Hard Love (Hacker #5)(10)
Author: Meredith Wild

Clay deposited our luggage in the foyer, and a quick exchange with Blake guaranteed he’d be back to collect us for work in the morning. We meandered upstairs to the bedroom, where we quickly collapsed.

* * *

I woke to the bright morning sky and an empty bed. According to the note left on Blake’s pillow, he’d left for work early. I groaned and contemplated sleeping more, but the thought of catching up with Alli and the rest of the people at the new office spurred me to action. I took my time getting ready, switching on the news to lure me away from the bed, where I could have easily slept for another eight hours. I poured my coffee, pausing at the mention of Daniel’s name. The newscaster was reporting a recap from the election that had taken place the previous week.

Even though I hadn’t spoken to Daniel in months, he’d surfaced in my thoughts often enough. We’d parted ways. Well, he’d decided to remove himself from my life. Mercifully? Perhaps. Sometimes I wondered what he would say if I tried to reach him again. Would he insist on keeping his distance?

Now that he’d won the governor’s race, maybe he wouldn’t say anything at all. Winning the election was everything he’d been working toward since before he’d loved my mother. I was certain that any importance I’d held in his life had faded well into the background of current events.

I switched off the television, determined not to devote any more thought to it. Despite my serious jet lag and mourning the end of our blissful honeymoon, I was looking forward to throwing myself into work—something I hadn’t been able to do since selling the company.

The caffeine hit, and I took that as my cue to head in. Clay drove me into the city and dropped me at Mocha, the cafe that I’d often frequented at the old office. I hadn’t been back since Blake’s ex, Sophia, had fired Alli and I walked out, but I couldn’t stay away forever. I scanned the sidewalks, half expecting to see Sophia, but I didn’t recognize any faces.

Inside though, I immediately spotted Simone. While she served a nearby table, I found my usual spot empty and sat down. My phone buzzed as I waited and I read a text from Marie welcoming me home. I wrote her back, making tentative plans to catch up in the next week. I knew she’d want to hear all about the honeymoon and I couldn’t wait to tell her. I’d missed her more than she knew.

Simone came up to me, her eyes wide. “Holy shit, who are you and what are you doing in my cafe?”

I laughed. “I came for my caffeine fix. And to see you, of course.”

“Damn right.” She joined me, sidling up on the opposite stool. “So what’s up? I haven’t seen you since the wedding.”

“Nothing yet, really. Just catching up at work today, probably. How about you?”

“Same old scene here,” she said, gesturing to the bustling cafe.

“How are the new neighbors?” I couldn’t help but ask, since Mocha was steps away from the Clozpin office, but I braced myself for an answer that would hurt. Good or bad, any news would be salt on the wound.

Simone shrugged. “From what I can tell, the big boss, Perry, is in only a couple times a month. I haven’t seen the girl at all. They hired some new programmers. Can’t complain about that, though. They’ve turned into excellent caffeine-dependent customers.”

“I guess they’re still up and running, then.” I wanted to be unaffected, but I couldn’t hide the listlessness in my tone.

“Seems that way. I’m glad James didn’t stick around. He’s a lot happier working with the old crew.”

James had been the last to jump ship after the change in ownership. The last news I’d heard was that Clozpin had been hacked and damaging information had been leaked about Isaac and Sophia that could spell the end of the venture. Apparently they had recovered and moved on. Maybe it was time I did the same.

“What’s this?” I asked, pointing to the artfully designed heart drawn in fresh black ink down Simone’s inner forearm.

“Oh, just some new ink.” She touched one of the ornate details that curved around a black keyhole in the heart’s center.

“It’s beautiful. The detail is incredible.”

Her cheeks suffused with pink. “James designed it. He’s an amazing artist. He got one too. A key.”

I dropped my jaw, blown away by the unmistakable meaning behind the two symbols. “Wow. That’s permanent, you know.”

She laughed. “Well, it’s supposed to be. That’s kind of the point.”

“I’m so happy for you both.” After everything I’d been through with James, I was incredibly grateful that he and Simone had found something real that I hoped made them as deeply happy as Blake made me.