Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
I t’s Monday. I’ve had the weekend to recover from my kidnapping, and I’m wearing my best dress—an outlet-purchased Ann Taylor belted sheath—and matching heels for my meeting with Jay Eastman. Hey, if I’m going to get fired for fraternizing with a client and lying about a dead dog, I’m going to do it looking great.
“Matilda, please. Come in.” Jay stands as I enter his office, shaking my hand and motioning for me to take a seat. If I weren’t so nervous, I might appreciate his faint but expensive-smelling cologne—Bleu de Chanel, if I’m not mistaken. The man might be about to fire me, but he has great taste in scents. “Do you want anything to drink? Water? I can send Everett for a coffee.”
“No, I’m fine.” Better to just get this over with. I carefully cross my legs, folding my hands in my lap. I’m cool, calm, and collected. No sign of weakness. But just in case, I’m keeping my arms firmly down since I can’t be confident I don’t have pit stains. “Thank you for seeing me. I wanted to apologize, first and foremost, for having to leave the meeting early the other day. Fortunately, everything is resolved on that front. Comet is in a better place now.”
Hey, you never know. Maybe an apology will be all it takes to get me out of this mess...?
Jay seats himself, but to my surprise, chooses a chair close to mine instead of going back to the other side of his desk. He gives me a look, laughing a little under his breath. “I think we’re pretty far past that now, don’t you?”
I shift before I can catch myself; so much for not letting any nerves show through. “You’re probably wondering about me being kidnapped with our client.”
“Yeah,” Jay says bluntly. He folds his hands in his lap, waiting.
I shift again. Dammit. “That obviously wasn’t something we planned. We had bumped into each other, randomly, and the next thing I knew, I was—randomly—in the back of a van.”
Jay nods, watching me intently. “Kimo told me how you tried to rescue him.”
I stare at him for just a beat too long. I’m not great on my feet, obviously. And I’m also trying to stay focused on this conversation, here and now, but my brain keeps snagging on the fact that Kimo thought to contact Jay and put in a good word for me, maybe even ensure I didn’t lose my job. “I...I did do that. Yes. I tried to rescue him. I’d do the same thing for any client. Any person, really.” Okay, that might be overstating it a bit, but as long as I’m going to fib, I might as well go all in with the lie, right?
Jay studies me, shaking his head. “It’s an incredibly brave thing to do. I’ve had employees go above and beyond for clients before, but I gotta tell you, this just might take the cake.”
Whaaat? This sounds almost like...I’m not being fired? I blink at him for several seconds before managing to formulate a response. “I just really care a lot about the firm.”
“I can tell.” The hint of a smile tugs at Jay’s lips. “I’ve noticed your work ethic for a while, Matilda. And I’ve been very impressed by the work you’ve done with past clients. I have to admit, I thought maybe we’d hit a snag with that meeting last week, but to know you’d go so far out of your way to help a client, well... I think maybe we’ve been sleeping on you for just a bit too long.”
Any other day, my brain would be short-circuiting about Jay Eastman making any reference to sleeping on, in, or around me—because hello, gorgeous, rich, handsome boss—but weirdly it does nothing to me now. I’m probably just flustered about the meeting. “Thank you,” I manage finally. “That’s very nice to hear.”
“I’d like to first make sure that you have any counseling that you might need to process the...event that occurred this past week. Our insurance covers a number of well-reputed therapists, and I’m sure HR would be happy to recommend someone to you.”
Ha! Therapy. I try my best not to openly scoff at the idea. Sitting and talking about my feelings and childhood traumas—that would be more traumatic than any kidnapping. I don’t say any of this, though, of course. “I appreciate the offer.”
Jay meets my gaze cannily, as if he understands me perfectly but still needs to give the HR spiel. “If you need to take some personal days, that’s fine as well. As soon as you’re ready, though, I’d love to get you back to work.”
My eyebrows notch up. “On the Kapono case?”
“Kimo insists that you’re the best person for the job. And considering the lengths you were willing to go to protect him, I don’t know that I can argue with that.” Jay levels me with a stern gaze that, again, would have probably made its way into my erotic fantasies if I weren’t so thrown by this whole meeting and all its twists and turns. “Provided those headlines were inaccurate—you aren’t actually Kimo’s girlfriend, are you?”
“No,” I say quickly, definitively. And it’s true! No promises have been made between Kimo and me. I don’t even know if anything will happen between us in the future. I suppose we might still sleep together at some point, but that doesn’t mean we belong to each other in any way. Maybe I feel strangely bonded to him, but I’m guessing that’s from the trauma of being kidnapped together. I might think about him, often, but it’s only because I’m worried about him and his case. So being on the case and helping him win custody of his niece and nephew is probably the best thing to fix that, right?
Jay’s own raised eyebrow tells me he’s not totally convinced. “Listen, I know how easy it is to mix business with pleasure. But I don’t want anything interfering with the case. No fights, no love spats?—”
“Definitely not his girlfriend,” I say, more firmly this time. “That won’t be a problem.”
And it won’t be. I might be socially awkward at times and a bit obtuse when it comes to emotions, but aside from that weird blip last week, I’ve always been nothing but professional in the office. I don’t see why this time should prove any different.
Jay nods, finally seeming convinced. “Good. In that case, I’d love to have you back on the team.”
My poker face is good, but even I can’t hide just how relieved I am to hear this. I thought I was getting fired today! Instead, I’m basically being lauded by my boss for being amazing. See the power of a perfectly chosen outfit?
I smooth down my skirt, readying to rise to my feet. “Thank you so much, Mr. Eastman. I’d love to jump back into work, take my mind off things.”
“A woman after my own heart. And please, call me Jay.” Before I can stand, Jay touches my knee. It’s just the briefest skim of a touch, but it takes me completely by surprise. I wasn’t confident Jay even knew who I was before today; we’d never spoken this long one-on-one. He is not known around the office for being touchy-feely, and he’s certainly never been touchy-feely with me. This knee graze, however minor, seems...intentional? “Before I let you go, I wanted to also mention that I’d love for you to be my guest at the upcoming Over the Rainbow Gala. It’s next weekend—I know that’s short notice, but I’d be thrilled if you could make it.”
This time, my brain does actually short-circuit for a moment. Of course I know about the Over the Rainbow Gala—it’s one of the firm’s biggest charitable events. All of their biggest clients are invited, along with celebrities, local politicians, the who’s who of Chicago. As a lowly paralegal, I’ve never scored an actual invite, and the tickets are far too pricey for me to splash out on, just to go for funsies.
That isn’t what’s making this difficult for me to process, though. The way the entire meeting has played out—Jay making sure I’m not dating Kimo, then touching my leg, then inviting me to be his special guest. And that intense look he’s giving me with his smoldering movie-star eyes... Is he interested in me? Romantically? A week ago, I would have laughed at the idea; he’s basically the model for my perfect man, but I was never delusional enough to think I could actually land him , just someone like him—the diluted, less-impressive version.
But I’m getting ahead of myself, aren’t I? He’s probably just being friendly, wanting to make sure that I’ve recovered from my ordeal of being kidnapped for a client and that I don’t hold any resentment toward the firm for it. “That would be lovely. Thank you,” I stammer out finally.
We stand. Jay smiles at me, gesturing toward the door. As I start that way, I feel his hand touch the small of my back. I’m glad he can’t see my face, since I’m sure my eyes are cartoonishly wide. Oh, Mylanta! What is happening?
“I’m sure Barry will be able to catch you up on what we’ve been working on,” Jay says. “Though I’d also be happy to go over anything you need.”
It’s all perfectly professional, and if his hand weren’t still on my back, I’d never think twice about it. But there’s no two ways about it—he’s lingering .
Damn this dress! I look too good today and it’s confusing everything. It’s confusing me. I don’t know how to feel about this, honestly. If it were a week ago, I’d be plotting what underwear I should wear to seduce him, but things are different now, right? At least they feel like they are, even if nothing has actually changed.
As we step out into the hall, I’m taken aback by the sight of Kimo coming toward us—almost as if my brain summoned him out of thin air. Though, of course, it makes sense he’d be here, since he is Jay’s client and all. Still, I haven’t seen him since Friday, and my heart does a weird, nervous lurch at the sight of his open, handsome face, and the grin he gives me as he approaches. “Mattie!”
Instinctively, I step away from Jay. His hand dropped before we left his office, but still, I feel like I can’t let Kimo see me standing too close to him. It doesn’t make any sense. I’m not making any sense. Kimo’s not my boyfriend and I’m not his girlfriend, and even if my boss just kind of hit on me, which I’m not sure he did, it wouldn’t matter because nobody belongs to anybody. I am a free agent! I can do what I want.
“I have to pee!” I blurt, all but running to the bathroom, and keenly aware of both men watching me as I go.