21. Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-One
C hance
Maddie has been missing all morning. Unusual. But I don’t have time to look for her.
I have an impromptu meeting with the CFO and Ramsey, going over the campaign budget. We’ve managed to cut it down but the CFO still raises eyebrows at the numbers Ramsey quoted. He’s adamant we can’t spare that much.
Now, Ramsey is forced to go back to the drawing board. And he’s not very happy about that.
I tap his shoulder on the way out of the CFO’s office. It’s nothing personal, just business. He dips his head in a nod, his shoulders down. I’m watching him walk away when my eyes lift.
There she is.
Maddie stands in the hallway speaking to a staff member who I don’t give more than a passing glance. All my attention is focused on her.
She’s in a cream-colored dress with black detailing. It looks soft from a distance and tempts me to hold her in my arms, breathe the fragrance from the slender slope of her neck and run my fingers through her bouncy brown hair.
I imagined I’d wake up with regrets today. Being vulnerable has never been my strong suit. I keep everyone at arm’s length. That way, I feel most in control.
Last night, I gave in to the need to be looked after for once. And damn, it felt good. I woke up more rested than I’ve been in… forever.
And it’s because of Maddie.
She’s still engrossed in her conversation, her face tilted up. An occasional smile plays across her animated features. I feel an answering smile tick my lips. She draws it from me even without trying.
I’m glued to the spot, watching her, unable to tear my eyes away.
“Mr. Easton?” a voice draws my attention.
I glance sideways, then back up.
Maddie’s gaze snags on mine. She looks away quickly and rushes off.
A frown pulls my lips down. Where is she off to?
Pulling my gaze away from her, I focus on the person who spoke to me in the first place.
Once that’s over, I attend to other duties.
It’s late afternoon again when I catch a break and go in search of her.
This is the first day since she started here that I have hardly seen her. And I’m not alright.
I was seconds from quitting the meeting early. It took all my willpower to push aside the feeling and sit through it.
Glad to be done now, I march the hallways, seeking her out. I do a mental calculation and cross into the hallway leading to the conference rooms. Julia once mentioned she’d set Maddie up there. I’ve never had to find her, until now.
I slip by a room and spy through the mottled glass a shoulder-length hair bowed over a laptop.
I trap the relieved sigh in my chest and push the door open. Maddie’s not alone. Two other staff members glance up from their work as she does. They fall over themselves with greetings and I only nod in their direction, my eyes on her.
She wouldn’t look at me.
“Maddie?”
Her gaze lifts to mine. “Yes, sir. Is there something I can do for you?”
The fuck? Why does she sound so professional?
I can’t remember a time when she has spoken to me this way. Is it because we have company?
“Excuse us.”
The other two exit the room and then we are alone.
“You can drop the act now.” I stick my hands in my pockets.
Maddie frowns. “The act?”
“You know.” I huff a breath. “Acting like you’re the most professional PA in the world.”
It’s meant to be a joke, but a line forms between her brows, deepening her frown. “I am professional.”
“I didn’t mean it like—” Now, I’m apologizing. I bite my tongue and backtrack. “Did you have a good day?”
“I did,” she says and rises.
A stupid part of me thinks she’s coming over but then she picks up her purse and starts to fit her phone and stationery into it.
She’s leaving? Crap, um… “Have dinner with me.”
Her eyes connect with mine. Whatever she sees makes her lips turn down. “I’m sorry, I can’t.”
My eyebrows lift. I thought for sure she’d like to go out with me. After last night, seeing the way she cared, I hoped—
Fuck it . I shouldn’t have. Still, her mood can’t be my fault, right? I couldn’t have fucked up between last night and today. I wrack my brain. Nothing I’ve done jumps out as wrong.
Purse all packed up, she slides out of the space between her chair and the table, and then she’s headed my way. For the door, no doubt.
I stand to the side, watching her. She throws her gaze sideways, somehow more interested in the glass walls than me.
My heart fists in my chest. I can’t let her leave like this.
She’s passing by me when I reach out a hand. She sucks in a breath and scoots away from my touch as though my hand is on fire.
Our eyes meet and I have no doubt my look betrays my shock. She shakes her head in a non-answer, looking deeply hurt, then she leaves.
What the actual fuck?
My heartbeat is all wrong as I eventually pull myself together and follow her out. I spy the tail of her dress as she slips into the elevator. The doors pull close with a finality I hate.
Tomorrow, I’ll get down to the bottom of this, whatever it is.
Like the previous day, I don’t see Maddie in the morning. She’s meant to report to me. I don’t want to pull the boss card, but she leaves me no choice.
Plus, my poor sleep last night brought on by wondering what was wrong with her has made me cranky.
I forgo using the intercom to ask her to come into my office. A walk will help clear my head before I speak to her in my current state and say something I shouldn’t.
I stop by Julia’s desk. “Where’s Maddie?”
Julia’s eyes shift suspiciously. “She’s occupied. I can send her to you once she’s available.”
“She’s my assistant,” I bite out. “What is she occupied with that doesn’t have to do with the work I’ve assigned her?”
Her gaze drops to the polished desk surface. “She’s downstairs.”
Why is she being weird?
“What is she doing downstairs?” Julia purses her lips. I crane my neck, considering. “Who’s she with?”
Her face shoots up. “I didn’t say a name, did I?”
“Well, I’m asking for one.”
She swallows. “She’s with her ex,” she admits quietly. “He showed up and asked to see her.”
My stomach clenches. Is this the cheating ex? The one who hurt her so bad she’d get physical with a stranger to forget him?
I should go back to my office, focus on anything but Maddie. But I’m a glutton for punishment. I head for the elevator instead.
It reaches the first floor and I step out, my eyes seeking her out. She’s not hard to spot. Her brown hair stands out, rich and full. A silky blouse sits above a form-fitting skirt that hugs her hips and reaches down to her shapely calves.
She’s so beautiful my throat closes. I take measured breaths to center my head.
I came here for a purpose. To see for myself that she’s with him. The ex who broke her.
I tear my eyes from her lovely frame and look beyond her.
A man stands before her. He’s brown-haired with blond highlights in the short waves, wide shoulders trapped in a jacket and boots on his feet.
As he speaks to her, he raises a hand to play with the tips of her hair. Maddie catches his hand and doesn’t let go. He twists his wrist and curves his fingers around hers. They’re holding hands now.
Maddie gestures with her free hand. Something she says makes him laugh and he pulls closer to her. Their angles shift and I’m getting their profile views now.
They look just right together.
Both are from the city, both have lives to get back to. Maybe what happened was just a minor hitch in their relationship. He’s most likely here to win her back and they’d go back to being in love and… I’d lose her forever.
She was never mine. What am I thinking?
But she was once his. His eyes are warm and searching. I know that look. It’s done by a man who wants a woman. A man who wouldn’t back down until he’s had her.
And Maddie…
I pull my gaze away. I know what I’d see. She’d be into it for sure.
I back away and spin to the elevator. My finger burns as I long-press the button. I want the quiet of my office to get my head in the right place. To forget whatever stories I built about us in my head.
Everything we’ve had is a tryst. Just fun. Nothing more.
I can’t get to my office fast enough. Once in, I shrug off my jacket and drape it over the back of my chair, then I head over to the window and look out over the city.
I pull in measured breaths. My mistake was forgetting who I’ve always been. Giving into feelings, pretending I’m someone who can be cared for—foolishness. I’m done with that.
In mere days now, Maddie can leave and everything would go back to the way it’s always been.
I exhale, glad to have my head back in the right place.
The door yawns open and heels click on the floor.
The resolve I’ve built cracks with every sound.
I shut my eyes, pushing down the hurt rising in my chest.
“You called for me?”
Her voice shakes me to my core. It undoes everything, releasing the hurt. It fists my heart and seeps into every part of my being.
How can she sound so calm when she knows what she has done?
Fuck, I’m unraveling .
“Chance?”
Her voice is sweet, soft torture.
I swallow, struggling to get myself under control. She made no promises to me. I can’t expect her not to do as she pleases. And if it pleases her to get cozy with her ex, then so be it.
I turn around. I’m smacked by her confused expression.
She has no right to look so fucking innocent.
“Quick. What’s on the calendar for today?”
“Oh, um…” Her eyes turn up in thought.
“Really? You don’t know?”
“No, I just—”
“Got a little distracted? Forgot to do your job?”
Her brows furrow. “Why are you speaking to me this way? I didn’t remember to bring my laptop along and I moved around the hours a bit just this morning. That’s why I don’t have it in my head.”
“Or could it be another reason, don’t you think?” I frown. “Maybe you saw your ex and other things are now occupying your mind.”
Her mouth falls open. “H-how do you know that?” She shakes her head. “Doesn’t matter. I’m here now, and I’m doing my job.”
“Oh, what you did just now? That’s doing your job?”
“What’s your problem?” Maddie steps forward, irritation pinching her features. “Is this about forgetting your calendar? I can go right now, memorize and regurgitate it to impress you. Will that make you happy?”
“I don’t care about that shit, Maddie!” I press my fingers to my forehead and pace to get my thoughts together. Doesn’t work, so I spit it out. “Is he the reason you refused to have dinner with me last night?”
“What?” Her face scrunches up. “What are you talking about?”
“Your fucking ex! You want him back, don’t you? That’s why you’re pushing me away.”
Once the words leave my mouth, I know I’ve said the wrong thing.
Maddie’s face falls.
I open my mouth to speak but there’s nothing to follow that up with. She’s staring at me, her lips trembling. I can’t look away now. She looks crushed. I feel the same.
It’s out there and there’s no going back now.