19. Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Nineteen
C hance
The afternoon sun glares down on my neck and back as I make my way into Dad’s home. The cool air-conditioning welcomes me and I sigh with relief.
“Dad?” He promised to be home at one p.m. today. Where is he now?
I poke my head into the kitchen and find Lucy by the fridge. Her mouth is stuffed with whatever she’s eating. She grins and waves me in the general direction of Dad’s study.
I give her a thumbs up and head that way.
His deep voice comes through the slightly open door. I knock before pushing it open.
He acknowledges my presence with a nod but continues speaking into the phone.
I take the moment to glance around the study.
It’s covered end to end with shelves that are brimming with books.
Even his desk has no room, all covered in books about every subject known to man.
A university would have a field day sorting through his books and enriching their libraries. Dad would never go for that though.
His books are his most prized possessions, next to his pictures of Mom. One sits on his desk now. It’s a picture of them when they were both in their twenties. A few days before they got married. She has her arms wrapped around him, and a broad smile squinting her eyes. She was beautiful.
His hair is a deep brown here, unlike the gray streaks he sports now. His eyes are bright and I can almost hear the laughter they share.
I tear my gaze away to meet his eyes, watching me curiously. I didn’t even notice when he stopped speaking.
His eyes leave mine and fall on the frame, then he picks it up. A sad smile tilts his lips as he rubs his fingers across the surface.
Emotion builds in my chest and nearly chokes me.
His eyes snap to mine and he smiles, then drops the picture face down.
Still, the damage is already done.
I leave his side to pace off the pain in my chest. It takes minutes, but finally, I feel alright, like I can face him again without breaking down.
I turn in his direction and his patient eyes irritate me.
“I’m here about—” My voice is rough. Fuck.
I clear my throat and try again. “Ramsey has decided on a campaign. I want your opinion. It’s similar to the one he carried out while you were CEO but with minor adjustments he swears by. Just need your thoughts.”
He slips on his glasses then picks up the document and flips through casually. “Didn’t Maddie shut Ramsey down the other day?”
My heartbeat rams at the mention of her name but I manage to keep my tone neutral. “She did.”
He chuckles. “I wish I was there for that.” He closes the document and looks up. “How is she doing?”
“Just great.” I step forward. “If you look at page 3, you’d see some ideas he has about publicity.
I don’t think that they will be very effective.
But you may see the sense in it. I’ve been rejecting many of his ideas and I have to admit he has given this a lot of thought.
I want to consider it. What do you think? ”
Dad opens the page and squints. “What does Maddie think of it?”
“What does she—” I bite my tongue. “I didn’t show her.”
“But she worked in marketing before coming to the Island, yes?” He raises an eyebrow.
“Yes, but she is a PA right now.”
“She’s wasted as a PA, in my opinion.”
“Dad, that’s not the opinion I came here for.” I stare at his serene expression, exasperated. “Can we talk about the campaign?”
He sighs. “Fine. Sit.”
I keep standing.
“I won’t speak until you sit.”
I give in and drop into the chair opposite him. “So, what do you think?”
“I think you’re too hard on yourself,” Dad says. “You’re trying so hard not to make mistakes when that’s inevitable. As CEO, you will make some mistakes. You will fund some projects that’ll crash and burn.”
“I know. All I’m trying to do is limit that.”
“I know,” he returns with the same cadence I used. “And I’m saying make the mistakes. Be a failure sometimes. Only with the ups and downs will you grow. You won’t grow by running, okay?”
I fight the urge to facepalm. “Thanks, Dad,” I drawl.
“So,” he leans back, looking proud of himself. “When are you proposing?”
I’m still debating on my options with Ramsey’s campaign that I don’t understand his statement. “Proposing what?”
“To her.” The dummy is silent, but I hear it in his tone.
I’m about to ask, ‘Her, who?’ when it dawns. I try to grab the document to hide my face in it. But he reaches across the table and snatches it before I can.
“Jesus, Dad!” I slap my hands on my thighs and lean back. “What do you want from me?”
“A date. A hint. Anything.” He shrugs. “When is Maddie going to become an Easton?”
My heart clenches with that thought. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?” He sits forward, looking more worried about that than the possibility of losing millions if a project falls through. “She’s a lovely young woman. She likes you and you like her. What’s holding you back?”
His question is bait, but I’m smart enough not to bite.
“That’s not why I’m here.”
He shakes his head, disappointment in his eyes. “You can tell me anything, you know that, right?”
“Of course.”
“So, when—”
“Nope.” I stand and take the document from him. “Not that.”
“Fine. If you insist on not speaking about it, we won’t.”
“I do.”
He sighs.
I’m almost out the door when his voice stops me.
“Have a closer look at pages 7 and 8. Ramsey can be too ambitious with the estimated outcome of his campaigns. If you keep the expectations small, you will be less disappointed. With that, you’ll see how best to adjust the budget.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
He nods. “Take care. And if you see Lucy, tell her I’m still waiting on that lunch she promised me.”
I picture her stuffing her face in front of the fridge. “Yeah, I’ll do that.”
I get back to the office forty-five minutes later. I lock myself in and get to work thoroughly reviewing the document. It’s either that or obsess over Dad’s words.
Does he hope I marry Maddie? He met her just once for fuck’s sake. If he thinks that, then it’s more than likely that Aunt Felicia and Lucy agree too.
I have no doubt Baxter would sign off on that, and Landon, he’ll go along with it if he believes I’m happy.
I quickly shut down those thoughts. It doesn’t matter what my family thinks. The thing between Maddie and I isn’t real. She leaves in a few days and I have to move on.
Will my family move on, though?
I bury my face in my hands and let out a string of curses that’d draw a frown from Aunt Felicia. I fucked up.
If I never played into Baxter’s game, I wouldn’t need to do damage control at the end of this week.
I shake off the feeling that I’ll be making the worst decision of my life by letting her go.
They’ll be fine.
Will I?
I ignore that thought and resume working.
I don’t notice that the light is fading until I glance back at a text and can’t make out the words.
Behind me, the sun has fallen beyond the horizon and left traces of pink and purple in the clouds.
I turn away and switch on the lights, then resume pouring over the documents before me, making adjustments and recommendations.
A knock brings my head up. There’s a kink in my neck I ignore.
A second passes and then Maddie walks in. She’s still here? I snatch my wrist up and check the time.
“You’re still here?”
She shrugs. “So are you.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
Her lips tick up. “Fine. I’m still here. Can you see me? Or am I a ghost?”
I walked into that one. I allow her a moment to smile to her satisfaction. “You shouldn’t be here so late.”
“Neither should you.”
Her gaze roams over my face, then a frown pinches her brows. “You look exhausted.”
She comes closer, blessing me with a view of her pretty features and curvy frame.
She doesn’t stop opposite me. Her heels click on the floor as she rounds the desk.
I swivel to face her, leaning back to get a good look. Despite being focused on working all day, my brain shuts down and my body hums to life at her nearness.
But she’s not looking at me like that. Her frown deepens as she leans in close to my face.
I pull in a breath of her and my limbs weaken. Then she does the last thing I expect, she pushes her fingers into my hair and massages my scalp.
My eyelids lose strength and stay closed, and my whole being hones in on the slow, gentle touch.
“Maddie,” I murmur. “What are you doing?”
“Does it feel good?” she whispers.
“Yes.”
How didn’t I know I needed this? I lean forward into her touch and rest my head on her stomach, holding onto her waist as she lulls me with her fingers.
She finds a spot just below my ear that makes me fucking purr.
Her laugh vibrates in her belly. “You need to rest, Chance. You work yourself too hard.”
My muscles tense. Rest isn’t for me. “Someone has to do the work.”
“That’s why you have employees. You can’t keep doing this day after day.”
My rebuttal dies on my tongue as she rubs down my neck to my shoulders.
“Hmm?”
“Yes,” I blurt.
“You agree?” There’s a note of surprise in her tone.
“Yes.”
Anything she asks right now, it’s a yes.
“So… you’ll stop working for the night?” She circles a spot at the base of my neck.
It takes a few breaths to say yes, just so I don’t sound like I’m moaning.
“And you’ll let me take you home?”
“Yes.”
“Huh. Car keys?”
I pull out the drawer.
She starts to take her hand off my hair.
I grab it and replace it.
“Oh, okay. I just need one hand to pick up the keys.” They clink as she does. “And then I need my hand back so we can leave the office and I’ll drive you home?”
“Okay.”
I let her hand go. I miss it instantly, but I swallow the urge to complain.
She grabs me by the arms as I stand, her face turned up to take me in. “You good?”
I press a kiss on her cheek. “I am.”
Her smile warms me. She threads her fingers in mine, and with her other hand, she shuts down my laptop and picks up my jacket.
I normally have my laptop to continue working at home but Maddie doesn’t give it a second glance as we walk out of the office and lock the door.
My car is the only one left in the parking lot. She opens the door and waves me in, a smug smile on her face.
I roll my eyes and get in, then she gets in next to me and heads out.
It’s unusual for someone else to lead while I sit back, but right now, it’s welcomed. I lean back and shut my eyes, only jerking awake when her hand prods me.
“We’re home,” she says.
I get out of the car and Maddie comes around to wrap an arm around me. Not that I need her help to stand upright or walk into the house. But it’s nice to feel her soft touch.
“You’re taking this very seriously,” I comment.
“Of course.” She turns up her chin. “I’m a very serious PA.”
Laughter rumbles through my chest and she smiles.
“Do you want something to eat?” She turns on the lights in the living room.
“No. Bed, then you’ll do that thing with your hands?”
She quirks her lip. “Yes, sir.”