Chapter 4Moonrise Over the Tide

The morning of our anniversary, as I was reminding George to take the wedding invitations with him, I glanced at his phone and saw a restaurant reservation confirmation.

My heart gave a little flutter of anticipation.

The sun was perfect. I hummed to myself as I pruned the dead leaves from the jasmine on the windowsill and gave it some water. I dressed with care, picked up the cake box, and headed to his office.

Since the company had taken off, George had become impossibly busy. I hadn’t visited him at work in a long time.

So long, in fact, that the new receptionist stopped me at the door.

"Hi, I'm here to see George."

"Do you have an appointment with Mr. Hayes?" she asked, her expression odd, her tone subtly shifting.

I shook my head.

Her brow furrowed as she glanced at the cake box in my hand. "If you don't have an appointment, you'll have to leave."

I was taken aback by her baseless hostility. Frowning, I pulled out my phone to call George. No answer.

She rolled her eyes and started texting someone. When she saw me trying to call again, her voice sharpened. "Please leave. You're disrupting our work environment."

Suddenly, George's best friend, Ryan, stepped out of the elevator behind me. The receptionist's face lit up. "Hey, Ryan!"

Ryan smiled back, then his eyes landed on me. He stopped short, a flicker of surprise on his face. "Chloe? What are you doing here?"

"Am I not allowed?" I asked, forcing a smile.

He seemed to realize how his question sounded and gave an awkward laugh. "Of course, you are. I just haven't seen you here in ages. Why are you waiting out here?" His eyes darted between me and the receptionist. "Come on, let's go in."

"Ryan!" the receptionist protested. "She doesn't have an appointment…"

Ryan’s face darkened. "This is George's fiancée. She doesn't need an appointment."

The receptionist's eyes widened in shock. I gave her a quizzical look and followed Ryan inside, faintly hearing her making a frantic phone call behind us.

In the hallway, I asked casually, "When did she start? Is she someone's relative or something?"

"A friend asked me to give her a job," he said, rubbing his nose. "She's new. Don't mind her."