8. Ian
8
IAN
“Did you guys happen to catch Alessi’s show while you were in Norway?” Bash asked Owen and me as we all stood near the refreshments table in Sloan’s backyard, sipping our drinks. “Because as weird as it is having my ex write breakup songs about me, I’m kinda bummed I didn’t take time off to go to the wedding with you guys and catch her performance.”
“You two dated for like, what, two months? Almost five years ago.” Owen shot him a look, nudging him in the ribs. “You sure you’re not just wishing those hits are about you?”
“Who else would the lyrics ‘Under the firework sky, your eyes meet mine, a secret spark ignites, but we’re out of time’ be about?” Bash smirked, undeterred by our more practical friend. “We literally started dating after that Fourth of July party on Ian’s yacht. Who else was she igniting secret sparks with?”
“You’ve really dissected her new album, haven’t you?” I chuckled, taking a sip of my whiskey. “But did you also consider that there were plenty of us on that yacht? I mean, what if she was eyeing Owen? Or, I don’t know, someone even hotter like me?”
“You think she wrote a song about you?” Bash scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, right. Plus, I seem to recall you two being too busy with your dates that night to notice any looks from Alessi.”
“Pretty sure my date was mad at me that night,” I said, recalling the Fourth of July party Bash was talking about. The one where we’d all planned to stay overnight on my parents' yacht, but instead, I had to take my date back to shore in the middle of the night because, in her words, she couldn’t stand to look at my ‘ridiculously perfect face’ anymore since it 'didn't come with anything beneath the surface.’
Yeah…that one had stung a little—hurt my fragile player heart.
“Fine.” Bash raised his hands in surrender. “So maybe you weren’t charming your date that night. But do you seriously think it’s more likely for the song to be about you over me?”
“Okay, so it’s probably not about me,” I said. And I probably should have just left it at that. But since I could never resist pushing Bash’s buttons, I had to add, “But that still doesn’t mean it’s about you, either. I mean, for all we know, those forbidden glances could’ve been between her and Miles.”
“Miles?” Bash stared at me like I’d just suggested something heinous. “You sicko. He’s her stepbrother .”
And man, the scandalized look on his face was totally worth it.
“Okay, fine,” I said, unable to keep in my laugh. “So, maybe there’s a small chance the number one pop song in the world right now is about you.”
“Thank you,” Bash said, his expression turning smug. “I’ll sleep soundly tonight now that that has been settled.”
“Good to know,” I said, taking another sip of my drink.
“And to answer your original question,” Owen chimed in, “sadly, we weren’t able to catch Alessi’s concert over the weekend since we had to fly out first thing Sunday morning.”
“Ah, too bad,” Bash said, nodding. “Miles told me he was going. Said they were gonna sightsee before she heads to Vienna for her next show.”
Owen nodded. “Is Miles taking their parents to Vienna for her next shows, too?”
“I think so,” Bash said. “At least I think that’s what he said since he doesn’t have to be back in Connecticut for the Sentinels training camp for a few more weeks.”
They were just diving into a conversation about Miles’s NFL team and their playoff chances with him as the new quarterback when Maddie’s laugh cut through the air.
And even though I’d purposely left my seat beside her earlier because the sexual tension had already been too thick between us this evening, I had to know who had made her laugh.
Dare I hope it was Sloan or Jennifer making more jokes tonight?
But nope, when I glanced her way, I instantly regretted it because instead of finding her engaged in girl talk with the other ladies like I’d hoped, there she was, sitting close to Theo. Like they’d just picked up where they’d been before I’d joined the party.
Ugh was the only word that came to mind as a twinge of jealousy twisted in my stomach.
Why did I suddenly want to go sit next to her again? She was my assistant. I should know better than to get involved with someone I worked with. Yet every time I got within a few feet of her, it was like all my common sense evaporated and I couldn’t stop the flirty comments from slipping out.
Why did I even come here? I didn’t have time for garden parties this week.
Not when I was supposed to be working on my presentation for the summit, reworking the section that had been driving me nuts for weeks.
But of course, when I’d gotten Owen’s text about Sloan’s party, I’d jumped at the chance to ditch my work and clear my head.
Except now, standing here, all I could think about was Maddie.
I glanced at Owen, and when I saw him smirking at me as if he could read my thoughts, I couldn’t help but wonder if he’d invited me here for some weird entertainment.
Was this whole thing planned?
Turning toward him, I crossed my arms and asked, “Why’d you invite me to this party anyway? You trying to set me up for an awkward situation with my assistant or something?”
“Nah, man.” Owen blinked, all innocent-like, before shrugging. “Bash and I just figured you’ve been working too hard. Thought you could use a night with friends.”
I gave him a look that said I wasn’t buying it for a second. Bash caught my expression and grinned before raising his hands in mock surrender. “Okay, fine. Maybe when Owen told me that Sloan’s niece is the girl we saw you making out with, we might’ve been a little curious to see how you two acted around each other now that she’s your assistant.”
“You guys are evil,” I muttered, rolling my eyes.
“Hey, we gotta get our kicks and giggles somehow,” Bash said with a shrug, completely unapologetic.
Owen leaned in a little closer. “You do seem to be in better spirits than you were at Addie and Evan’s wedding, though. Are you sure you two are keeping things…above board?”
“Of course we are,” I said, though my mind drifted. Am I actually in better spirits now than I was at the wedding? I had a good day today, I couldn’t deny that. And yes, a lot of it had to do with the dynamic between Maddie and me. It was fun. Easy, even.
I glanced back toward her again. She and Theo were still chatting like old friends, smiles and laughter flowing effortlessly between them.
Was that how she was with all guys? Had things been so easy between us because it was just how Maddie was?
Not that it should matter, I reminded myself. Maddie was an employee. Nothing more.
I took a slow sip of my whiskey, letting the warmth settle in my chest. But when I flicked my gaze back to Owen and Bash, I noticed them both watching me, amusement all over their faces.
Yep, they’d totally caught me staring at her.
“Shut it,” I said before either of them could get a word out.
Which just made their smirks even bigger since they were clearly enjoying the fact that I was hung up on someone I couldn’t touch.
Man, I really should’ve stayed home tonight.
I walked into Sloan’s kitchen, carefully balancing a few wine glasses in my hands after most of her guests had said their goodbyes.
Yep, even though I probably should’ve left the party two hours ago, somehow I stayed until the very end and was now even helping with the cleanup.
“Ian, you really don’t need to help,” Sloan said, glancing up from the charcuterie tray she was currently drying off with a towel. “I know you’ve got work early in the morning.”
“It’s fine,” I said, stepping beside her to set the glasses near the sink. “Just because you hosted doesn’t mean you need to be left with all the work.”
Wow, I was really leaning into this domestic role tonight, wasn’t I? Usually, I had staff to handle post-party cleanups for me, but after seeing Theo help put away the table and chairs, I’d apparently decided to turn over a new leaf.
And even now, ten minutes after Theo and everyone else had left the party, I was still here, trying to play the better man.
Because I liked to help my friends… And definitely not because I was hoping to catch another glimpse of my cute assistant before heading out.
“Okay,” Sloan said, a grateful smile lifting her lips. “If you really don’t mind helping, I’d appreciate it if you could use those tall genetics of yours and put this in the cupboard above my fridge.”
“Of course,” I said, grateful for the excuse to linger longer. So when she handed me the long, rectangular board, I opened the cupboard she’d indicated to stow it. “How did you get this out in the first place?” I asked when I’d completed the task, glancing at Sloan who stood nearly a foot shorter than me.
“Um…” She made a face like it should’ve been obvious. “Us non-tall folk have these weird contraptions called stools to reach the places you giants take for granted.”
“Us giants?” I chuckled. “You make it sound like I’m freakishly tall.”
“Aren’t you, like, six-two?”
“Six-three,” I corrected, fighting a smile.
“Yeah, well, even if that’s the average height for the men in your close circle, that’s still pretty tall to us regular humans,” she teased.
“I guess you’re right.” I closed the cupboard and checked my watch. It was nearly eleven.
Where was Maddie? Had she fallen asleep when she’d gone upstairs to tuck her son in? She’d disappeared up there almost an hour ago.
I sighed. Maybe I should head home. Staying any longer would only make it extremely obvious that I was just trying to steal another conversation with Maddie.
I was just about to reach for my keys in my pocket and call it a night when the creak of footsteps sounded on the floor above.
Is she still awake after all? I wondered, my heart kicking up.
And so, even though I knew I was probably making my intentions really obvious, I glanced over to the wine glasses I’d left on the counter and asked Sloan, “Where do you keep the dish soap? I’ll hand-wash those glasses for you.”
Had I ever hand-washed a dish in my life before?
No… But it couldn’t be that hard, could it?
Sloan chuckled. “You really don’t have to do that. I can toss them in the dishwasher tomorrow.”
“It’s nothing,” I said, moving toward the sink to make my point. “Besides, there’s nothing better than waking up to a clean kitchen, right?”
“I suppose there isn’t.” Her lips quirked up into a half-smile, like she could see right through me. “All right, the soap and sponge are under the sink.”
I was just reaching for the sponge when I heard another soft creak, this time on the stairs.
She’s coming down after all.
Anticipation thrummed in my veins, and I straightened a little too quickly.
Sloan must have noticed because after giving me a knowing look, she said, “If you feel like drying the glasses, too, the dish towels are in the left drawer.”
“Perfect,” I said, trying to keep my tone casual even though my focus was already shifting toward the stairs.
And then, just a moment later, Maddie appeared at the bottom of the steps, her gaze sweeping the room before landing on me. My attention sharpened the moment I saw her, and from the way Sloan’s Cheshire-cat grin grew, she definitely hadn’t missed it.
“Well, I think it’s about time for me to head to bed,” Sloan said with a mischievous lilt in her voice. “Ian was so kind to offer to wash the rest of the dishes so we can wake up to a clean kitchen. Isn’t that thoughtful of him?”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that.” Maddie stepped farther into the kitchen, thankfully missing the obvious hints Sloan was dropping. “I came down here to finish cleaning up.”
“Perhaps you two can work together, then?” Sloan raised an eyebrow.
Maddie looked at me and shrugged. “Okay, sure.”
I nodded, trying to keep my cool, even though the idea of spending a few more minutes alone with her had me far more excited than it should have.