Secret Moves (Secret Dreams Contemporary Romance 3) (15 page)

*******

Awareness that the sun was well and truly up came to Kris when she opened her eyes. It must be close to mid-day.

She stretched on her bed, feeling refreshed. It was good to catch up on some sleep. Since she'd been staying with Trey most nights lately, she hadn't had much of it. Then there was last night's surreal party to top it off.

She sat up in bed and snatched her phone from the bedside table, only to sniff in disappointment. Trey hadn't responded to her text.

Without hesitation, she dialled his number, but he didn't answer. She left a message on his voicemail for him to call, fervently hoping that he would soon. The worry she had when she left the restaurant last night had returned in full force.

Maybe he's just busy this morning.

She rang Ari.

"Hi, Kris," Ari greeted.

"Hi, Ari. How are you doing?"

"Good, thanks, but panicking a little bit. There's been another delay in the delivery of materials for one of my customers' wedding dress, but the supplier did promise my orders will be here tomorrow."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," she soothed. "Um, do you know if the three boys are busy with work today?"

"They're always busy. Dylan's been holed up in his study since eight this morning. Why?"

Kris sighed. "Do you have time for lunch today? I'm heading there to pop in at Trey's."

"Sure. Ask Sam if she wants to come too. I'll see you soon."

*******

"But it wasn't a date!" Kris protested as Ari relayed the conversation Dylan had with Trey that morning, after she and Ari had talked.

"I'm sure you'll have your chance to set things straight," Ari consoled.

"I should have explained last night at the restaurant. I knew he wasn't happy but I thought we'd be talking today," Kris said worriedly. "What else did he say?"

"Well, when we were encouraging him not to give up on you, he asked who would we prefer for you? The two choices were a guy with whom you have a lot in common and who could support your career in dance, and a guy who didn't know anything about the industry so he couldn't help in your career. Basically, Blake or him."

"What did you say?" Sam asked curiously.

"We said the choice was Kris'. Then Trey said we should back off and let Kris make her decision."

"Wait," Kris said. "You said you were encouraging him not to give up on me? What does that mean?"

Ari was quiet for a long time, seeming to think about how she could answer the question.

"Ari, please just tell me everything," Kris pleaded quietly.

Ari sighed heavily. "Well, he sort of said you guys are not together so you could go out with whomever you want. Then Dylan said to cut the crap because he could tell Trey has feelings for you. Trey admitted that he did—"

"He did?" Kris interrupted excitedly.

A flicker of emotion crossed Ari's face and Kris' elation deflated like a burst balloon.

"Everything, Ari, please," she urged her friend.

Ari nodded. "What he said was, 'Yeah, so what?' Then he said it was time to move on, and he had no hard feelings. So Dylan and I told him not to give up on you. I even said to him that you liked him. That was when he said we shouldn't butt in if you wanted to date Blake."

"I don't understand," Kris said, close to tears. "He admitted he has feelings for me but he didn't care if I went out with someone else?"

"Well, it was more like he thinks Blake is better for you," Ari said.

Kris bit her lower lip and looked down at her plate, trying to fight tears. So Trey's feelings were not strong enough to want to fight for her? Not that he even had a fight in his hands. There wasn't even a contest. But…he had been prepared to simply give her away to someone else.

"Kris…" Sam said, running a soothing hand up and down her back.

She looked up and smiled bravely although her eyes were swimming in tears. "He doesn't want me enough, does he?" she whispered.

"Oh, Kris," Ari cried. "I don't think it's that. But I think it's important that the two of you talk."

"Well, he doesn't want to talk to me. Maybe he's moving on. That was what he told you."

"Look, I can ask Dylan to arrange something so the two of you can have a private conversation. Would you like me to do that?"

Kris nodded gratefully at Ari, not trusting herself to speak.

*******

"Do you want to walk with me to Trey's building?" Kris asked Sam after their lunch with Ari.

"You think he'd be there?"

"Well, he works from home, so unless he has a meeting somewhere else, he should be there."

"You really want to do this? You don't want to wait until Dylan's set something up?" Sam asked.

"No. We're here already. I might as well try again. I just need to know exactly what he's thinking, Sam. You know me. Not knowing will drive me nuts."

"Okay, I'll walk with you."

When they reached their destination, Kris pressed the buzzer to Trey's apartment. Her heart was racing, and she took deep breaths to calm her nerves down.

"Hello?" Trey said through the intercom.

"Trey? It's me. I'm here with Sam. I was wondering if you have a few minutes."

"Uh…I'm in a middle of a conference call. I'll be at least another hour."

Her heart sank. "Oh, I'm sorry. Um, would you like to join us for coffee when you're done? Sam and I could meet you at that coffee place around the corner from here."

"Okay. I'll see you there," Trey said softly.

Kris knew her face shone with relief as she turned to Sam. "He's going to join us for coffee."

"Yes, I heard that," Sam responded with an understanding smile.

*******

Kris glanced at her watch again as she and Sam entered another shop.

"Time will not go faster no matter how many times you check it, you know," Sam said dryly.

Kris sighed. "Sorry. I just don't want to be late."

"It's only been half an hour, Kris. He's still on his conference call. If you head to the coffee shop now, you'll just fidget around on your ass."

"Don't you want some coffee yourself?"

"But you want me to leave you and Trey alone," Sam said with a laugh.

"We can go there now and order something while we wait for Trey. Then when he gets there, you can go and I'll meet you at Dylan's after. If I have my way, though, you'll be going home alone and I'll be with Trey tonight."

"Oh, Kris," Sam said sympathetically. "I really hope it works out for the two of you."

"Me, too, Sammy," she said quietly.

*

They just finished ordering their coffees and cakes when someone called out Kris' name.

Oh, fucking hell. No.

It was Blake, who was sitting alone at another table. He stood up and walked over to them.

"We seem to have this habit of bumping into each other," Blake said to Kris with a wide grin.

"Well, I suppose you do work around here," she responded with a wan smile.

"Did you get home all right last night?" Blake asked.

"Yes, I did. Thanks."

"You kept the taxi receipt, didn't you? Don't forget to have that reimbursed when you turn up for work in a couple of weeks."

"I won't, thanks," she responded, wondering how she could get rid of him.

"Did Kris tell you about last night, Sam?" Blake asked, casually sitting on the empty chair next to Kris. "Did she tell you how utterly professional and charming she was? They loved her."

"I'm glad. I was already deep into dreamland when she got home but she did tell me all about it this morning," Sam said politely.

Blake turned to Kris. "I'm really grateful for last night, Kris," he said, leaning closer and looking at her with soft, sincere eyes. "You didn't have to stay there so late but you did. You don't know how much PR that created for our studio."

"Oh, don't mention it," she said, as she sipped her coffee that was placed in front of her. It was too hot and a drop escaped the side of her mouth.

"Oops, sorry," she said, as she wiped it with the back of her hand.

"You missed a spot," Blake said, reaching over and cleaning off the speck.

She froze. "Blake, I think that's a little too inappropriate," she chided.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Blake said in surprise. "It was a reflex action. Anyway, I'll have to make sure I pay you overtime for last night," he continued with a charming smile, as if he just didn't make her uncomfortable.

"Thank you," she murmured, glancing at Sam and hoping her cousin had something up her sleeve that would make Blake disappear.

Sam gave her an almost imperceptible shrug.

Blake straightened up. "Unfortunately, I have to go, ladies. I have a meeting coming up in a few minutes."

Kris hid a sigh of relief.

"I'll see you at work in two weeks, Kris. That is if I don't bump into you again before that," Blake teased as he stood up to go.

"See you, Blake," she responded, glad he was finally leaving.

"Thank God, he's gone," she said to Sam when her new boss was out of earshot.

"I'd say he's certainly interested in you, Kris. It was obvious."

"I'll have to say something more forceful the next time he does something improper," she said, looking out the window.

She did a double take and squinted, trying to spot the man that had just disappeared amongst the crowd.

She thought it was Trey but it couldn't be. He should still be in his meeting. Besides, the man was hurriedly walking away from the coffee shop, not toward it.

Trey continued walking. Fast. He didn't have any destination in mind. His brain was too muddled to focus on such a detail. What was clear in his head was a picture of Blake wiping the corner of Kris' mouth.

"I just can't handle this," he muttered to himself, feeling ridiculously juvenile. He was thirty-two years old, for God's sake. Couldn't he be more composed about this? Why didn't he just go in and speak to her?

Well, he knew why. Kris didn't call him for a reconciliation.

God, he was such a fool for hoping. How could he even think she was still interested in him? After her text at one-thirty in the morning, he should have known it was definitely all over.

One-thirty. In the morning. Kris and Blake.
Arrghh!

He slowed down and headed back to his place. He couldn't bear to see Kris. Not yet. If she wanted to tell him they were over, she didn't have to. It was clear as day.

He pulled out his phone and sent her a text.

*Sorry, I can't make it.*

*******

"Glad you're here," Adam whispered to Trey as Adam let him in.

"Glad I'm here, too," Trey responded dryly, staring at Adam who looked both relieved and agitated.

"Sandy's here," Adam said in a low voice. "And she doesn't want to leave. She's in the kitchen right now making us coffee. You've got to help me get rid of her."

Trey snorted in surprise. "What? You can't get rid of her yourself?"

"I've tried! But she keeps on saying we haven't finished talking. Help me!" Adam said a little desperately.

Trey shook his head in amusement.
 
Not too long ago, Adam had fought to defend Sandy against his and Dylan's concerns that Sandy was a little bit of a gold-digger. Adam hadn't wanted to hear anything bad against Sandy then, but he'd certainly changed his perspective now.

"But you're in love with her," he teased Adam. "Why would you want her out of your life? She's sexy, pretty…sexy, pretty…ahh, what else?…sexy, pretty…"

Adam gave him an elbow on the rib. "Be serious. I'm sick and tired of her chasing after me. I've already told her so many times we're over, but she's like a dog with a bone!"

"Of course, she is," he replied seriously. "You're dripping with money. I'm sure she aims to be the mistress of that big house Kane's designing for you."

"So what do I do, short of being outright rude and throwing her out?"

"You're much too soft on her, Adam. If everything else has failed, then
be
rude and just throw her out," he answered.

Adam groaned and stomped toward the kitchen.

Trey smirked at the raised voices coming from the other room. He had no sympathy for Sandy. She was lucky she'd lasted as long as she did with Adam, and gotten more than a few expensive gifts along the way. Adam was just too nice and too trusting. He was easily hooked by girls like Sandy—unlike Trey and Dylan.

Well, of course, Dylan was now undeniably hooked. But Ari was a great girl who loved Dylan beyond doubt. Dylan was a very lucky man.

Ah, Christ. Now he was calling someone who wanted to get hitched a lucky man? There was something seriously wrong with him.

"I'll call you later tonight, okay?" Sandy was saying tearfully to Adam as she was herded to the door.

"I'll be busy. Don't bother," Adam answered brusquely.

"Yes, Adam and I are going out tonight, Sandy," he called out, deciding to give his friend a helping hand.

"Hi, Trey," Sandy said with a hopeful smile. "How are you?"

Standing behind Sandy, Adam rolled his eyes. "Sandy's just leaving, Trey."

"Okay. Bye, Sandy!" he said with a goodbye wave.

With an exaggerated sigh, Sandy walked out, huffing and sniffing.

"Thank God for that," Adam said as he closed the door.

Trey chuckled mirthlessly.

"Okay, Andrews. What's going on?" Adam asked as he sat on the chair adjacent to him.

"What do you mean?" he dodged.

Adam raised his eyebrows at him. "You cut our conference call short so you could have coffee with Kris. And yet, you're here and not with her."

Trey inhaled sharply. "I don't think there was anything we needed to talk about so I texted her to let her know I couldn't make it."

"Why don't you want to talk to her?"

"She'll only say we're done, Adam. What's the point of having coffee together just to be on the receiving end of a dumping?" He wasn't about to admit he didn't trust himself to keep his composure if Kris told him straight to his face she didn't want him anymore—in a public place like a coffee shop.

"Trey, why don't you just talk to her? You're making too many assumptions. Jesus, your reaction to this is worse than a teenager's."