help.
“Wanna share?” she asked, opening the plastic container as she claimed the seat behind her desk.
“No, thanks, I ordered a veal sandwich,” he said.
She withdrew the garlic bread and a bottle of water before passing the paper bag back to him. She pointed to the back of the room. “Pull up a chair.”
“Thanks.” He walked to the back of the room to retrieve the stackable chair. He and Callie had always had an easy rapport, but she was fiercely loyal to Jen, which may work against him when it came time to pump her for information about the infamous Kevin.
“So, what brings you by, Mark?” She grinned, tearing off a small piece of garlic bread. “As if I didn’t know.”
He set the chair on the opposite side of Callie’s desk. “Have you talked to Jen since Friday night?”
“You mean, did she tell me what happened?” She nodded, popping a forkful of lasagne into her mouth. “Yeah, she told me.” She closed her eyes, savoring the food. “Hmm, this is so good.”
Mark forced himself to sit down and open the foil bag containing his sandwich before asking the question burning his lips. “What did she have to say about me, about us?”
Callie chewed slowly, obviously considering his question. “You know my loyalty lies with Jen, always. If you expect me to divulge information about a private conversation I had with her, I won’t.”
Mark sighed, pushing the sandwich away. His appetite, along with his concentration, had been shot to hell the past couple of days. “I don’t expect you to betray Jen’s confidence; I know you wouldn’t do that. But you’ve gotta help me out here, give me something to go on, please.”
She tipped her head to the side, narrowing her eyes. “Why should I?”
“Because I love her,” he said quietly. “I need her in my life.”
Callie sat back, removing the cap from her bottle of water and tipping it to her lips. “For what it’s worth, I think she still has feelings for you.”
“Did she tell you that?” he asked, praying she would take pity on him and throw him a lifeline. He didn’t know how much longer he could go on like this.
“Let’s just say she’s confused.”
A glimmer of hope emerged, displacing the fear and despair he’d been feeling since he heard about Jen’s engagement. “Does that mean she’s having second thoughts about marrying this guy?”
“Why aren’t you talking to her about this?” Callie asked, taking another bite of the pasta.
“She won’t talk to me. I’ve tried everything short of ambushing her.”
Callie smiled. “Maybe that should be your next step.”
“You really think so?” he asked, leaning forward. He’d considered showing up at her apartment, but if she refused to take his calls, she wasn’t going to allow him past the security guard stationed in the lobby of her building. “What if she won’t see me?”
Callie shrugged. “You could always stop by her office. That way you’d have the element of surprise working in your favor.”
He considered that option as well, but he didn’t want to instigate an argument at her place of business. “You think that’s a good idea, under the circumstances?” He could imagine how upset she would be if her co-workers believed she was messing around with him just weeks before her wedding.
“Look, I know Jen. She’s running scared right now.”
He linked his hands behind his head, stretching his legs out in front of him. “You think she’s afraid of her feelings for me?”
“Can you blame her? She’s getting married in a few weeks and here you are stirring up all kinds of feelings she thought were dead and buried.”
“I hate that I’m doing this to her, but I can’t sit by and do nothing while she marries this guy.”
She shook her head. “I know; to tell you the truth, Trace and I aren’t too thrilled with the idea either.”
He braced his hands on his knees, leaning forward. Finally, they were getting
“Wanna share?” she asked, opening the plastic container as she claimed the seat behind her desk.
“No, thanks, I ordered a veal sandwich,” he said.
She withdrew the garlic bread and a bottle of water before passing the paper bag back to him. She pointed to the back of the room. “Pull up a chair.”
“Thanks.” He walked to the back of the room to retrieve the stackable chair. He and Callie had always had an easy rapport, but she was fiercely loyal to Jen, which may work against him when it came time to pump her for information about the infamous Kevin.
“So, what brings you by, Mark?” She grinned, tearing off a small piece of garlic bread. “As if I didn’t know.”
He set the chair on the opposite side of Callie’s desk. “Have you talked to Jen since Friday night?”
“You mean, did she tell me what happened?” She nodded, popping a forkful of lasagne into her mouth. “Yeah, she told me.” She closed her eyes, savoring the food. “Hmm, this is so good.”
Mark forced himself to sit down and open the foil bag containing his sandwich before asking the question burning his lips. “What did she have to say about me, about us?”
Callie chewed slowly, obviously considering his question. “You know my loyalty lies with Jen, always. If you expect me to divulge information about a private conversation I had with her, I won’t.”
Mark sighed, pushing the sandwich away. His appetite, along with his concentration, had been shot to hell the past couple of days. “I don’t expect you to betray Jen’s confidence; I know you wouldn’t do that. But you’ve gotta help me out here, give me something to go on, please.”
She tipped her head to the side, narrowing her eyes. “Why should I?”
“Because I love her,” he said quietly. “I need her in my life.”
Callie sat back, removing the cap from her bottle of water and tipping it to her lips. “For what it’s worth, I think she still has feelings for you.”
“Did she tell you that?” he asked, praying she would take pity on him and throw him a lifeline. He didn’t know how much longer he could go on like this.
“Let’s just say she’s confused.”
A glimmer of hope emerged, displacing the fear and despair he’d been feeling since he heard about Jen’s engagement. “Does that mean she’s having second thoughts about marrying this guy?”
“Why aren’t you talking to her about this?” Callie asked, taking another bite of the pasta.
“She won’t talk to me. I’ve tried everything short of ambushing her.”
Callie smiled. “Maybe that should be your next step.”
“You really think so?” he asked, leaning forward. He’d considered showing up at her apartment, but if she refused to take his calls, she wasn’t going to allow him past the security guard stationed in the lobby of her building. “What if she won’t see me?”
Callie shrugged. “You could always stop by her office. That way you’d have the element of surprise working in your favor.”
He considered that option as well, but he didn’t want to instigate an argument at her place of business. “You think that’s a good idea, under the circumstances?” He could imagine how upset she would be if her co-workers believed she was messing around with him just weeks before her wedding.
“Look, I know Jen. She’s running scared right now.”
He linked his hands behind his head, stretching his legs out in front of him. “You think she’s afraid of her feelings for me?”
“Can you blame her? She’s getting married in a few weeks and here you are stirring up all kinds of feelings she thought were dead and buried.”
“I hate that I’m doing this to her, but I can’t sit by and do nothing while she marries this guy.”
She shook her head. “I know; to tell you the truth, Trace and I aren’t too thrilled with the idea either.”
He braced his hands on his knees, leaning forward. Finally, they were getting
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