Chapter 8 #2
Harlow reached across the table and rested her hand on his. “Okay, no one would ever think you forced yourself on Maisie. That didn’t even enter anyone’s mind. It seemed like maybe you were upset because there was something there and maybe you ended it because of what you thought we’d all think.”
“We asked you not to mess around with her,” Walker reminded him.
“Walker…” Harlow sighed.
“Okay, okay…I’m just saying.”
“Well, stop saying,” she warned him before looking at Axel again. “So…is that what this is? You have feelings for Maisie and you’re not seeing her because she’s working for the resort?”
This was something he never wanted to talk to any of them about, but it looked like he didn’t have a damn choice.
“I did have feelings for Maisie,” he began gruffly. “But she’s the one who didn’t want anything beyond the weekend. It was a fling. That’s all. So…yeah. I guess it just brought back some issues from my childhood or whatever, and it put me in a funk. That’s all. Can we drop this now?”
Everyone at least had the decency to look remorseful.
Or maybe it was just pity.
Milo was the first to speak. “Axel, I think it’s only natural that you’d get those feelings from time to time. You’ve been through a lot that none of us could even begin to understand. But if having Maisie around is going to make you uncomfortable, we can work around it.”
“She’s the most qualified for the job,” he said quietly. “And firing her isn’t an option. She needs this job, and I wouldn’t take that away from her.”
“No one’s saying that,” Slater said. “But maybe we can plan so you don’t have to see her. You know, we can put a schedule in place so there are no surprises.”
It would have been easy to say yes, but…he wanted to see her. Even if it was from a distance, he’d still rather see her that way than not at all.
“That won’t be necessary,” he assured everyone. “I guess…this is the first time that I wasn’t the one to walk away in this kind of situation.” Shaking his head, he added, “And I didn’t like it.”
“No one does,” Harlow told him, squeezing his hand again.
Before anyone else could speak, their server came over to get their drink orders, and since they all ate there so often, they ordered their dinners as well. That effectively broke the mood, and the conversation moved on to other things for a while.
“Where’s Annabeth?” Axel asked Connor. “She was with you when you left the resort earlier.”
“Swati’s watching her,” Connor said, smiling. “They were going to get pizza and then go to the movies.”
“She loves kids,” Harlow explained. “She’s got a ton of nieces and nephews, and when I mentioned that Connor might need a babysitter every now and then, she volunteered.”
“Wow, that was very nice of her. Are any of her nieces or nephews around Annabeth’s age? It would be nice if she made some friends now that you’ve moved her here,” Axel said.
“I think two of them are close to Annabeth’s age, but she rambled off so many names and ages that I lost count!” Connor told him.
Looking over at Milo, Axel asked, “How long are you here for this time?”
“I’m staying for the week. We’re at a good stage in construction that I can really start getting security systems wired and work with the electricians to implement a few things.
Plus, it was a good time for me to get away from the office.
I’m feeling a bit…I don’t know…uninspired and stifled.
” Pausing for a moment, he let out a long breath.
“Seattle’s been home for a while, but maybe it’s time for a change? ”
“There’s nothing wrong with Seattle,” Slater told him. “You just need to leave the office once in a while and have a life. When’s the last time you went out and did anything fun?”
“Um…”
“Here are your drinks!” their server said as she put the tray down and began passing out glasses.
Laughing softly, Slater said, “Saved by the bell. Sort of.”
After that, there were multiple conversations going on at once, and Axel found himself relaxing more and more.
Their meals came out, and as usual, his burger was spectacular.
When they were finished, he contemplated dessert when he noticed Walker’s eyes lock on whoever had just walked into the pub.
Curious, he turned his head and felt his heart kick hard in his chest.
Maisie.
“It looks like history is possibly about to repeat itself,” Walker murmured with a grin. “Ow!” He glared at Harlow. “What was that for?”
“For being a jerk!” Looking over at Axel, she asked, “Are you okay?”
And honestly, he wasn’t sure.
The pub was super crowded, and Maisie felt a little self-conscious about coming in and sitting alone. But after eating in her hotel room for most of her meals for the last three weeks, she felt like it was important for her to get out a bit.
Glancing around, there didn’t seem to be any open tables, and she contemplated sitting at the bar until she saw a familiar face coming her way.
“Hey, Maisie,” Walker Bradshaw said with an easy grin as he shook her hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you in person instead of on a Zoom call.”
“Oh, hey, Walker! It’s nice to meet you in person too!”
“Are you picking up an order or just coming in to eat?”
“Just coming in to eat. I’ve kind of been spending a lot of time working by myself and thought it would be a good idea to get out and eat someplace that wasn’t my room.”
“We all just finished eating, but we’re contemplating dessert. Why don’t you join us? You’ll get to meet the rest of the Lakeview Harbor Resort team!”
The rest of the team? Did that mean Axel was with them too?
Of course it did, dummy. They wouldn’t exclude him.
“I don’t want to intrude,” she said after a moment, hoping Walker would just let it go.
“Nonsense! Everyone would love to meet you,” he said. “Come on. Please? And let us treat you to dinner. We’re seriously thrilled with all the ideas you’ve come up with, and I know the guys would love to tell you that themselves.”
“Oh, um…”
He studied her for a moment, and she couldn’t even imagine what he was thinking. Until…
“Okay, full disclosure. Axel’s with us,” he said solemnly. “We’ve all talked to him, and he’s fine with seeing you. It would really mean a lot to me—to all of us—if you would join us. Please.”
Well, drats.
How could she possibly say no to that without looking like a total bitch?
“Um…sure,” she said quietly. “Thank you.” With a small smile, she followed him back to the table, and everyone stood up. Her eyes went a little wide because they were all such a good-looking group that it was a little intimidating.
But her eyes were immediately drawn to Axel. He gave her a curt nod before looking away, and she had to fight not to look too devastated.
“Maisie, let me introduce you to my fiancée, Harlow,” Walker began.
“It’s so nice to finally meet you,” Harlow said, her smile radiant. “I would love to talk to you about a few small decorating jobs if you’re interested. Maybe we can get together for lunch tomorrow or someday soon?”
“That would be great,” Maisie told her. “And I’m free tomorrow. Want to meet back here at noon?”
“Perfect!”
Walker cleared his throat before introducing her to Connor, Slater, and Milo. She shook all their hands, and when everyone went to sit back down, she ended up sitting between Axel and Slater. Connor pulled up a chair and sat at the end of the table.
Her thigh was pressed against Axel’s, and she had to hold in a moan. She’d missed him so damn much, she didn’t even think it was possible. They barely knew each other, and yet she couldn’t stop thinking about him. Day and night.
But mostly at night.
She missed being tangled up with him, feeling the heat of his body pressed up against hers, and being touched by him.
He was always affectionate, and it was something that had been missing from her life—something that had never been there—and now that she’d experienced it, she wanted to feel it again.
Only…she couldn’t.
She was heading back to Manhattan on Friday for her cousin’s wedding, and she had no idea what life was going to look like after that.
Everyone was talking to her at once. Before she even ordered food, she agreed to decorate Connor’s home once he decided on one and talked to Milo about redecorating his Seattle offices.
Her head was spinning. She ordered a chicken sandwich and ate while everyone had dessert; the entire time, she was completely aware of the heat coming off of Axel’s body.
She longed to lean into him and it took every ounce of strength she had not to.
Still, by the time they were all done, she was feeling a bit euphoric. For three weeks she’d been trying to find new clients, and one dinner had her confirming three of them!
They all slid out of the booth, and Maisie was almost sorry the meal was over. It had been a long time since she’d just hung out with a group of friends and felt so…included. Working with them wasn’t going to be a hardship.
“You ready?” she heard Axel softly ask from behind her.
Well, maybe a little bit of a hardship.
She had a feeling that seeing him and just being coworkers wasn’t going to be easy.
But it was necessary.
Getting involved just wouldn’t work, no matter how much she wanted it to.
“Um…yeah,” she said, turning and following everyone out of the pub.
Outside, she listened as they all made plans to go back to the resort.
Connor was going to pick up his daughter, Harlow and Walker needed to buy groceries, and Milo and Slater were going to join them.
They all wished her a good night and planned for when she would see them again.
When it was down to just her and Axel, she was almost afraid to look at him.
“I guess I’ll be seeing you,” she said quietly, not quite meeting his eyes.
“I guess so,” he replied flatly.
They stood in awkward silence for several long moments, neither moving away.