Chapter 10
Maggie
Four months later - December
“Maggie, you don’t have an option.” Jenson hides none of the frustration in his tone.
I grit my teeth when I reply, “I know I don’t have an option. I was simply asking if we could put them off for a few weeks. I just started this job a couple of months ago.”
Jenson jams his hands on his hips and stares at the ceiling for a moment. I curl further into myself, where I sit on my couch. He showed up minutes after I got home from work to inform me that I have to go back to Chicago in two days for a pre-trial deposition or something with the prosecutor.
“You’re a barista in a coffee shop, not the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. I think it’ll be okay.”
Shame heats my skin. I never really knew what I wanted to do with my life, and just happened to fall into my job in Chicago.
But the way Jenson says that, any inadequacy I’ve ever felt ricochets in my brain, telling me I’m not good enough.
Just a barista with a fake name, alone in a city I had never visited until I moved here a little over a year ago.
When I got the office manager job at the medical supply company, where I met Ella, I was really proud of myself.
But after everything with Ella, it was time for me to leave.
I decided to put my love of coffee into a job and applied at a local coffee shop.
It’s fun, and obviously the perks are great, but he’s right.
It doesn’t matter if I lose my job. I’m not important.
They’d replace me before I’m out the door.
I concede with a heavy sigh. “I’ll work it out. What time do I leave?”
His face is blank when he says, “Friday at nine sharp. I’ll be here to pick you up.”
I nod, wishing I had a marshal assigned to me who didn’t hate me.
I have no idea what I did to make him loathe me from the moment I met him.
Though I guess the girlfriend of a low-level gangster who killed people and dealt drugs doesn’t garner a lot of sympathy from law enforcement, even if I had nothing to do with it.
“Can I see my family when I’m in town?”
The only thing worse than fearing for my own life is being taken away from my family.
I miss my parents so much. And my sister and brother have always been my best friends.
It’s been torture not being able to even call them.
Jenson says after the trial, something can be arranged periodically to see them, but because of the people my ex was involved with, I doubt I’ll ever be out of Witness Protection.
And I would just be putting all of us at risk.
That’s something I’ll never be able to live with.
“Doubt it.” Jenson makes it clear he doesn’t care and will make no effort to see if it’s possible.
My eyes fall closed as the door slams shut behind him when he leaves. Fear and loneliness burrow so deeply into my bones that they feel like they may crack apart at any moment.
Hopefully, one day, I’ll learn to accept what my new life looks like. But today isn’t that day.
“Bye! I’ll see you in a few days.” Waving to my coworkers, I pull the apron over my head and drape it over my arm.
I smile at the returning waves and shouted goodbyes before taking another step toward the door.
My gaze hits the man stepping inside, and my feet freeze, body heating immediately.
As his intense stare lasers into me, a breathless, “Ian,” leaves my lips.
His steps resume before mine do, and his long strides close the distance between us. He stops a few inches from me. “Maggie. What are you doing here?”
I raise my arm with the apron and explain, “I work here.”
His brow furrows. “Since when?”
With a shrug, I say, “Two months or so. I figured after everything with Ella, it wasn’t a good idea to stay at my old job.”
He nods slowly, as if contemplating what I said. “Probably a good idea,” he mumbles, his stare never leaving me.
Still caught off guard by his presence, I tell myself I need to fall back into my role, but I can’t bring myself to be that person again. It hurts too much to pretend not to care.
“It’s good to see you again, Ian.” When he doesn’t reply or react, my voice trembles when I say, “I’ll let you get back to your day.”
As I go to take a step past him, his hand shoots out and grabs my forearm. The electricity that I’ve only ever felt with him explodes up my arm and into my chest.
“Mags, don’t go. Have a coffee with me.”
I’m not sure if it’s the best or worst idea, but I’m weak for him. Have been since the first night we met, not that he’d believe that after how I pushed him away. I whisper, “Okay.”
He releases me and goes to the counter. A small smile finds its way to my face when he orders one of my favorite coffee variations, even if I love it in all its forms. He didn’t forget.
When he has our drinks, he gestures for me to follow him, and he leads the way to a couple of chairs in the far corner of the coffee shop, giving us at least a little privacy from the curious glances of my coworkers.
We both take our seats, and he hands me my coffee. I take a sip, trying to figure out what to say when he saves me from having to come up with something.
“It was quite the shock to find out about you and Ella.”
When the words leave his mouth, a thought occurs to me, and my gut twists. I hope he doesn’t think I planned this.
“I swear I had no idea. I can’t tell you I wouldn’t have continued to be friends with Ella if I had known because I really like her, but I would have been more careful, so this didn’t have to be awkward.”
The way he’s still watching me so intently is both arousing and unnerving.
“I know you didn’t.” He shakes his head in disbelief. “Pretty sure we’re the butt of the universe’s stupid fucking joke.”
I huff out a laugh. My entire life seems like that. “You have no idea,” I mutter into my cup before taking another sip.
He gives me a sad smile. I open my mouth to say…something. Maybe an apology. Or a lame attempt at an explanation for what I said, but I haven’t quite figured out what to say. Months later, and it haunts me every day.
But before I can get anything out, he says, “Let me take you to dinner this weekend.”
Disappointment so strong hits me, I almost start crying. “I can’t.”
He sniffs hard and his jaw muscle jumps before he spits out, “Why? Because of your boyfriend?”
I sit up straighter in confusion at his words and annoyance at his tone. “What are you talking about? I don’t have a boyfriend.”
His elbow finds the armrest, and he leans toward me. “Then tell me, Maggie, why can’t you go out with me this weekend?”
Because if I don’t go to Chicago, I could die. Literally.
“I have to go out of town.” My voice is pleading when I offer, “What about next week?”
“Where are you going?” he presses, eyes never leaving mine.
I hesitate, but I give him a partial truth. “Home, to see my family.”
Ian stands so suddenly that I lean back in my chair in surprise.
“You know what, this was a stupid fucking idea.” Pivoting on his heels, he takes a few steps away before calling back to me. “Next time, don’t lie to me, Mags.”
At least he’s managed to do one thing for me—replace my melancholy with white-hot anger.
My eyes narrow as I yell out, “I’m not lying, you dick.”
He doesn’t react as his palm connects solidly with the door. My chest rises and falls rapidly as I try to get myself under control.
How dare he call me a liar? I squeeze my eyes shut as some of the anger starts to dissipate, turning into bitterness at my predicament. Technically, I am.
When I stand to leave, I glance around the quiet shop.
A few of my coworkers are trying to hide their question-filled stares.
On my way out, I give them a small, embarrassed smile.
At least, I’ll be gone for a few days. Hopefully, everyone will forget about this incident by the time I get back from Chicago.
Yeah, right.