Chapter 19
Maddie
The steady hum of the kiln and the soft crackle of cooling rods echo around me.
The sounds of my sanctuary.
I rotate the slender rod of cobalt blue glass between my fingertips, inching it closer to the flame. The tip glows red-hot almost immediately as I slowly and deliberately spin it, letting gravity and heat coax it into the shape of the curved flower petal I envision.
It’s swirled and flared at the end, and when I pull back, the long stem will form an abstract glass bouquet that I’m crafting for a commissioned piece by a private client.
Glasswork takes patience, and I love its meditative rhythm.
My life as an architect, especially here in Manhattan, is exhilarating and fast-paced. I work with some of the most brilliant, driven people I’ve ever met. But my Southern roots still crave stillness.
This studio gives me that.
A moment of quiet in the chaos.
My alarm goes off, startling me a few minutes later. Shocked that two hours have gone by already.
I clean up my area, wave goodbye to a few other early morning artists who rent the space, and then text Addie that I’m on my way.
Not that she’ll answer; it’s eight in the morning, and she’ll be drooling into her pillow for at least another two hours.
When I first moved to New York and joined M-Squared, I tried to come here after work. But by then, my creative well had already run dry. Now I go first thing in the morning, and I even run here most days, which lets me get in my exercise all at once.
Luckily, Addie lives close by, where I can shower and get ready for work.
Mornings like these are typically my favorite.
The perfect way to start a workday, where I get to do what I love, then steal a cuddle from my bestie.
But not today.
I sent Corey a text earlier, letting him know I’m flying home to Georgia to see him this weekend.
Little does he know it’s to end what should never have happened in the first place.
Although that’s not even the real reason for the weight on my chest, the culprit of my anxiety is Nate.
It’s been two weeks since I last saw him.
Two weeks have passed since he dropped the devastating truth about his past.
He had to rush off to London the next day. There was a problem at one of the job sites, and I haven’t heard a peep from him.
Not that he owes me anything, but after his confession, I feel like he purposely ran away, letting me take it all in so there wouldn’t be a chance of an interrogation, knowing I can’t let things go easily.
But he’s coming back.
Today.
And I can’t stop the rapid beat of my heart or the excitement, no matter how many times I try to pretend I don’t care…my heartbeat keeps betraying me.
“Madeline Cunningham?”
My head shoots up, startled by the interruption.
“Yes, that’s me. Can I help you?”
The young intern hands me a bag, and the instant heavenly scent of greasy goodness fills my nose, prompting my stomach to growl with hunger.
“This was delivered to my desk by accident. It’s got your name on it.”
“Thank you so much,” I reply, and she scurries off before I can ask her name.
I open the bag to find a bacon, egg, and cheese on a roll with salt, pepper, and ketchup, obviously, because I’m a real New Yorker now.
Tucked inside is a note.
You didn’t take the breakfast I left in the fridge for you, and I know you haven’t eaten all day.
You’re welcome.
Have a good day, don’t forget about drinks tomorrow.
Love,
Your prettiest friend
FUNNIEST friend (more importantly)
Personal chef
CFC (Chief fashion consultant)
Therapist (unlicensed, but highly qualified)
Designated bad-decision enabler
Personal driver
And most importantly…
Your BFF always and forever!!!!!!
xoxo
Addie, Ads, Adelaide
MUAH!
My knee stops bouncing, and the vibrating floorboard beneath my heel goes still as I throw a hand over my mouth and let out an embarrassingly loud snort.
God, I love this girl.
Addie knows exactly what I need, even before I do.
It’s a best friend’s sixth sense.
For the last two hours, I’ve been sitting at my desk, twirling a pen between my fingers, trying and failing to distract myself from the inevitable—Nate’s return.
All I know is that he’s coming back today.
And now, suddenly, I feel sixteen again. Unsure how to act or what to say.
My nerves are shot, and the longer I sit here, the more frenzied my thoughts become.
Those thoughts are interrupted by my phone buzzing for the fifth time.
Corey.
I flip it over, ignoring the pit of guilt that’s taken up permanent residence in my stomach.
How did I get here?
This isn’t me.
I don’t go around breaking hearts. Even if it’s the right thing to do, it still doesn’t sit right with me.
I said yes to Corey when I shouldn’t have. But I can’t keep stringing him along. He doesn’t deserve that, even if he’s had a complete personality transplant.
I shove my phone in my drawer when it buzzes again and pull out the paperwork for my next meeting. A new project Leo has brought me on board for.
The client requested LEED Platinum certification, and since that’s my niche, I was the first name on the list.
So I lose myself in technical jargon about passive ventilation systems and modular construction. By the time I’m sketching initial concepts for Leo, another two hours have slipped past without me realizing.
I only notice because my back starts aching. I groan, stretch, and—
“Ahh!” I yelp, practically levitating from my chair when a familiar face suddenly appears across from me.
“Corey. What are you doing here?” The hitch in my voice is clear as day, as I glance around the office to ensure no one is around.
He grins, stands tall, and walks around my desk, like he owns the place, towering over me as I sit motionless, still shocked to my core.
I take him all in. A three-piece suit, dark, slicked-back hair, and even darker eyes.
I feel nothing.
Nothing besides regret from what I know is coming.
“I wanted to surprise you. I missed you.” He holds out his arms, and I rise stiffly, giving him a quick hug.
He leans in slowly for a kiss, but I turn my face, offering my cheek instead. His furrowed brow speaks volumes.
“I’m at work, Corey. Sorry.” I look around again. “How did you get up here?”
“The security guard was easily bribed.” He smirks. “I couldn’t wait for the big surprise this weekend, so I figured, why not fly out now and hear it today?”
Oh god.
My stomach drops like I’ve been sucker punched from the inside.
Today.
He swipes my bangs off my face; he’s hated them since the day I cut them, even after I told him how much I love them.
Nate likes them.
A cough interrupts us, causing me to jump out of Corey’s arms, ignoring the scowl to swiftly pass over his face.
“Maddie.” Leo’s voice is like ice. “My office, five minutes.”
He turns to leave before I can speak, and now I’m nervous for more reasons than one.
This day is turning out just perfect.
I know I need to escort Corey out before a scene breaks out.
“Who was that pompous asshole?” Corey crosses his arms, and I sometimes wonder how I ever got sucked into his charm.
When we met at his father’s bank, he played the part well.
Charming, ambitious, attentive.
I genuinely thought he might be the one man capable of making me forget Nate.
Spoiler alert: he wasn’t.
It turns out that I mistook charisma for character.
He’s rich and entitled, a mama’s boy with a superiority complex.
He’s never worked for anything in his life, and it shows. I only wish it had shown sooner before I was already in too deep.
He could take pointers from that “pompous asshole” about what hard work truly looks like.
“That’s my boss, and I need to go speak to him.” I write down the information for a restaurant that is lively enough it might drown out Corey’s reaction and tell him to meet me there at eight.
That gives me enough time to finish work and concoct a plan with Addie on how to handle tonight.
“Why don’t I just pick you up from work? We can go together.”
Ugh. Good question.
“I have a meeting with a potential client at their office near the restaurant that might run late. So meeting there is easiest.” I lie right through my teeth.
“Home is Georgia. Not this overcrowded cesspool. When you’re done here at this place, you’ll realize your mistake and come home to me,” he states matter-of-factly, and I’m torn between wanting to scream my head off or puke in disgust that I ever fell for someone like him.
I fake a smile and grab my phone, then escort him through the office to the elevator, ignoring the prying eyes of the gossips. Faking smiles and quick waves as I pass their desks.
Corey’s waiting for a kiss goodbye, but he’ll be waiting a long time.
The thought makes me nauseous, especially when my lips still remember what it felt like being just a breath away from Nate’s.
And especially not here.
M-Squared. Nate’s company.
“Oh. I really need to go.” I pretend to read an urgent message on my phone. Then stand on my tippy-toes to kiss his cheek and wave him off, practically shoving him into the elevator.
As soon as the doors close, I bolt toward Leo’s office.
I brace myself and suddenly feel the urge to run the other way. The glass is frosted, and he only does that when he wants his privacy, or he’s reaming out an employee who has screwed up.
I feel Lizzy’s eyes on me as I approach, and her sympathetic eyes say it all. “Just go in,” she whispers.
“Shut the door,” Leo snaps, in a voice I barely recognize, one I’ve never been on the receiving end of.
“Leo,” I plead.
He turns, and although he attempts to show no emotion, I see the anger boiling deep within.
“I don’t appreciate the blatant disrespect in my office. I thought you were more professional than that.”
Ouch.
I veer back, as if slapped by his sharp words. “I’m sorry. He surprised me.” I pause. Wait… “How is a hug unprofessional?”
He scoffs, his expression bordering on disgust. “That was more than a hug.”