The Research Project

Chapter Twenty-Eight

It was the sound of the phone on Monday morning that woke her up. Lainey picked it up from her bedside table. It was six in the morning, still half an hour before her alarm was due to go off. It was her mum ringing her. At first, Lainey panicked, then quickly realised why her mum would be calling her so early today. She swiped at the phone and took the call.

"Happy birthday Lai-Lai."

"Thanks, Mum," Lainey said, smiling at the phone, for once not minding the use of her nickname.

"I have your present here, waiting for you. Are you coming for lunch this Saturday?"

"Yes, of course," she told her mum.

"Are you going to bring Byron again?"

She hesitated briefly. "I'll have to ask him."

"Okay, well let me know if he decides to come along," her mum said, and Lainey was so grateful that her mum didn't appear to notice something was not right.

"I will. I'll see you this weekend."

"Love you, sweetie."

"Love you too, Mum."

She hung up the phone and sighed deeply. She hadn't spoken to Byron since Saturday night. She'd told him she needed space and he'd given that to her. And now, of course, she was freaking out that he'd given up on her altogether. What if she'd pushed him too far? What if he decided that was it? The end.

Suddenly, she needed to get to work as early as possible. Lainey dressed quickly, even smeared on some lipstick on, attempting to feel better about herself on her twenty-seventh birthday. Who was she kidding? She was trying to look good for Byron. Maybe when she walked into work this morning everything would be fine between them. She collected her brand new Prada handbag, a birthday present she'd bought for herself. It was delicious, a beautiful coral shade and Lainey loved it. The only thing she wasn't sure about was the new secret pocket. It didn't have a zipper like her last bag and she was worried her thumb drive would fall out, but if she was careful, she was sure it would be fine.

By the time she had made it to the office, she was a ball of nerves, she had no idea what to expect, but she forced herself to smile as the elevators doors pinged open on her floor. It was her birthday after all. She sat down at her desk and reached inside her bag to make sure her thumb drive was still there. Just as her fingers closed around it, she heard a voice to her left.

"Morning, Lainey."

"Hi, Penny," Lainey replied, quickly letting go of the thumb drive and finding something on her desk to keep her hands busy.

"Mr. Vidler has had to rush off to court this morning. Theo is sick and he's taken over."

"Oh,' Lainey said.

"Can I get you to help with the Travis file? Madison left it half finished and she'd made a mess of it. Hopefully it's the last of her files."

"Sure," Lainey replied, even though she had a million things to do for Byron.

Penny had been right, Madison had made a mess of it. It was lunchtime when she finally finished. Byron still wasn't back from court. Lainey was in desperate need of a coffee by now and some lunch. She made her way over to the coffee station. When she returned, Byron was there, standing next to her desk and her heart skipped a beat. He looked utterly sexy, a fact Morgan seemed to have picked up on because she was also standing next to Lainey's desk talking with Byron and looking at him like she wanted him for lunch. Lainey faltered in her steps, the scene eerily similar to Saturday night when she walked into Byron's living room to see them locked at the lips. She made to retreat, but before she could turn, Byron saw her just out of the corner of his eye.