She remembered how he’d pulled away after that very first kiss. But then he’d come back to her, almost apologetically, as if it pained him to do so, as if he knew they shouldn’t be together, but he couldn’t help himself. Hadn’t she felt the same way? Hadn’t she tried to fight her feelings for him because she didn’t want anything—not even a relationship—to get in the way of her finally achieving her goals when it came to her app? And hadn’t she failed miserably?

How could she fault Daniel for not being able to pull away when she hadn’t been able to do so either?

No, she no longer blamed him for the sore heart she’d been tending to this week. Eventually, once she had a bit more distance from the raw pain that thoughts of his betrayal continued to heap upon her, she might find a way to even forgive him.

And, just maybe, once the hurt subsided and she could fix herself a cup of coffee at the office without her soul wincing, maybe then she would be able to look back on these last two months and actually smile.

She wasn’t there yet.

For now, she would continue her steadfast effort to put Daniel and everything about him out of her head. She was content to find her joy in this new, precious baby girl that had entered their lives.

*  *  *

Daniel sensed the moment she spotted him. Her steps halted midstride, and her shoulders stiffened.

He had been standing in her condo building’s lobby for over two hours. The afternoon security guard, whom he’d never met before, recognized him from the news coverage of the Trendsetters bust. He’d spent over an hour asking Daniel about everything under the sun when it came to his undercover work. Thanks to easily uploadable cell phone pictures and searchable hashtags, it would be a while before he could go out in the field again. The takedown had happened so quickly that he forgot to assume the guise of the clueless coworker. Now his face was everywhere.

His relief had been immediate when the evening security guard took over. This one, who had been on duty several times when he’d previously visited, kept his eyes on his paperback novel and allowed Daniel to wait in peace for Samiah to get home.

Now, he wondered if he should have come here at all. Now that she stood only a few yards away, it felt as if he was forcing this meeting. She didn’t owe him anything, not even her time.

But he had to see her. He needed at least one more chance to explain himself.