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"Mive you…for what you said that day in your office I believe you, that you didn’t ht, I realize that I didn’t help the situation I could’ve said soiven you…reassurance about how I felt…before I went to talk to Billy I’m sorry that I didn’t"
"I appreciate that"
And then her voice changes--beco"
My thumb sweeps back and forth across the bare skin of her neck "Of course it does It changes everything"
She raises her head "I can’t do this with you, Drew"
"Yes, you can"
She stares at oals Aspirations That I’ve worked hard for--sacrificed for"
"And I want to watch you oals, Kate I want to help odda now--for understanding For mercy
"When Billy broke up withI didn’twith you…it’s different It’s…more And I’m not too proud to ad to be able to just pick myself up and move on You can…You could break me, Drew"
"But I won’t"
My hand moves to her cheek And she leans into it
"I knohat it feels like to think I’ve lost you, Kate And I don’t ever want to feel that way again I’m a man who knohat he wants, remember? And I want you"
She shakes her head slowly "You want ht, and I’ll want you tomorrow and the next day And ten thousand days after that Didn’t you get the et struck by lightening Or eaten by a shark And both of those things are a hell of a lotwhen I won’t want you Trust uess that’s the problem, isn’t it?
She stares at aze falls to the floor The song ends And she starts to pull away "I’m sorry, Drew I just…can’t"
I try to hold on Like a drowning o"
No no no no no I’ her
"Don’t do this"
Her eyes harden like molten lava when it cools to black rock "Your ti happening It’s like watching your receiver fumble the ball when you’re up by three with twenty seconds left on the clock She turns toward the door But I grab her arm and force her to look at me My voice sounds desperate Because I a I have to show you Give ht now
She wants to stay No--she wants ive her a reason to believe in reen earth ever will
"Okay, Drew Ten more minutes"
The breath rushes out of rab a black silk scarf off the chair and hold it up "You can’t take this off until I tell you, okay?"
Suspicion washes over her face "Is this so?"
I chuckle "No But I like the way you think"
She rolls her eyes to the ceiling right before I cover them with the scarf, and the world as she knows it fades to black
Chapter 27
EVERY NEW ASSOCIATE at Evans, Reinhart and Fisher gets to redecorate his or her office We’re not the only firood business Makes es to them The choices of paint colors and furniture patterns aren’t unlimited--but at a firot ure out what Kate prefers
She’s not into florals, and I thank Christ for that She likes stripes, paisleys, and earth tones Why a you this, you ask? What does it have to do with anything?
You remember the Bat Cave, don’t you? My hoion? Well, it’s gotten a sex change No, that’s not really accurate It’s ht on and bring Kate to the middle of the room Then I untie the scarf
Her eyes widen "Oh, undy walls are now a lish leather couches are history In their place are two sofas, striped in warm tan and the same deep blue as the walls My desk is shifted to the left--to hter cherry one that sits next to it, side by side, like a bride and groo day The picturebehind them is framed with drapes in the same material as the sofas And the poker table’s still in the corner But now it’s got a stiff brown cover over it--to support the large, leafy plant that sits on top I don’t usually do live plants My thureen as Morticia Adams’s But the interior decorator said wo instinct
Pretty aot an interior decorator with a teaht? But curtains are a real bitch to hang I did those myself--wanted to personally add a few touches And I ala dozen tiht
I watch Kate’s face closely But I can’t tell what she’s thinking She’s blank Stunned Like an eyewitness to a double homicide
I s hard And start the ain"
It’s still so fucking gay
However…