“—but I was in the neighborhood.”
In the neighborhood? Everything else became a muted drone, a whisper compared to the realization that he was lying. While Cade was here promoting the movie, he was staying at the Empire—clear on the other side of town. I turned the volume back on, needing to hear that I was wrong because if I was right…
“—and this place makes my favorite cup of coffee in the city.”
There was no way I was going to let that fly by unaddressed. “I thought the hole in the wall we met at for coffee was your favorite cup of coffee in the city.” Since I’d just nixed the whole ignoring thing, I turned my chin in his direction and pulled it upward until I met him dead on. “I’m going to ask you a question that I already know the answer to, so if you lie, I’ll know.” He claimed I made him want to be better, and I was going to find out if it was all just an act.
I was going to find out if my favorite actor was stalking me.
“You weren’t in the neighborhood, were you?”
“You’re asking if I’m lying about being in the area?” He had one hell of a poker face. The sharp lines of his face never wavered. There wasn’t even a twitch. But his question was a clearly just stalling.
I didn’t blink. “Not area. Neighborhood.”
“You’re asking if I’m lying about being in the neighborhood?”
“I’m asking you to be honest.” I glanced back at the barista. She was slowly pouring steamed milk into the cups. I’d give him until she slid them across the counter to quit with the games.
Why are you even playing at all, Lay? Cade Wallace has proved time and again that he can’t be trusted farther than you can throw him. But this was a new life, a new Leila. And I could answer that question without guilt. The only reason I hadn’t said the hell with my drinks was because I wanted to be proven wrong. That I hadn’t spent time, money, and heart on a guy that was a complete ass**le. I wasn’t holding auditions for my new BFF here. I just wanted the bullshit to end.
“Tea latte and a breve latte for Leila?”
The barista plunked the cups on the counter in front of me and I swiped them, feeling disappointed. I was done waiting. “Time’s up.”
“No, I wasn’t in the neighborhood,” he blurted.
I paused, glancing over my shoulder. “Are you following me, Cade?”
And there was the crack. His mouth opened, his eyes softening. Guilty. “Yes.”
I walked to the condiment station, popping the lid off my latte and grabbing a raw sugar packet. I thought hearing him admit it would be infuriating. Make me chunk the coffee at his head and make a run for it—because stake outs and ‘accidentally’ running into people wasn’t normal. Maybe I was in shock, calmly opening the pack, brown sugar crystals raining on top of the frothy foam.
“I know this looks bad.”
“Bad?” I repeated, putting my lid back on and running my finger along the seam until I was sure that it was secure. “You following me is horrible, Cade. And slightly frightening.”
“Then let me explain.” When I arched an eyebrow, he added. “Five minutes. I’m not trying to throw a wrench in your love life, I swear.”
“You have until I put sugar and milk in Jacob’s tea.” I made sure I was watching him when I said my boyfriend’s name. If he frowned, or even looked at me sideways, he wouldn’t even get that. I wouldn’t waste any more time if he couldn’t accept that me and him just weren’t going to happen. Even if he was my shadow until I drew my last breath.
But he didn’t even flinch, which was a start. I popped Jacob’s lid and listened to what Cade had to say.
“I want to apologize to you.”
“Again?” I said with an eye roll. “And then you’ll show me how you really mean it by doing something that completely contradicts your apology?” I thought back to his attempt at one when he’d come to pick up the gift baskets and atone for the mess he made after going ape shit on a dressing room. I thought back to when I made it clear that we were done, that I wanted him to leave and he followed it up by making me uncomfortable. “Like invading my personal space?” I dumped in a dollop of milk. “Or following me around?”
“Yes, I want to apologize again,” he reiterated, clenching his jaw. “And I know that I’m going to have to convince you that I mean it this time.”
“Step one,” I said curtly. “Don’t stalk me.”
“How else would I get you alone?” His eyes widened when he realized how bad that sounded. “Not for that. I meant, how would I get you alone so I could explain everything and not get in a brawl with Jacob or have you slap me and some photographer eat it up from behind his lens?” He paused. “Tomorrow’s the premiere and I’m keeping my nose clean. I swear it. I’ve done enough, risked enough. I won’t let my shit affect the movie release any more than it already has.”
I didn’t disagree with that, cringing inwardly as I remembered the number he did on the dressing room. Cade drunk as a skunk and opening up to me. Being vulnerable. Being human. I was letting him explain himself for that guy. The guy that clearly needed a friend.
“So you what?” I said after a moment. “Camped out in front of Jacob’s apartment building?”
I almost snapped the coffee stirrer in my hand in half, remembering what I’d been doing in plain sight on the balcony of Jacob’s place. I told myself that his surveillance operation couldn’t have included staking out and observing the coming and goings and activities that went on behind closed doors. He wouldn’t have been able to look at me without ‘I saw you naked’ being written all over his face.
“I was parked out front, yeah.”
I let out a sigh and went back to stirring.
“I almost went upstairs. To talk to both of you.”
“I’m glad you didn’t,” I said honestly. Even though Jacob made it clear that he could control himself in the name of professionalism, showing up at his place would have been pushing his luck.
“Well I’m going to need to talk to him at some pint. Every time Lisa tries to set something up, he’s busy or out of the office,” Cade said, leaning against an armchair a few feet away.
He’d been blacklisted, an honor Jacob bestowed on nagging members of the board and clients that got a little trigger happy with his contact information. The last client who’d been banished to the list was Rachel Laraby. Apparently, Cade was the latest addition.