Chapter 7 #2
“Thank you for everything, Axel,” she said with a sad smile. “I’m glad I got stranded here with you.”
Deep down, he was too, but if he was going to make sure he didn’t go down into a dark, downward emotional spiral, he had to simply nod and not talk about it.
“Take care of yourself, Maisie. I hope things get better for you.”
She nodded, her hands clasped tightly in front of her. “I guess I’ll see you around.”
“I’ll tell Walker to be on the lookout for your email,” he said stiffly, taking a step back. “We’re all looking forward to seeing your designs come to life.”
“Thanks.”
He took another step back and watched as she climbed back into the truck and closed the door. And then he continued to watch as she gave him a small wave before driving away.
His chest ached, and everything in him fought not to go after her.
Just like he’d tried to do when he was a boy and his mother had dropped him off at social services before taking off.
He knew he was better off without his mother—although those first few years in foster care would have said otherwise—but right now, he was having a hard time saying he was better off without Maisie.
But he knew he would be. In time.
Just not right now.
“Axel!” someone called out. “It looks like we have a tree crew coming out to help! Do you have the locations of all the downed trees?”
Sighing, he nodded and gave a thumbs-up. There was work to be done, and it was just as well. A distraction was exactly what he needed. Plus, he wanted to prove to Walker and the guys that he could handle anything that was thrown at him when they were all away.
He’d prove that he was good enough.
Even if it didn’t feel that way right now.
The hotel room looked dingier than it had before she left on Friday, and now more than ever, it made her want to cry. And even though she had a laundry list of reasons why she was feeling emotional, the truth was it felt like her heart was broken.
It was a fling.
“A wonderful, wonderful fling,” she whispered before collapsing on the bed and letting the tears fall.
To say that the last several days had been a whirlwind would be an understatement.
So much of her life lately had been about other people’s expectations and doing things that didn’t make her happy.
But from the moment she climbed into the truck on Friday for her interview, it just felt like she was finally in control of her life.
Now, she had the job she needed, but it didn’t make her happy.
Okay, that wasn’t completely true—she was happy because it meant potential freedom from her family’s stupid plans. But other than that, it felt like she had just walked away from something that could have been…
Everything.
Rolling onto her back, Maisie stared up at the ceiling with a sigh. “I know it was only four days, but…”
Another sigh.
Axel Hayes was proof that good lineage wasn’t necessary to be an outstanding person.
He was honest and humble, kind and hardworking.
But more than anything, he was genuinely a good human.
That much was obvious from everything she witnessed.
From the things his friend Connor had said to her, to the way he bared his soul to her while they were sitting out by the lake.
And more than all of that, he clearly respected her.
If she had been in the situation she found herself in Friday night with any other man, there wasn’t a doubt in her mind that it would have ended differently. Axel had been honest about wanting her, but he kept his distance because he knew how to respect boundaries.
And yet another sigh.
She’d never spent time with a man where she just enjoyed sitting and talking.
For those four days, the two of them had talked about a hundred different things, and there was never a lull.
He knew so much about construction, and it seemed like he knew everything there was to know about the resort property.
He never went to college, but he knew a lot about so many topics.
He made her feel comfortable and took a genuine interest in everything she had to say.
That wasn’t the case with anyone she knew back home.
Home. Pfft. She felt more at home in that tiny cabin than she had in almost her entire life.
“And how freaking sad is that?” she murmured.
It would be easy to simply lie here and have a pity party all day, but that wouldn’t get her anywhere.
She needed to make up the contract to email to Walker and get things rolling.
The resort was basically in great shape and pretty close to the decorating stage, so if the guys were looking to stay on schedule, then she needed to put things in motion.
No matter how sad she felt.
“But first…a shower.”
Slowly, she got to her feet and stretched. She’d been wearing the same clothes for almost the entire weekend—except for when she wore Axel’s clothes. But it was going to feel great to put on her own clean clothes.
The water was hot, and it felt good, and she lingered longer than usual just because she was procrastinating. But when she finally stepped out and dried off, she felt a little more like her old self.
Not that that was anything great, but it was better than sitting and crying.
She slipped on a pair of yoga pants and a T-shirt before sitting down at the old and worn-looking desk with her laptop. She pulled up the contract template and got to work modifying it to fit her proposal.
She typed, read, edited, typed some more, reread, and two hours later, felt like it was right.
Glancing at the clock, she saw it was after ten and decided to email it to Walker along with her presentation again just in case he needed to check it.
When her phone rang five minutes later, she was practically giddy thinking he was calling her to talk about the contract. Unfortunately, it wasn’t him.
Groaning, she answered, “Hey, Mom.”
“Oh wonderful, Maisie! Thank you for answering your phone.”
It was a little too early for this much snark, but the only other option was hanging up, and she just wasn’t in the mood to start that kind of childish fight.
“Good morning,” she said instead. “How are you?”
“How am I? I’m worried! That’s how I am! When are you going to drop all this nonsense and come home? I gave you the weekend, and I think you’ve made your point.”
That perked her up. “So then you’re not going to force me to marry Bryce?”
“What? Oh, no. No, no, no. I didn’t say that. I’m just saying I can see that you’re upset,” her mother reasoned, like it was the most logical thing in the world.
“Mom, if you know I’m upset and that I am vehemently opposed to this, why would you think I’m ready to come home?”
“Because you’re acting like a child! We’re all just looking out for you! I don’t understand why you’re not more appreciative.”
“Mom…”
“Maisie,” she quickly interrupted. “You are twenty-seven years old and you’ve only had two boyfriends. Two! The last one broke up with you five years ago, and you haven’t gone on a date since. We’re simply making sure that you’re taken care of.”
“By pawning me off on a guy I find repulsive? Seriously?”
After a small tsk, her mother replied. “I’ll admit he’s not the most handsome boy I’ve ever seen, but…”
“It’s not about looks, Mom! It’s about him as a human being! He’s awful! Remember all those allegations about him in college?”
“Nothing ever came of them. That should tell you they were false.”
“Or that the victims were bought off.”
“Maisie! That’s an awful thing to say!”
“It’s an awful thing for you to force me to marry a man like that. I don’t want to and I won’t do it. I don’t care what happens; I won’t go through with it.”
Silence.
Meanwhile, her heart was beating so loud that she was certain the people in the next room could hear it.
“Why don’t we put a pin in this for now, hmm?
You’re emotional. I’m sure you’re feeling a little lost being cut off without all the comforts of home and your credit cards.
Eventually you’ll realize that you can’t make it on your own.
Starting a business requires money and connections.
You can have all of that right here in Manhattan. ”
“As long as I marry Bryce,” she murmured.
“It really won’t be so bad. He’s not the monster you seem to think he is.”
She knew for a fact that he was.
Only…she couldn’t say anything because no one would believe her.
The last time she’d seen him had been at Jocelyn Abbott’s wedding two months ago at a luxurious estate out in Montauk.
Maisie had gone with her family and was having a wonderful time until she’d stepped outside for some fresh air.
Bryce had followed her and tried to be charming, she supposed.
But it felt like he was stalking her, following her closely and crowding her in.
Just thinking about it now made her shiver with unease.
He’d backed her up against the cool brick of the house, behind a large potted tree. She could still feel his breath on her cheek and smell the alcohol.
“Why are you being so uptight, Maisie?” he’d asked as he lewdly pressed up against her, his hand reaching up to cup her breast. “You’re bigger than the women I prefer to sleep with, but you’re all the same in the dark.
And trust me, there have been a lot of them in the dark. Some who didn’t even know it was me.”
Then he tried to kiss her, and she shoved him away.
“You’re disgusting,” she spat, even as he laughed.
“I’m not the disgusting one,” he sneered after a moment. “Look at yourself. You should be thankful someone like me is willing to marry you.”
She’d been too stunned to speak.
Then he moved in close again and groped her a bit more before licking her cheek. “See you soon, wifey.”
“Maisie? Maisie, are you even listening to me? Honestly, now you’re just being rude,” her mother said with a huff.
“I’m not being rude, Mother. I’m just not going to listen to you sing the praises of a man that I have repeatedly told you I want nothing to do with.”
“Fine. We’ll talk about something else.” She paused. “Your cousin Victoria’s wedding is coming up. You’re in the bridal party. I’m going to assume you’ll be there.”
Damn. She’d forgotten about that.
She and her cousin were close, and she’d hate to miss it, but…
“Is Bryce going to be there?” she asked sternly.
“No. Your Uncle Jasper and Bryce’s father had a falling out, and their family is excluded from the wedding. It’s been all everyone’s been able to talk about.”
At least if he wasn’t there, she’d be able to relax and enjoy herself.
“I’ll be at the wedding,” she said wearily. “All the pre-wedding festivities were over weeks ago, but I should check in with Vic and make sure I haven’t missed anything since being banished.”
“You did it to yourself, Maisie. You were the one who insisted on being on your own.”
“And why is that a bad thing?” she demanded, tears stinging her eyes. “All I wanted was a chance to have a career that I’m passionate about! To have a life of my own! Why do I have to live under your and Dad’s thumb? You both acted as if wanting to strike out on my own was a crime!”
Silence again.
“I’m good at what I do,” she said after several long moments. “I have talent, and I have every right to want to be in control of my life.”
“You act like an arranged marriage is the worst thing in the world. Your father and I were an arranged marriage, and we’re both very happy.”
That was one of the biggest lies she’d ever heard.
There were many words she’d use to describe her parents’ marriage and happy wasn’t one of them.
“I’m not you, Mom. I’m never going to want this.”
“Have you made any strides in getting clients? You know your time is running out.”
Ugh…
As much as she wanted to say yes, she wasn’t ready to. Until Walker and the rest of the guys signed the contract, she was keeping that info to herself.
“I’m working on a few things,” she said vaguely.
“So, no,” her mother said with a hint of amusement. “Well, I’ll just leave you to it and plan on seeing you at Victoria’s wedding. Take care of yourself, dear. Goodbye.”
She went to say goodbye, but her mother had already hung up.
And while a few stray tears ran down her face, Maisie refused to let them paralyze her. Instead, they energized her to get back in front of her laptop and create a business plan.
Something new.
Something fresh.
Something her parents had no part of.
She’d always been artistic and creative, so she worked on a logo first. Her name was unique, and it would be very easy to use it as her business name, but she wanted to separate herself from her family.
Ultimately, she caved a bit and went with MAQ Interiors. Her logo came out amazingly. Next, she set up a website. It was basic, but after watching several YouTube videos, she had it looking decent enough to get her started. By the time she finished with it, it was after two in the afternoon!
Standing, she stretched and decided it was a good time to take a break.
Her stomach growled right on cue.
There were a few places right in town to grab something to eat, but she was feeling like she was on a roll and didn’t want to be gone for too long.
That’s when she opted to use her app and have something delivered.
The fees made everything so much more expensive, but right now, she felt like she deserved it.
And if all this work led to a few more jobs besides the Lakeview Harbor Resort, it would all be worth it.
With her lunch order placed, she sat back down and checked her emails and squealed with delight when she saw a response from Walker!
Hey, Maisie!
Thank you so much for the contract and for sending your presentation along with it.
We’re all looking forward to having you get started.
As the head of our company, I’ll be the one signing and will be your point of contact moving forward.
Just let me know how you want the initial payment sent to you, and I’ll get that over to you today.
Thanks again, Walker
For a moment, she simply blinked at the screen because it seemed too easy. Like…she wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but this just seemed so much easier than it was in her head.
“Okay, then,” she said, feeling relieved, happy, and like she wanted to celebrate.
Later.
The check wasn’t in her account, the rooms weren’t decorated, and there was still pretty much everything to do first.
But more than anything, she needed to take a minute just to be proud of herself.
She was doing it.
She was making it happen.
And she was going to keep going forward no matter what because this was her life, and she wasn’t going to let anyone dictate how she was supposed to live it ever again.