Chapter 29 #2
Denise sat at the desktop computer in the resort’s business center, gritting her teeth over her ruminations while attempting for the third time to log onto the conference call application for a meeting.
Normally, she would have used her laptop, but she’d wanted a larger screen for viewing the charts and tables that members of the marketing team were planning on showing.
However, the business center machine was an uncooperative dinosaur.
That wasn’t doing much to help her mood either.
When she was about to make her fourth attempt, Bobbette walked past the doorway, and Denise called out to her. “Bobbette! Hey. If you have a minute, do you have any idea what I’m doing wrong with this thing?”
Bobbette approached and looked at the screen. Then she winced. “Oh, that. Yeah, I’m sorry. The operating system on this is kind of old, so we don’t have the newest updates for the application. Maddox knows a good workaround, though. Let me go grab them.”
Denise raised a hand to protest, but Bobbette had already whirled around and hurried from the room.
Great.
Of course, Maddox was the only person on the whole damn staff who knew how to fix this issue. Was there anything they didn’t call them for? Hell, Bobbette would probably have trouble finding them because they were up on the roof re-shingling it or down in the basement replacing a boiler.
Denise cringed and forced herself to take a deep breath. This mood was really getting the best of her, and she didn’t want it to. But she was frustrated with herself and the whole mess she’d stepped into.
Prior to the weekend, she’d made several unsuccessful and probably ill-advised attempts to see Maddox and talk to them, but now that they were on their way in here, she’d really rather avoid them.
Sure, she had questions she needed to ask them, but it was a conversation she’d rather not have.
A confrontation was brewing. She wasn’t a fan of those anyway, but knowing her own emotions were involved to a degree she wished they weren’t only made her dread deepen.
She swiveled the desk chair around and checked the clock in the lower right corner of the computer screen with a sigh.
The meeting would be half over by now. Fortunately, she wasn’t a key player in this one, but for once, she was halfway fine with attending it anyway, even if it was only for the sake of distraction.
A shuffle at the door made her spin the chair back around with a jerk, her heart speeding up in anticipation. But the only one standing there was Bobbette.
She sent Denise a nervous smile. “I’m sorry. Maddox said they were…busy at the moment. But they sent this.”
She held up a small stack of papers stapled at the corner. “It’s a tutorial of the workaround with screenshots. I guess this issue comes up so often that Maddox and the night auditor made this up one evening when they had free time.”
Denise took the papers and stared at them. Instead of slowing down, her heart rate elevated to an angry pound.
They were busy? Maddox, the perpetually upbeat, always helpful, distractingly competent jack-of-all-trades was suddenly too busy to come help Denise in person? Dammit. They truly were avoiding her, weren’t they?
Denise threw the papers on the desk and climbed to her feet so fast that Bobbette took a half step backwards. “Bobbette, where exactly is Maddox now?”
The younger woman’s eyes widened. “In the staff area behind the breakfast room, but—”
“Thanks,” Denise said, cutting her off. Then she stepped around Bobbette and stormed out of the room.
She barely registered the guests milling around the breakfast buffet or the startled expression of the young staff member attending the buffet when she slid past him and threw open the door marked “Staff Only.”
Inside among various storage containers, Maddox stood alone with their back to her.
The door closed behind Denise with a thud as she marched forward. “Maddox, I think I need an explanation!”
As soon as Maddox turned around, Denise’s next words died in her throat as she took in their appearance. Their face was uncharacteristically sober, and paler than she’d seen it up to this point. Their eyes seemed a tad glazed over as they blinked at her and frowned in confusion. “W-what?”
When they fully faced her, Denise noticed they were holding their phone in front of them, as if they’d just ended a call. Their frozen stance, combined with their agitated expression, made Denise’s stomach plummet in concern. “Maddox, what’s wrong?”
Their frown deepened as they glanced down at their phone and shook their head. “Nothing.”
Denise took a step closer and lowered her voice. “Come on, Maddox. We both know that’s bullshit. Tell me what’s wrong.”
Maddox’s eyes finally met hers, and there was no mistaking the worry there. “I got a call from the retirement home where my gran lives. She woke up this morning and could hardly breathe, so they called an ambulance to take her to the ER.”
“Oh, wow,” Denise murmured. The concern in her gut grew heavier. She reached for Maddox’s arm and then stopped herself at the last minute. “I hope the doctors can help her.”
“Thanks,” Maddox said with a strained smile. “I’m sorry, but I really need to go see about her. Will you excuse me?”
Denise didn’t cringe at the slight formality in Maddox’s words like she would have any other time in the last few days. She could tell they were simply distracted. Possibly too distracted.
“Maddox, wait!” They were already on the verge of walking around her to get to the door, but Denise stepped forward at the same time to stop them. They collided, and Denise’s hands came up on instinct and grasped Maddox’s upper arms.
Maddox stilled and looked into her eyes, and Denise sucked in a breath. They were wearing a short-sleeved polo, so their arms were bare where she touched them. Mmm. Their skin felt every bit as warm as she remembered.
Shaking off the thought, she said, “You can’t just go over there like this.”
Their wide-eyed surprise turned to a scowl. “I have to!”
“I know you do,” Denise said, trying for a soothing tone. “I meant you seem so upset. You’re practically shaking. I don’t know that it’s wise for you to drive yourself right now.”
Maddox pursed their lips for a moment and then took a shaky breath. “Maybe you’re right. I’ll find someone to give me a ride.”
“You already have,” she answered without even pausing to think.
Since her hands were still on Maddox’s arms, she felt when they tensed. “That’s nice of you. But I’m sure Joe or one of the others can drive me.”
“I’m sure they can. But I’m already right here and offering, so there’s no point in wasting more time asking someone else.”
Denise gave Maddox’s arms a light squeeze before letting go and heading toward the door. “In fact, I’ll pull the car out front right now. You can grab your coat and meet me out there.”
Maddox raised an eyebrow, but they didn’t argue anymore. Denise didn’t give them a chance. She simply walked out the door and headed to her room to get her purse and coat.