24. Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Four
M addie
I tuck myself under the sheets and try to sleep. It’s useless.
First, it’s too early. Can’t remember the last time I slept at nine p.m., if ever. Secondly, I can’t keep Chance out of my head.
It took all my willpower to keep from holding him tonight, telling him it’ll all be fine, that I was here for him. I wrapped my arms around myself instead and kept them there.
Though I could feel his hurt, it was not my place to heal. It’s his. He has to come to terms with what happened, admit to himself that taking the blame for something that happened fifteen years ago does him no good.
And me? I have to go home.
What am I even doing here? Pining after a man whose guilt overshadows everything else and has taken over his life.
I doubt he can feel anything else apart from the pain in his heart.
Why does the fact make him all the more appealing? I just want to help, but I can’t. I shouldn’t.
If his family couldn’t get through to him, who am I?
I turn over and look out the window. The sky is bright tonight, covered with twinkling stars. There’s never a night this clear in the city. Always all fogged up with fumes.
A tear chokes in my throat. I’m going back.
In three days, the three-week arrangement with Chance will be over. For the past week, I’ve tried to block it out and ignore the inevitable. But that’s not happening now.
Todd’s presence served to make matters worse. Or more real, depending on the angle you look at it from.
I sigh and kick off the sheets, suddenly feeling warm. Even though it’s tempting, I don’t open the window to let in the breeze dancing through the trees.
That night plays over in my head. Someone was trying to get in and I’m not going to make it easy for them. I turn up the AC instead.
Then it’s too cold and I tuck myself back underneath the sheets.
I shut my eyes and it’s… Chance.
“Fuck.” I flop onto my back and stare up at the ceiling.
I can’t be this hung up on him, can I? But I am.
I list all the reasons I shouldn’t be, ticking off my fingers.
He’s not ready to be in a relationship.
He hasn’t even asked me out.
I’m leaving.
I can’t forget all of these. If I do, then I may contemplate something stupid. Build castles in my head that’d come crashing down when faced with the harsh reality.
I need to survive Chance.
Tomorrow is the last day I’ll be working with him. I’ll put my head down and earn the final cents he’d pay me. That’s why I stayed, isn’t it?
I roll over to the cooler side of the bed and force my eyes shut. I push away thoughts of Chance, and then a particular nagging thought flits into my brain. I sit up and drop my curtain. Can’t be too careful.
For the past week since the incident at the door, I haven’t had to look over my shoulder. Chance promised to keep me safe, and I am.
He has cared for me, made sure I’m provided for, gone above and beyond…
Since I’m his employee, I remind myself, then force myself into a dreamless sleep.
“Hey, Maddie!” Julia waves me over.
I just arrived at work and I’m heading to the conference room. Today, I’ve decided to limit my meetings with Chance as much as I can. To make the break on Monday much easier.
I head her way. “Make it quick.” My eyes stray to Chance’s door, then the elevator. I don’t want a surprise.
“Okay, ma’am.” Julia gives me a look. “So, guess what?”
“Wow, erm…” I eye her. “You ran out of foundation and had to borrow your sister’s?”
She gasps, her eyes wide. “Is it obvious?” She snatches a tiny mirror out of her purse and strains to see her face and neck. “Oh, no.”
“Julia, stop!” I laugh, despite myself. “You look pretty. I was only teasing.”
She drops the mirror and gives me the stink eye. “You’re such a rock-licker.”
“What’s that?”
“Oh, it’s a snail that’s always lying on rocks and crawling over them. That’s what the kids call it. Rock-licker.”
“And you know these kids, how?” I frown.
“That’s what I was trying to tell you before you brought up the damned foundation!”
I press my hand to my mouth to stifle my laughter. “Sorry.”
Julia flips her hair. “Anyway, I have a date this weekend.”
“Oh, my goodness, that’s amazing!”
“Yes!” She clapped her hands, her eyes bright. “He’s a dad. Two kids. Absolutely adorable.”
“I’m so happy for you.” I lean across the desk and hug her.
“Yeah. I have to replace you since you’ll be leaving me.”
“Aw, really?” I withdraw to take her face in. Her eyes are sad. “I’m sorry.”
“Nah.” She waves a hand. “I’ll just go back to how things were before you.”
“No.” I tweak her cheek which earns me a frown. She’s very particular about her makeup. “You’ll have the new PA to bond with I’m sure. No one can resist your sunshine personality.”
“New PA?” Julia scoffs. “Like that would ever happen.”
What? My brows draw together. “Why, I thought Chance would have a replacement lined up by now.”
“What are you talking about a replacement?” She lifts her mirror, takes in her features, and smacks her lips. Satisfied, she fits the mirror back into her purse. “There’s no replacement.”
“Um, what?”
“What?”
Ugh. I sigh, placing my laptop on the desk to relieve my arms. “Someone has to do my job when I’m gone, don’t they?”
Julia looks at me like I’m crazy. “No, not really.” She shrugs. “I’ll handle part of it and Chance will cover the rest.”
“Um, no.” I squint. “How can you say that? There was a PA before me. Surely, you’re going to want to go back to that.”
She shakes her head. “Where are you getting this from? I and Chance have been managing just fine. There was no PA.”
“No.” I shake my head. “He told me himself that there was a PA and he wants me to cover for them since they left. He needed me to work for three weeks then he’d get a permanent replacement.”
“Babe, no. Why did you think I fell in love with you the second you reported in? You relieved me from work I’ve been doing since forever. There’s been no one else.”
“But he told me.”
For the first time, her brows furrow. “Maybe you heard wrong?”
“I know what I heard. He said—” Oh, no. My insides twist.
If Julia is saying one thing and Chance said another that means someone’s lying. Julia has no reason to lie to me.
But Chance had every reason to… to keep me here.
I meet Julia’s gaze. Her face has lost color like she realizes it too.
“He…” I swallow. “He lied to me.”
“I’m sure he had a good reason.” Julia stands and places a hand on my arm.
I pull away, pacing. “He lied to me.”
“He has always needed an assistant.” Julia rounds the table and grabs my arms to stop my movement. “Maybe that’s what he meant,” her voice trails off. Even she doesn’t believe that tale.
“Julia, where is he?”
Whatever she sees on my face makes her shake her head quickly. “What if we just calm down first?”
“Where is he, Julia?”
She bites her lip.
I turn away and go to his door. It’s locked. “If he’s not in yet, I’m going to find him.”
I start across the floors toward the elevator and she calls out, “Conference room.”
I turn to her.
“He had an emergency meeting so he came in super early.” Her shoulders fall. “He’s in the conference room.”
I head in that direction.
“Maddie?” Julia’s voice halts me. “Please, be careful.”
I’m done being careful. He lied to me. I was vulnerable with him, admitted my deepest desires and fears, and he just lied so flimsily. Like it’s nothing.
Hell, I may have taken the job regardless of whether he had someone for the job before or not.
I needed the money, but I also wanted to be close to him.
But he’d gone with deception, played on my emotions, and made me believe I was fulfilling a valuable role.
Fuck me.
I’ve been a joke this entire time. No wonder everyone looks at me like I’m a stranger here. I was never needed, just shoehorned in.
Tears catch in my throat as I reach the conference room door. I swallow it down. There’s no time to feel pity for myself, just anger at being played.
That’s all I can allow now.
I close my hands around the door handle and turn. All eyes turn my way as I step in. I look straight ahead, keeping my gaze on him.
His face is lined with exhaustion but his gaze picks up as I come in.
I push away the warm feeling, seeing him up after the night he no doubt had. I can’t have sympathy for him. He deceived me.
“You lied to me.”
“Maddie, what are you doing?”
“You lied to me.” I enunciate every word. “I believed you. I was a fucking fool.”
“Maddie.” His tone is held back thunder. “You are interrupting an important meeting.”
“I don’t care.”
“Leave.” No one moves a muscle. “Now!” he barks.
Chairs scratch the floor as the staff rises and scurries out.
Once they’re all gone, Chance levels me with a steely gaze. “This had better be good.”
“You lied about the fucking PA position!”
He looks clueless so I explain. He can’t pretend not to know what he did.
“You told me you had a PA that left when that’s a blatant lie. There was no one, and there’ll be no one after me.”
His eyes shutter, but he doesn’t look away.
“Can’t deny it now, can you?” I spit. “Oh, goodness.”
I run my fingers through my hair and pace. How was I such a fool?
I should’ve linked all the little clues, but I was too busy getting lost in Chance’s eyes to actually think.
His handwriting was in all the notes I received. There is no actual office or designation for the PA. He manages just fine most times and I have to force him to abdicate my duties to me.
“Why did you lie?” I face him. His jaw flexes, but he doesn’t speak. “Was it to keep me here? To be your fake girlfriend? To decorate your office? To be the joke of the entire building?” I gulp back tears. “Well, you got what you wanted, but I’m done.”
He flinches.
“I’m done with all of this!” I gesture around us. “I quit. You can keep your fake PA job and your fake everything!” I yell, then storm out.
A tear leaks out of my eye. I dart a hand and wipe it off but another quickly replaces it. I hurry past Julia, ignoring her when she calls out.
I need to get away from here. Away from him .