CHAPTER 17

 

Valerie sat at her desk still trying to shake the incredible discomfort she’d felt when she walked into the office with Luke. He immediately asked if Alex was back in her life, and she had no choice but to say yes. She knew Alex would lay it on thick, but she hadn’t anticipated Luke driving up at such an opportune moment. The way Alex stared him down didn’t help either.

She gathered her things and walked to the conference room with everyone else. She tried concentrating on what Luke was talking about during the meeting. It seemed Luke was avoiding looking her way at all, but she didn’t mind. The last thing she wanted was to get locked into one of his stares. He began wrapping it up.

“I made a few changes to the uptime schedules. Check your e-mails.”

That caught Valerie’s attention she was supposed to have uptime that afternoon. It was odd. Luke had always made her uncomfortable from the moment she met him with his excessive eye contact. Then later with his locked stares. Today it seemed he’d gone out of his way to avoid looking her way during the meeting.

She checked her email first thing when she logged onto her computer. She typically had a ton of email to sift through Monday mornings. Especially if she hadn’t looked at it over the weekend, and this weekend she hadn’t touched her laptop. His email was the very first one, which meant he’d sent it that morning.

There were only a couple of changes, but he’d changed her uptime to Wednesday afternoon. Valerie felt her face heat. Was he kidding? It was bad enough he’d changed it already from Monday mornings to Monday afternoon. Wednesday was their slowest day, especially for calls.

Valerie marched straight to his office. He looked up when she walked in without knocking. “I’ve had uptime on Mondays for as long as I can remember.”

Valerie ignored his question. “When are you rotating it again? Wednesday’s pure shit. I’d rather not have uptime.”

He turned back to the screen in front of him. “Am I wrong to assume that kiss he gave you is any indication of what else you two have been doing?”

“Assume whatever you want.”

“What’s with the hostility?” His smirk irritated her even further. “You’re still doing the wine tasting this Thursday right?”

Valerie did her best to remain unruffled. “Of course, why wouldn’t I?” She knew what he was getting at, but she’d never let on.

He sat back in his seat, his elbows on the armrests, and steepled fingers together, something he did often when speaking to her from behind his desk, but for some reason today, it annoyed her. He annoyed her. Maybe it was the obvious sarcasm in his smirk.

“Oh, I don’t know. I just thought maybe you’d feel uncomfortable bringing the new boyfriend to an event where your ex-boyfriend slash manager is going to be. And something tells me by his friendly glare out there, not to mention our gracious introduction, he’s not going to be too keen on you attending alone.”

“Don’t flatter yourself, Luke. Alex knows he has nothing to worry about. I’ll be there.” Valerie started to the door. “If you’re not changing my uptime back to Monday, I’m done here.”

“Valerie?”

Annoyed she turned to look at him before walking out. “What?”

“Did you tell him everything?”

“There wasn’t much to tell, Luke.” She rolled her eyes and walked out before he noticed that he’d hit a nerve. She’d been as honest as she was going to be with Alex about Luke. They’d gone out and they’d never had sex. He didn’t need to know anything else.

She didn’t think Thursday would be such a big deal until she saw Alex’s reaction to just seeing Luke that morning. Luke hit it right on the nose. No way would Alex be okay with her going wine tasting with Luke, and it would be awkward at best if Alex went with her.

She had to go, though. The California Association of Realtors threw this annual event, bursting with investors. She didn’t get to go last year, and she knew the only reason she was going this year was because Luke had pulled some strings. Tickets were limited. Luckily, when he’d gotten her tickets it was before they started dating. He gave her two. She’d planned to take Isabel at the time.

The event would have an entirely different feel now that things had changed. But as long as she worked with Luke, Alex would have to start getting used to things like this. They had been through enough. They could get through this.

 

*

 

They’d been at Valerie’s all afternoon. Alex was determined to get as many of her things as possible. The only big things Alex had to carry out to his truck from Valerie’s apartment were her two-drawer file cabinets. The girls looked at him funny when he asked if they had a dolly, so he’d been more than grateful they lived on the bottom floor. Valerie still insisted, especially in front of Isabel, that she wasn’t moving out.

Alex stood outside, tying down her things in the back of his truck when a car pulled into the apartment parking lot. It parked a few doors down from Valerie and Isabel’s open apartment door. A guy who looked to be in his thirties got out. Alex noticed he peeked in their door as he walked by, and then stopped. Alex stopped tying and watched. Valerie came to the door then went back in. Moments later, Isabel came out and stood there talking to him.

Alex wondered if the guy was the one Isabel had gone out with Friday. She couldn’t be that dense, could she? Valerie had already filled him in on Isabel and Romero. Apparently, Romero had gotten over it a lot sooner than Alex would’ve, but then she did say they pulled an all-nighter talking things out. They were having dinner with her family tonight.

Isabel went inside, and Lawrence followed her. Alex gestured toward her apartment door. “You guys invite all your neighbors in like that?”

Valerie glanced back to the apartment, then turned back at him. “Well, don’t say anything to Romero, but Isabel used to go out with Lawrence.”

Alex gave her an annoyed look.

“I can’t stand him.” She said quickly as if that made up for the fact that Isabel had just invited an old flame into their apartment.

“Why?”

“He thinks he’s so damn smart. He’s a professor at UCSD.”

“A professor, uh?” Alex finished up with the load in the back of his truck. That sounded more like someone Isabel would date than a meathead like Romero.

“Yeah,” Valerie said, slipping her hand in his. “And he’s the type that makes sure you know it, too.”

They walked back to her apartment. Alex didn’t like the guy already, and once in the apartment with a closer look, the guy did look like a prick. Only morons wore turtlenecks as far as Alex was concerned.

Lawrence had two books in his hands and was busy telling Isabel about a book he was writing when they walked in. Isabel looked up at them from the cheese she was slicing in the kitchen.

“All done?”

“Yeah, I think so.” Valerie replied. “That’s all for now anyway.”

Lawrence sized up Alex when Valerie introduced them. Annoyed that she didn’t refer to him as her boyfriend, Alex smiled anyway. Lawrence held out his hand, and Alex shook it.

“So, you moving out, Val?” Lawrence’s eyes made their way down Valerie’s body.

Alex definitely didn’t like this guy.

“No, not yet, but soon.” Valerie glanced back at Alex and smiled. “Just let me grab one more thing.”

She walked into her room, leaving Alex alone with Isabel and the prick. Lawrence immediately turned back to Isabel. “I’m telling you, Isabel.” He tapped the book in his hand. “The classics are not to be taken lightly. You have to take your time, digest them. Read them as many times as you can before you can really appreciate what the author is trying to elucidate.”

Alex rolled his eyes and walked over to a table with pictures on it. There was a knock on the door and then he heard Romero’s voice.

Lawrence seemed taken aback. He scrutinized Romero the way a man would scrutinize a busboy at a restaurant flirting with his wife.

“No, just making snacks.” She introduced Lawrence to Romero. Romero barely cracked a smile. Alex could only imagine what Romero thought. The same thing he’d be thinking if he walked in and Valerie was standing there with him. Who is this crumb and why is my girl making him snacks?

Romero walked into the kitchen and planted one on Isabel. Alex smirked. Romero didn’t do subtle.

Lawrence was obviously bothered but tried to keep his composure. When Romero took it a step further and rubbed his hand over Isabel’s behind, Lawrence cleared his throat and excused himself.

Valerie finally came out of her room holding a small duffle. “Okay, I’m good. Oh, hey, Romero.” She glanced around. “Where’d Isabel go?”

“Outside with that dude. Does he come over here a lot?”

Valerie glanced at Alex then back at Romero. “Lawrence? No, not really. He was just here to pick up some books Isabel borrowed.”

She started to the door, and Alex followed. They were just out the door when Alex heard Lawrence talking to Isabel, Lawrence’s back turned to them.

“…I mean really, Isabel. I can see Valerie with someone like that, all brawn and undignified. But you? I gotta say, not only am I stunned but a bit disappointed.”

Alex clenched his fist. Before he could say or do anything Romero jumped out from behind them. “What the fuck does that mean?”

Lawrence backed up, startled, when Romero got in his face. He regained his poise quickly and held his hands up. “I was just making an observation. There’s no law against that.”

“You don’t know shit about me, asshole.”

Lawrence made the mistake of pointing his finger at Romero’s chest. About to say something, Romero pushed him in the chest with both hands. That’s all it took, and Lawrence was in the bushes in front of Valerie’s apartment.

“Oh my God,” Valerie gasped.

Alex jumped in front of Romero—who was ready to charge at Lawrence—and stopped him. “Easy. ”

Romero was furious, and he didn’t blame him. But Lawrence looked like the type to make a big thing out of something like this, so Alex held Romero back. Isabel tried helping Lawrence up.

“You see?” Lawrence barked at Isabel. He stood up red-faced and swatted her hands away. “This is exactly what I’m talking about.”

“Did you just push her?” Romero almost broke free from Alex, and Alex had to bear hug him.

“Get him out of here, babe,” Alex warned Valerie.

Surprised by Romero’s strength, Alex wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold him back. Valerie hurried over to Isabel’s side, while Alex struggled with Romero. “Relax, dude, if he’d pushed her I’d let you at him.”

“You should leave, Lawrence,” Valerie urged.

Once they were all back inside, Alex could laugh about it. But Romero wasn’t laughing. “Why does that asshole even care who you’re with?”

Alex thought about what Lawrence had said as he fastened Valerie’s duffle in the back of his truck. If Romero hadn’t jumped him first he might’ve hurt the guy himself. He didn’t even mind the assumption the idiot made about him and Romero. But he wouldn’t stand there and let him insult Valerie.

Valerie was already in the passenger side when he got in his truck. “It wasn’t that big a deal,” she said as she fastened her seatbelt. “She only dated him a few times. She doesn’t have to tell Romero everything.”

Alex looked at her. “What more is there to tell?”

Valerie glanced at him and then out the window. “I just mean she could leave the details out. No need to get into anything explicit. It’ll just make him mad.”

Alex gripped the steering wheel and stared at Valerie. “Are we still talking about Isabel?”

Something resembling panic flashed in her eyes when she glanced at him again.“Of course.”

He tried shaking off the unease her last statement gave him as he drove. She must’ve sensed his tension, because she reached over and squeezed his thigh.

“I packed a lot of shoes.”

That straightened him out real quick. Now here was something he’d prefer to think about. He looked at his dash. It was still early. He had her all to himself for the rest of the evening. There was already movement in his pants.

 

*

 

Days later Valerie was still trying to grasp the enormous change her life had taken. Since it felt almost too good to be true. She cautioned herself about becoming too optimistic. Anything could happen.

She told Isabel that she would be staying with Alex a few days out of the week for now. But she did mention that he wanted her to move in. Isabel told her not to worry about it, she’d figure something out, but never once mentioned the possibility of Romero moving in. Valerie didn’t mention it either. She didn’t want Isabel thinking she was just trying to push the issue so that he could take over the lease. With Lawrence two doors down, she wasn’t sure Romero moving in would be such a good idea now anyway. One thing was for sure. She planned to pay Isabel her share of the bills every month until the lease was up.

Isabel called her the day after the Lawrence incident. She’d told Romero the whole truth about Lawrence which only made him madder. He said he couldn’t tell her who she could and couldn’t have over her place, but made it clear he wouldn’t be responsible for his reaction if he ever showed up and Lawrence was there again. Valerie told her she didn’t think he’d have to worry too much about that. She highly doubted after his embarrassing roll in the bushes Lawrence would ever come over to their place again.

They both got a good laugh about that. Then Isabel told her about the dinner with her family. It hadn’t gone as Well, as she hoped, especially since Romero knew Pat had set her up Friday night. He was in no mood to play nice and the dinner had been a bit tense. Nevertheless, she was glad it was over. Her family knew about him now and whether they approved or not Isabel had no intentions of breaking things off with Romero. Valerie assured her she’d done the right thing.