Chapter Twenty-Six Maya
Chapter Twenty-Six
Maya
I was swiping gloss over my lips when Emily appeared in the doorway of my bedroom, eyeing me up and down.
“Why are you looking all snazzy?” She crossed her arms. “I expected you to be swallowed under the covers in sweats, like me.”
I sprayed perfume on my neck and grabbed my purse, slipping the strap diagonally across my body. “Jordan invited me to his office—to show me something or tell me something, or something like that.” My shoulders sagged. “I’m honestly so tired, I can’t even think straight.”
“That’s because you’ve been running yourself into the ground for the last three weeks.” She walked in and took a seat on my bed. “If you don’t slow down, you’re going to get sick. Or worse.” She reached for my hand. “Babe, I’m worried.”
“I know.”
But the only way I could cover Mom’s bills and mine was if I worked doubles, and I’d just finished my fifth in a row, putting in more overtime than I ever had. That had been the case for the last three weeks.
I was trying to find a balance between the nights I spent at Jordan’s, running each morning, working thirteen hours, and doing it all over again the next day.
Physically, I was failing.
Mentally, I was too.
Something had to give.
“Tell me it’s coming to an end?” Emily squeezed my fingers.
“I hope so.”
Her smile was gentle and caring. “On the plus side, things with Jordan are going amazing.”
“I couldn’t be happier,” I whispered. Even my throat felt exhausted from all the talking at work. “Aside from you, he’s the light of my life.”
She bounced my hand in the air. “I want to cry, I’m so thrilled for you.”
“Don’t cry. Your eye makeup looks too pretty to ruin.”
“Well, I’m about to wash it off and sink into bed after I devour the pizza I just ordered. That’s why I came in—I wanted to see if you wanted to share it with me.”
I touched my stomach. “I could probably inhale half of it right now.”
“Jordan’s going to feed you—I’m sure of that.” She winked.
“He told me to come hungry, so I think you’re right.” I laughed. “But I know you weren’t talking about food.”
She snickered. “Please tell that man I said hello and that I would very much like to tag along on a date soon. I miss you.”
Even though Emily and I worked the same days and saw each other on the nights I stayed at our apartment, which were becoming less and less frequent, we still didn’t spend as much time together as we used to.
And I felt that as hard as she did.
“The second I tell Jordan, he’ll be texting you from my phone, inviting you over, so why don’t you just plan to come to his condo later after we leave his office.”
She yawned. “Rain check for tomorrow night? I’m truly going to make love to that pizza and sleep for the next twelve hours.” She released my hand and tucked her legs to her chest.
“Of course. But don’t bail on us tomorrow night.”
“I promise I won’t.”
I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her against me. “See you at work tomorrow.”
“Yes, you will, girlfriend. I’ll bring you some leftover pizza for lunch.”
“You’re the best.”
I released her, and as I was walking to the door, I heard, “No overnight bag?”
I looked at her over my shoulder. “I’ve been keeping a few things at his place.”
Her eyes widened, her grin the largest it had been all night. “Ohhh. We’re there, are we?”
“I’m not moving in with him—”
“Sure you’re not.”
“I—”
“I fucking love it, and you better be moving in with him soon.” She nodded toward the door. “Now, go see your man.”
I held on to the doorframe and said, “I love you,” before I rushed through the kitchen and went out into the hallway and down to the first floor, where Jordan’s driver was parked outside.
He held the back seat door open for me and said, “Good evening, Miss Nolan,” as I approached.
I climbed in. “Hi, Bruce. Thanks for coming to get me.”
“It’s my pleasure.” He shut the door and got in the driver’s seat. “We’ll be at the office in about ten to fifteen minutes, depending on traffic. Let me know if you want the music softer or louder, or if I can adjust the temperature in here.”
“Everything is perfect as is,” I told him and pulled out my phone.
“If that changes, don’t be afraid to let me know.”
“I appreciate it, Bruce.”
On the screen was a text from Jordan, telling me Bruce had arrived to get me, and another message from my mom.
Mom: I just spoke to the landlord. He said you paid this month’s rent and next month’s.
Me: I’m trying to get ahead so I can slow down on the double shifts.
Mom: I hate that you’re working so much.
Me: Me too.
Mom: You’ve always taken such good care of me.
I would take care of her for the rest of her life; that would never change. But I wished everything hadn’t become my responsibility. I wished, for once in my life, that if I moved my arms away, Mom would stand on her feet instead of fall.
I stopped staring at her text and put the phone back in my purse, leaning my head against the cold window, watching the city pass. After a few intersections, the vibration of the car began to calm me, along with the smoothness with which Bruce drove, and my eyes started to get heavy.
I just couldn’t keep them open any longer.
Sleep overtook me hard and fast, and the only reason I woke up was the sound of my name being gently spoken.
I lifted my face off the window, fixing the side of my hair, and rubbed under my eyes. “Sorry about that, Bruce. I didn’t mean to nod off during the drive. It’s been a long day.”
“I’m sorry I had to wake you.”
“Don’t be. It was a great nap.”
“Good.” He got out of the front seat to open my door. “Someone will be meeting you in there”—he nodded toward the entrance, which was inside the garage we were in—“so go on in.”
I thanked him, and as soon as I walked through the door of the building, Ben yelled, “Maya!” and ran toward me.
I beamed at him. “Hi, Ben.”
His arms encircled me, and he hugged me tightly, looking up at me as he spoke. “Uncle J told me you were coming, and I wanted to be the first to see youuu.”
I ran my hands through the top of his messy hair. “I’m so happy you were. How are you, kiddo?”
He grabbed my fingers and brought me toward the elevator, where a woman around my mom’s age was standing. “I’m fan-tab-ulous. I got an A on my spelling test today, and Dad said because I studied sooo hard and did sooo good, he would take me to the bounce park tonight.”
When we reached the woman, she extended her hand out to me. “I’m Carrie, Jordan and Gavin’s assistant. It’s very nice to meet you, Maya.”
“Nice to meet you too,” I responded.
Ben hit the button for the elevator several times.
“I’ve never been to the bounce park,” I said to Ben. “Is it fun?”
“It’s the best thing ever. I do flips and bounce off walls and there’s this pit of foam that I fly into and bury myself.” He giggled. “Dad can never find me. It’s so awesome.”
“I take my granddaughter there, and she loves it too,” Carrie said.
“Sounds like a blast,” I replied, clutching his hand a little tighter. “Maybe Jordan and I need to take you there sometime.”
“Will you come with me and Dad tonight? Please?”
“We’ll have to ask Uncle J first.”
“Uncle J will say yes, I know he will.”
The elevator door opened, and Ben continued to hold my hand as we walked out onto the top floor, forty-two stories up, to what I assumed was the executive level.
We passed a receptionist’s desk with a set of double doors behind it, and everywhere I looked screamed of status, success, and the empire this family had built.
This was the Worthington Enterprises headquarters, and it was even more gorgeous and spectacular than I’d imagined, with dark masculine colors and natural woods and sports decor.
Ben pulled me toward the second door in the hallway. “Uncle J’s office!”
I stood in the doorway with Carrie and Ben while Jordan sat at his desk. A room that reflected his style and accomplishments with a full view of the city and framed jerseys and memorabilia on the walls.
“Hey you,” he said, smiling as he looked up from his computer.
I knew my cheeks were reddening. “Hi.”
“Thanks for your help, Carrie. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“You will,” she confirmed. “Good night, Maya. Good night, Ben.”
“Good night,” Ben and I replied.
“Ben, you’re such a good escort.” Jordan stood and came over.
“I’m the very best, I know.” Ben giggled. “Uncle J, I want you and Maya to come to the bounce park with me and Dad tonight. Please? You can’t say no, you can’t say no, you can’t—”
“How about I talk it out with Maya, and maybe we’ll meet you there later.”
“Okaaaaay,” he sang, dragging out the word; then he hugged my legs. “See ya later, Maya.”
“See you, Ben.” I ran my hand over the top of his head before he skipped out the door.
The second we were alone, Jordan pulled me into his arms and said into my hair, “How was your day?”
“Long.” I sighed. “Very, very long.”
“I think we should decline Ben’s offer to go to the bounce park, unless you have this burning desire to go?”
I looked up from his chest. “You know I love spending time with him, Jordan—”
“Baby, you don’t have to say that. I know. And I know how tired you are. I can see it on your face. We’ll go another time. Ben will get over it, I promise you. I also promise the second he gets to the bounce park, he’ll forget he even asked us.”
“Thank you.”
He kissed my forehead. “I’ll make this quick, and then we can go home, eat the dinner that’s being cooked for us as I speak, and climb into bed.”
My eyes closed. “I’m already mentally there.”
He laughed. “Come here.” He took my hand and brought me over to his desk, where there were two large pieces of paper covering most of the wood.
“These are blueprints of two high-rises that are currently in the permitting stage. What that means is that the designs are finished and we’re waiting for the city to sign off and give us the green light to start building. ”
I studied the drawings. “They look amazing.”
“We’ve ordered 3D renderings that should be done in a few days, which will show the details of the facade and the designs of the entrance, the landscape, and outdoor amenities like the basketball court and the rooftop pool.”
There could be only one reason he was showing this to me.
I slowly looked up at him. “Are you saying you want us to live together in this building? Because I know we talked about eventually moving in together and—”
“This is a low-income housing project, Maya. For over a year now, Worthington Enterprises has been working with the city to build affordable apartments for the residents of Boston. These two high-rises are phase one. There will be four phases, with a total of eight buildings.” He placed his hand on the middle of my back.
“You know I oversee the sports division of our business, but I’m fully aware of all the projects we want to pursue and have in our pipeline.
When you and I started dating, this project in particular became extremely important to me.
Because I came on so late and the designs have already been approved, I wasn’t able to make any changes to the exterior, but I’ve tweaked some of the interior, the lobby, the apartments themselves to give them a softer, homier feel. ”
“I love that I influenced this interest in you, but . . .” I scanned his eyes. Studying them. Trying to look through them. “Is there a specific reason you’re showing this to me?”
He rubbed his lips together, and because we were so close, I felt his chest rise. “We’re going to be hiring a team to spearhead the rental process. They’ll qualify residents and manage the apartments. They’ll oversee the properties, enforcing rules and regulations.”
“Okay.”
“I thought . . .” His voice drifted off as his hand rubbed up and down my spine. “Given your past, what you know, what you’ve experienced, what you’ve endured, this would be a good fit. The salary would be competitive, and full benefits would be offered.”
I shook my head as I stared at him. “Are you asking me to give up nursing to work for you?”
“No, baby.” He smiled. “I want to offer the position to your mom.”
My hands immediately flew to my face and covered my mouth. “What? Are you serious?”
“I say this with the utmost respect—I think she’d be perfect for the role. The residents could really benefit by having someone who understands their position and can relate to some of the hardships they’ve been through.”
My eyes were filling, and I couldn’t stop them.
“I can’t tell if you want to slap me or if—”
I threw my arms around his neck and jumped, knowing he would catch me the second I was in the air. “I love you.”
He held me against him, his other hand cupping the back of my head, our bodies breathing together while he swayed me in his arms. “I’ve got you.”
My eyes burned as the first tear fell. “I know. And I wish you knew what that means to me.”
“I do. And Maya?”
I leaned back to look at him.
“I love you too.”