'm working and I don't think Sharon would like it."

"
What if I told you that I already cleared it with Sharon? She's fine with you coming as my date."

He asked Sharon?