The Executive's Decision
Page 43
What was she thinking? She should have cut the ties with him. She should be basking in the thought that the boss was out of town and for the next two days she could play solitaire on the computer. But it wasn’t like that.
While her boss was away, she waited. She waited for the phone to ring. She waited for that special e-mail, and as always, she waited for the delivery of flowers to arrive at her home before he returned. They had a routine.
A routine, she thought with a shake of her head. Married couples with families had routines, not assistants having affairs with their bosses. Unless that assistant had actually fallen in love with her boss.
The lump in her throat was hard to swallow. She was in love with him. She knew that. She’d admitted that to herself. She’d admitted it to her father and her brothers. But she had yet to admit it to him. Why was it so hard? He’d told her he loved her. He’d asked her to tell him. He’d even said he could see it in her eyes, yet she hadn’t said the words.
The words. She’d said them before. She’d said them aloud to another man that she thought she loved. Correction, she had loved him. She’d loved him with everything that she was. The kicker was she thought he had loved her too.
Didn’t she have a beachfront condo in Maui? Didn’t she sport a diamond on her finger that was no less than two and a half karats? Necklaces, earrings, dresses, purses, and shoes made her look like the proper woman he was grooming her to be.
When Alexander Hamilton was around her, he doted on her. They shared a bed. They shared an office. They shared a life until…
God, even now, as she dipped her head into the water and held her breath, she couldn’t think of how quickly it had fallen away from her. She’d stood before him, her stomach stretched with pregnancy, expecting his child, and he’d told her he was through with her right before the first punch threw her back, crashing through a glass table.
As she surfaced for air and gasped to fill her lungs, she ran her hand over her stomach and the scar that Zach had asked about. Tears spilled down her cheeks.
Alexander had set up a nursery. He’d bought her maternity clothes and a necklace with a baby bootie embedded with a blue sapphire to mark the due date of their child. At night, he’d lain by her side with his hand on her stomach, rubbing it so gently. Alexander Jonathon Hamilton III would be his son’s name. She could still see the glimmer in his eyes when he said it.
Regan’s head began to pound. The wine had made her lightheaded, and she thought it would be best to remove herself from the water.
She slipped into her pajamas and crawled into bed. The pillow next to her smelled of Zach, and she breathed in deeply. She needed to shake off her memories and find the courage to embrace her new reality.
Then as though she’d willed it, the telephone rang and it was Zach on the other end.
“I’m in Phoenix having my shoes shined,” he told her.
“Phoenix, having yours shoes shined? Why?”
“We had to make an emergency landing. There was a sick passenger. Hence, the shoes shined. The guy next to me didn’t fare as well. He has to buy a new suit.”
“That’s horrible. I hope the passenger is okay.”
“I think the original sick one is okay. It started a chain reaction.” He laughed. “But I’ll be out of here in a few minutes. I just missed you and wanted to call.”
“I’m glad you did.” She tried to keep her voice steady, but it shook, and she knew he would notice.
“Regan, are you all right?”
“I’m fine. I just found that I was already missing you terribly.” She wiped her wet eyes with the back of her hand.
“Is that all?”
“Yes,” she lied.
He grumbled. “This is the last time I have to come this way alone. From now on, you’ll be by my side, and damn it, if he doesn’t want to deal with my people, he’ll have to work with someone else. I’m tired of this jerk, and hell, I haven’t even gotten to his office yet.” He vented with a few choice words, which the executive rarely did, and it made her laugh. Zach goaned. “Oh, Regan, wait until you meet him. You’ll understand.”
“Who is he anyway? Donald Trump isn’t this secretive.”
“Donald Trump has his own people to build his buildings.”
“A movie star. Oh, Zach, tell me who he is.” Her voice had lifted, and it felt good to share a laugh with the man she loved.
“Breach of contract,” he said.
“And contracts are very important to you.” She lost the edge of humor and her tone became serious.
“They are our livelihood.”
“I guess you’re right, then.” She slid down into the bed and sighed. “Your pillow still smells of you.”
Zach let out a gusty breath. “I’d give anything to be there with you.” He shuffled the phone. “Regan, I have to go. They just called my flight. I’ll call you in the morning. I love you.” The phone disconnected, and she was alone again with her thoughts.
Regan and John Forrester spent most of the day with plans and contracts sprawled out over the conference table. They had to go to Memphis with a precise picture of what was supposed to be done, what hadn’t been done, and what they needed to do about it. Regan typed a letter dismissing Roger Byers from his position; Zach, always gracious, had given word to the accounting department to cut Roger Byers a severance check.
They ate at Frank’s for lunch and sat at the stone tables overlooking the river.
John scooped chili from his hot dog with a spoon. “You sure you know your way to the site?”
“I know the way. I’ll print a map, and I have your cell phone number as well.”
“Good. We’ll meet there right at nine. That’ll give us all day to get done what needs to be done,” he said, and she nodded, looking out over the lawn toward the tree where she’d sat with Zach on her first day.
Her mind wandered to the thought of his green eyes and sandy hair. She’d been doomed the moment that bus jerked her off her feet.
John shoved a bite of his hot dog into his mouth. “You know you read like a book.”
“Excuse me?”
He swallowed his bite and wiped his mouth. “You miss him.”
“John, I…”
“Can’t hide what you’re thinking,” he finished her sentence, then he sipped his Coke. “I told him months ago I thought you were a keeper. He is too, you know.”
While her boss was away, she waited. She waited for the phone to ring. She waited for that special e-mail, and as always, she waited for the delivery of flowers to arrive at her home before he returned. They had a routine.
A routine, she thought with a shake of her head. Married couples with families had routines, not assistants having affairs with their bosses. Unless that assistant had actually fallen in love with her boss.
The lump in her throat was hard to swallow. She was in love with him. She knew that. She’d admitted that to herself. She’d admitted it to her father and her brothers. But she had yet to admit it to him. Why was it so hard? He’d told her he loved her. He’d asked her to tell him. He’d even said he could see it in her eyes, yet she hadn’t said the words.
The words. She’d said them before. She’d said them aloud to another man that she thought she loved. Correction, she had loved him. She’d loved him with everything that she was. The kicker was she thought he had loved her too.
Didn’t she have a beachfront condo in Maui? Didn’t she sport a diamond on her finger that was no less than two and a half karats? Necklaces, earrings, dresses, purses, and shoes made her look like the proper woman he was grooming her to be.
When Alexander Hamilton was around her, he doted on her. They shared a bed. They shared an office. They shared a life until…
God, even now, as she dipped her head into the water and held her breath, she couldn’t think of how quickly it had fallen away from her. She’d stood before him, her stomach stretched with pregnancy, expecting his child, and he’d told her he was through with her right before the first punch threw her back, crashing through a glass table.
As she surfaced for air and gasped to fill her lungs, she ran her hand over her stomach and the scar that Zach had asked about. Tears spilled down her cheeks.
Alexander had set up a nursery. He’d bought her maternity clothes and a necklace with a baby bootie embedded with a blue sapphire to mark the due date of their child. At night, he’d lain by her side with his hand on her stomach, rubbing it so gently. Alexander Jonathon Hamilton III would be his son’s name. She could still see the glimmer in his eyes when he said it.
Regan’s head began to pound. The wine had made her lightheaded, and she thought it would be best to remove herself from the water.
She slipped into her pajamas and crawled into bed. The pillow next to her smelled of Zach, and she breathed in deeply. She needed to shake off her memories and find the courage to embrace her new reality.
Then as though she’d willed it, the telephone rang and it was Zach on the other end.
“I’m in Phoenix having my shoes shined,” he told her.
“Phoenix, having yours shoes shined? Why?”
“We had to make an emergency landing. There was a sick passenger. Hence, the shoes shined. The guy next to me didn’t fare as well. He has to buy a new suit.”
“That’s horrible. I hope the passenger is okay.”
“I think the original sick one is okay. It started a chain reaction.” He laughed. “But I’ll be out of here in a few minutes. I just missed you and wanted to call.”
“I’m glad you did.” She tried to keep her voice steady, but it shook, and she knew he would notice.
“Regan, are you all right?”
“I’m fine. I just found that I was already missing you terribly.” She wiped her wet eyes with the back of her hand.
“Is that all?”
“Yes,” she lied.
He grumbled. “This is the last time I have to come this way alone. From now on, you’ll be by my side, and damn it, if he doesn’t want to deal with my people, he’ll have to work with someone else. I’m tired of this jerk, and hell, I haven’t even gotten to his office yet.” He vented with a few choice words, which the executive rarely did, and it made her laugh. Zach goaned. “Oh, Regan, wait until you meet him. You’ll understand.”
“Who is he anyway? Donald Trump isn’t this secretive.”
“Donald Trump has his own people to build his buildings.”
“A movie star. Oh, Zach, tell me who he is.” Her voice had lifted, and it felt good to share a laugh with the man she loved.
“Breach of contract,” he said.
“And contracts are very important to you.” She lost the edge of humor and her tone became serious.
“They are our livelihood.”
“I guess you’re right, then.” She slid down into the bed and sighed. “Your pillow still smells of you.”
Zach let out a gusty breath. “I’d give anything to be there with you.” He shuffled the phone. “Regan, I have to go. They just called my flight. I’ll call you in the morning. I love you.” The phone disconnected, and she was alone again with her thoughts.
Regan and John Forrester spent most of the day with plans and contracts sprawled out over the conference table. They had to go to Memphis with a precise picture of what was supposed to be done, what hadn’t been done, and what they needed to do about it. Regan typed a letter dismissing Roger Byers from his position; Zach, always gracious, had given word to the accounting department to cut Roger Byers a severance check.
They ate at Frank’s for lunch and sat at the stone tables overlooking the river.
John scooped chili from his hot dog with a spoon. “You sure you know your way to the site?”
“I know the way. I’ll print a map, and I have your cell phone number as well.”
“Good. We’ll meet there right at nine. That’ll give us all day to get done what needs to be done,” he said, and she nodded, looking out over the lawn toward the tree where she’d sat with Zach on her first day.
Her mind wandered to the thought of his green eyes and sandy hair. She’d been doomed the moment that bus jerked her off her feet.
John shoved a bite of his hot dog into his mouth. “You know you read like a book.”
“Excuse me?”
He swallowed his bite and wiped his mouth. “You miss him.”
“John, I…”
“Can’t hide what you’re thinking,” he finished her sentence, then he sipped his Coke. “I told him months ago I thought you were a keeper. He is too, you know.”
