Page 44 of It's About Time
When she walked out on Elliot, she walked out on us all. We took her in—albeit unwillingly—but we did it for Elliot because we thought she made him happy.
Turns out the only thing she was capable of was making our friend question his worth, and after going through that myself, I’m not sure there’s anything worse a person can do to another.
Tori plasters on a fake smile as I stride toward the front receptionist counter. “Welcome to Thorne Family Law Group. Do you have an appointment?”
“Wow. Good thing you have so much experience with being fake because that actually sounded professional.”
She tilts her head, her lips in a flat smile. “If you don’t have an appointment, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
I hold up the bag from Bites & Bliss Bakery. “I have a delivery for Elliot.”
“Oh. Well, I can give it to him.” She reaches out for the bag, but I pull it away from her.
“No thank you. I’d actually prefer to deliver this one myself.”
Her smile falls as her eyes narrow. “Elliot is busy. He doesn’t have time for you to waste.”
The corner of my mouth lifts while I watch a vein in her neck pop as she attempts to restrain herself. And that’s when I decide this is the perfect moment to start planting seeds. Leaning forward over the desk, towering over her since she’s seated in a chair, I lick my lips and say, “Trust me. Myfiancéis going to want to see me.”
Tori’s mouth falls open, but I don’t stay in front of her long enough to let her speak. I twist on my feet and saunter down the hallway past offices until I get to Elliot’s, shutting the door behind me.
Elliot is on the phone, scribbling something on a yellow legal pad in front of him. “Yes, I agree. We need that evidence, though. Without it, our case doesn’t have anything to stand on.” He continues writing as I assess the way he holds his pen, the way his brows are drawn together, and his eyes move across the paper—so intense, so concentrated, so commanding.
It’s kind of hot.
Jesus Christ. Where the hell did that thought come from, Dilynne?
“Great. Talk to you then.” Elliot hangs up the phone and makes eye contact with me. “What are you doing here, Dilynne?”
“Nice to see you too,honey,” I say, moving closer to his desk and depositing the cheesecake on top.
One of his brows rises. “Honey?”
I lean forward and lower my voice. “Is that pet name not satisfactory for you?”
He moves closer to me, his voice also low. “Why do we need pet names at all?”
I throw my hands in the air. “I don’t know, but I just told Tori that I was here to see my fiancé, so the cat’s out of the bag. Better put your game face on, Thorne.”
His eyes bug out as he launches from his seat. “You said what?”
“She was getting all pissy and wouldn’t let me back here to see you without an appointment, so I put her in her place.” I rub my hands together. “Let the games begin, bitch.”
Elliot pinches the bridge of his nose. “This is not what we discussed, Dilynne.”
I tap my chin in thought. “Well, if memory serves me correctly, we didn’t discuss our coming out at all since you walked off all pissed last night, so…” I shrug. “No time like the present, right?”
“I haven’t even told the guys yet.”
“Tell them tonight at blackjack.”
He stares at me, confused. “How do you know about blackjack?”
“Have you forgotten that Laney is married to Fletcher, and Henley is my brother so I’m aware of your bromance dates, or does your stupidity only get worse as you age?”
“Insulting your fiancé? Not a promising indicator of our future marriage.” A knock on the door interrupts us. Elliot rolls his eyes before asking, “Who is it?”
“Tori,” the voice on the other side of the door says, making our eyes snap to each other.
