Free Entice (Hearts of Stone #2) by Veronica Larsen Page A

he can move away.
    "Look, I'm not sure what you think I did, but I had no part in whatever happened to you."  
    "Are you sure about that?" he asks.
    I release the hold on his arm and let my hand fall to my side, certain he doesn't believe me. "Wait, did Jonathan tell you I did?"  
    Owen looks out past me like he's recalling something. "I think his exact words were, this is a message from Emily ."
    I'm aware of how every inch of my expression falls as I struggle to keep my tone from revealing how mortified I am. Because I remember clearly just how ruthless Jonathan could be.  
    "He lied, Owen. I swear. I would've never asked him to hurt you. Or anyone."  
    Owen watches me as though the truth is evident in my reaction, and his reluctance dissolves before my eyes. It's as though a realization crosses over his face, illuminating it like a passing headlight.  
    "Right, of course," he says with a slow blink. "I'm sorry I implied otherwise. Shouldn't have brought it up."
    Relief floods me and I realize how important it is to me that Owen believes me. The guarded way he crosses his arms and looks over toward the door gives me the suspicion that he's embarrassed.
    "No, I'm glad you did," I say. "We've been having this silent turf war. Only, I had no idea and have been sitting here sipping coffee. Probably pissing you off."
    "You do nurse a cup of coffee for hours."
    "I'm jobless. You have free WiFi. And a hot guy behind the counter."
    He keeps his eyes locked onto mine but his lips don't so much as twitch. I still sense his resistance to react to me. He's so used to holding a grudge, he doesn't quite know how to let it go.
    "Do you not like me flirting with you?" I ask, as casually as if I were asking him for the time.
    "I like it just fine."
    The energy between us softens right then. Like a glacier shifting a few inches as it begins to thaw. I smile and his lips twitch up at their corners. This entire exchange is a pleasant surprise for us both.
    The new guy manning the register calls him over and, as Owen walks away, something becomes obvious to me. The reason Owen looks so out of place in this diner is because he doesn't belong here. He answers the new guy's questions patiently and I can tell he is trying hard to make the guy feel comfortable.  
    That's when it hits me—he doesn't typically work here and was left with no alternative when his father fell ill. Owen's presence in this diner is temporary. This new hire is his ticket out of here.
    The disappointment sinking in my stomach is ridiculous. My presence here is also temporary. I'm a visitor, passing through. I've got a life elsewhere, a life that will take me away from this place for good. And soon.

CHAPTER TWELVE
     

    Every once in a while, things go right. Friday starts off wonderfully. By nine in the morning, I get a phone call from Janie Lowe. She's the hiring manager for the firm where I completed my summer associate's program back in law school. They offered me a position after graduation but I turned it down for what I thought was a better one.  
    Luckily, they still seem interested in me. Lowe tells me the firm was pleased to receive my application and I should expect a phone call after the holidays to coordinate a formal interview. The wordage she uses makes me suspect they've already decided to hire me and the interview is a formality. And though I know it's nowhere near a done deal until I receive an actual job offer, the conversation leaves me feeling light and refreshed. The two ton weight that's been sitting on my chest over the last few days shifts and I'm able to breathe again.
    But the next call I get is far less fun.  
    "Emily, you can't disappear like that and not answer any of my texts or calls. Where are you?"
    My roommate's tone is so frigid the phone grows a few degrees colder at my ear.  
    "I'm fine, Elle, I'm with my sister for the holidays. I meant to return your calls, just lost track of time."
    I'm talking through a mouthful of burrito.