“That doesn’t exactly explain why you smell so… up close and personal,” I said through my teeth.

“The guys bought me a lap dance as a thank-you. Can we drop this? I’m tired.”

“Yeah, we can drop this,” I said quietly, turning off the light.

I left the room.

I fell asleep that night on the couch in a puddle of my own tears while Tyler slept like a baby.

We’d barely spoken since.

“Things are tense,” I said finally, glancing up at Lauren.

Her eyes rounded in compassion. “Then, why are you still with him? You know you have a place to stay. Just say the word, Cara. Don’t keep putting yourself through this.”

I nodded, greatly appreciative for her friendship. Roman had said to steer clear of Lauren, but I thought his assessment regarding her was all wrong. She’d been nothing but a steady rock for me over the last few weeks, offering friendship where I had none, courage when mine seemed to be failing, and a helping hand, even when I was too afraid to take it.

“Thank you,” I said. “But I don’t think I’m ready for that yet. And I know you think I’m crazy for staying, but you’ve got to understand. This is the only relationship I’ve ever had, and I know it might seem naive or childish, but a part of me still believes that we are meant to be. That the eight years we’ve put into this is worth it. I know he’s made some mistakes, but so have I. I can’t walk away without at least trying to mend what is broken.”

“I understand,” she stated. “I might not agree, but I understand.”

“Thank you.”

She smiled sweetly just as the waiter came. We each ordered coffee and a warm bowl of soup, opting out of our usual salads, going for something warmer instead.

As we waited, she naturally moved onto another subject, obviously noticing I needed a change of pace. Things settled back on office gossip, and even though I wasn’t a fan of it, I let her prattle on, enjoying the simple fact that I wasn’t the only one in the universe who had issues.

“My boss just got hair plugs. I don’t think he wants us to say anything about it, but it’s super obvious. He’s the VP of Finance, so it’s not like he’s invisible. Even Cavenaugh noticed.”

“Roman notices everything. He just likes everyone to think he doesn’t,” I said, instantly regretting my words.

“Really? I guess that makes sense. He did know my name the other day,” she said before taking a sip of coffee.

“What day?”

“Tuesday maybe? Before that acquisitions meeting earlier this week. He asked me a question but actually said my name first. I just figured he referred to all of us as Peon Number One, Peon Number Two…”