“I’m sorry. What?”
“I can’t get that son of a bitch open to save my life. I have a big meeting at three, and if I have to hire a goddamn repair man to come in there to open it, I’m going to look like a dumbass in front of the entire office.”
My lips twitched as I crossed my arms over my chest.
Ryan was three inches taller than I was, and while I worked with my hands to keep in shape, he visited the law firm’s private gym on a daily basis. He had me by at least twenty pounds—all of which were muscle. He looked like the clichéd all-American, even as he stood in front of me sporting a pink tie.
I couldn’t even pretend to stifle the laugh that escaped my mouth. “You can’t get your filing cabinet open?” I confirmed incredulously.
His shoulders fell in relief even though I hadn’t agreed to go yet. “Shut it, asshole, and just help me out.”
I continued to laugh as I, once again, dragged my glasses off. “You think me walking in there with a bag of tools is going to look any less conspicuous than hiring a handyman?”
He curled his lip in disappointment. “What a fucking novice.” Chuckling, he steepled his fingers under his chin like the evil genius he so obviously thought he was. “So here’s the plan. No tools. Just pretend you’re coming to say what’s up. They all know you.” Pausing, he narrowed his eyes and pointed an angry finger in my direction. “Stay the fuck away from Jen.”
“Right. How exactly am I supposed to fix this with no tools?”
“I snuck a hammer, screwdriver, a pair of clamps—”
My eyebrows shot up. “Clamps?”
He tipped his head and lifted his fingers to mimic a pinching motion. “You know, the little things you use to grab stuff or pull it off.”
“Pliers?” I asked in disbelief.
He tapped the tip of his nose. “Bingo. Anyway, I snuck them all into the office this morning. They didn’t work for me, but I have faith in you.”
I stared at him for several beats. “How the fuck are we best friends?”
“No clue. Now, put on a long-sleeve shirt to cover the ink and get your ass in my car.”
“Right,” I smarted, but I said it as I dragged my jacket off the chair and headed to his car.
One hour later, I pried my best friend’s filing cabinet open so he wouldn’t look like the bitch he really was.
Then I parked my ass at his mother’s dinner table for the best home-cooked meal I’d ever had. Well, since the last time I’d eaten there. All the while I was counting down the hours until I could head back up to the bridge—hoping and praying that it wasn’t too late for the designer shoes I couldn’t seem to stop thinking about.
“OH, THANK GOD.” My heart jumped with relief when I saw her standing on the bridge. I dragged a cigarette from my pocket and headed in her direction. “I hope you know you scared the piss out of me last night,” I said when I got close.
Her hidden gaze flicked to mine, but her lips didn’t pull up at the corners like they usually did when she saw me. “I’m not in the mood tonight, Sam.”
“If I had a dollar for every time a woman told me that.” I smiled, but it fell flat as tears rolled from under her dark sunglasses. My breath painfully stilled as my mind raced. “What’s going on? Did something happen? Did he—”
“Oh God. There is no him!” she yelled. “I don’t have an abusive boyfriend. So please just stop with that and leave me alone.”
I was shocked by her outburst, but her reaction secured the fact that I wouldn’t be leaving her alone at all. I didn’t give one fuck that it made me creepy as hell. I could live with that—as long as she lived too.
I didn’t reply, nor did I move away. I simply focused my attention on the water below—which meant I was secretly studying her out of the corner of my eye.