"Red for sure. His complexion would be washed out completely with white." He kept a straight face until she cracked up.
Alex poked his head in the door, but stopped, lifting his eyebrow. "Why do I have a feeling that putting you guys in an office together wasn’t the best idea?"
"Because it's not. Get him out of here." Jamie stood up and moved to the door, wrapping her arms around Alex. "Morning, baby. Sorry about earlier."
"Morning. No worries. My lawyer got a kick out it." He kissed her quickly and turned his attention back to Mark. "Did you know that Kristen was an executive assistant to some oil guy for a while? She just called to ask if we might have any open positions."
"Really?" Mark's face lit up far more than it should have for a casual friendship.
"I think interviewing her would be a great idea." Jamie turned her attention back to Alex, but not before she made a mental note to ask Mark if he’d told Kristen to apply. She needed to pat him on the back for the great idea. "We're talking about for Gina's position, right?"
"Yes. Speaking of Gina, she’ll be here in a few minutes. She needs to clear her stuff out." He brushed his fingers across Jamie's face as his expression saddened.
"I-I can help her with that. You don't need to be there if you don’t want to." She patted his chest and moved out into the hall before he could stop her.
As if on cue, the elevator opened, and Gina walked out, her appearance nothing like Jamie was used to. The pretty woman had her hair pulled back in a simple bun, her eyes swollen with dark circles under them.
"Hey, Gina." She walked toward her and stopped as Gina glanced up, and her eyes filled with tears.
"H-Hi, Jamie." She moved around Jamie and stopped at the desk. "Alex said that one of you would need to stand over me while I emptied out my desk.” Her voice her shook. “I'd rather it be you, if you have time."
"Of course I do. Let me grab some boxes and I'll help you." Jamie reached out and touched Gina's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I wish this—"
"No. It's my fault. I've been so lonely for so long that I let it drive me in a direction I never should have taken. This is all on me, and I'm willing to bear that. I just hope that one day Alex and I can be friends again. I've spent my whole adult life here." She glanced around as her bottom lip quivered. “Time to grow up.”
Jamie didn't think twice about pulling her into a tight hug. Gina started crying softly as soon as she did, and Jamie held on tightly. Everyone made mistakes. Jamie had made more than her share for sure. Though there was no way to salvage Gina's job, thanks to trust being destroyed, there was no reason they couldn't remain friends.
Alex appeared from somewhere down the hall, and let out a long sigh before walking toward them and tugging Gina into a hug. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head as she cried harder, and Jamie couldn't hold back her own tears.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Alex. I never should have gotten involved with that man. He's a demon from hell." She moved back and wiped at her tears. "I know my job’s lost, which is fine, but I pray you'll forgive me someday."
"I already have. I understand the situation; I just wish you had come to me. There's not much I wouldn't have given you, Gina. You're like family to me." He reached out and squeezed her shoulder. "Let Jamie help you with your stuff, and when the dust settles, we can have lunch or bring you and the kids out to the house for dinner or something fun."
She nodded and turned as Jamie locked eyes with Alex. The loss in his face was a mirror image of the painful emotions racing through her.
She would have to talk to Alex about not pressing charges against Gina, or making them seem like coercion. Gina wouldn't have acted on her own without Nicholas pushing. Where she made the decision to help him, it didn't mean that he didn't take complete advantage of a lonely single mom.
"I'm going to kill that dumbass." Jamie shook her head.
Alex nodded, understanding damn well and good who she was talking about. "No need to. We'll work to destroy the one thing the loves most. His money."
* * *
Jamie finished helping Gina carry all of her stuff out and pack it into the back of her car. She gave her friend a long hug, promising that their happy hours were still on every week. There was no doubt in Jamie's mind that Gina would find another job, and soon. The only fear was that she would go to Nicholas for one. By the looks of things, he wouldn't be in business much longer.
The wind whipped around Jamie as she jogged back to the front of the building. The sound of a feminine voice stopped her.
"Jamie!"
She turned to find Annette dressed to perfection, yet not wearing the usual nasty expression she seemed so fond of.
"Hell-o Annette." Jamie nodded toward the building. "Alex won’t see you.”
“I’m not here to see him. I want to talk to you.”
Jamie shivered. “I'm going in. It's freezing. If you want to say something, come in to the lobby and we can talk there." She turned to go.
"No. I just wanted to say that I'm not sorry for still loving Alex. He's the best thing that ever happened to me.”