Page 18 of So Close to You
The shock pierces her chest with immediate, visceral discomfort. Daphne Mercer enters with the same impeccable elegance Nerissa remembers: a dark gray suit, loose blonde hair, and that calm confidence she always projected, even during the worst moments. Nerissa feels her body tense involuntarily. She had no idea Daphne would be leading the merger advisory team.
“Shit,” she thinks, struggling to maintain her composure.
“For those of you who haven’t met her yet, let me introduce Daphne Mercer,” Helena announces. “She’ll be the lead auditor overseeing the operational transition between the sports clinics.”
Daphne walks around the room, greeting everyone professionally until she reaches Nerissa. Then comes that small disaster made up of unspoken words. Daphne smiles slightly when she sees her—a familiar smile, too intimate for outsiders to notice. And perhaps for those who are paying attention.
“Dr. Ashcombe,” Daphne greets her, resting a hand on her shoulder for a second too long.
Nerissa immediately feels another gaze fixed on her from across the table.
“Daphne,” she replies, keeping her tone cool and distant.
Daphne takes a seat near Helena, and the meeting continues. Professional and measured down to the smallest detail. As if only weeks ago she hadn’t been living in Nerissa’s apartment, leaving books on medical photography on the counter and sleeping in one of her T-shirts. Guilt catches Nerissa off guard. Daphne never deserved the way things ended.
The rest of the meeting becomes an exhausting exercise in self-control. Every time Daphne speaks about the clinical audits, the tension around the table rises. Every time Seraphina looks in her direction, her eyes reflect something different. Nerissa begins to understand it clearly.
She’s jealous.
And that realization gives her a brief flash of satisfaction before moral exhaustion washes over her completely. A smallvictory that makes no sense. Just as she has no right to enjoy it. Not after everything that happened.
The break comes an hour later. Executives and assistants partially clear the room, and the executive floor cafeteria fills with overlapping conversations. Nerissa stands by one of the windows, reviewing a few reports, when she hears Daphne’s voice behind her.
“I didn’t know you were officially coming back.”
Nerissa turns slowly. Daphne is holding a cup of coffee in both hands.
“I didn’t know Mercer & Associates had won the contract either,” Nerissa replies, trying to smile but failing.
“It’s a small world.”
Nerissa lets out a sigh.
“Manchester is.”
Daphne holds her gaze for a few seconds that seem to stretch endlessly.
“You look tired.”
“It’s been a long week,” Nerissa admits with a shrug, looking back out the window.
“I can see that.”
Too many unspoken things hang between them. The infidelity that destroyed everything and the devastating breakup almost two months ago. Nerissa can’t find the right words to continue the conversation.
Fortunately, someone saves her.
“Daphne, can you go over the audit schedule with me?” one of the financial executives interjects, approaching with an open folder.
“Sure,” Daphne replies. Before leaving, she glances briefly at Nerissa. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
The words leave a bitter taste in her mouth. Because she’s not. Not really. And Daphne has probably always been too perceptive not to notice.
A few minutes later, Nerissa heads toward the medical records corridor in search of a moment of silence.
She doesn’t find it.
“A fling that lasted a few weeks? That’s what you told me it was,” Seraphina’s voice cuts through the air behind her. “But that’s not how it looked to me at all.”
