Page 11 of It Happened Again

“I work here. It was sort of mandatory.” She shrugged nonchalantly. “Although I have to say, I didn’t expect to see you here. Honestly, I’m so busy, I didn’t have time to read the memo on what this event was about. Nice work on the design of the new wing. Well-deserved accolades.”

“Thanks.” I hesitated, then borrowed Rex’s line. “An interesting coincidence that in a major metropolitan city of over eight million people, we’d both end up at Orion? Feels like fate is trying to get our attention.”

She gave a half-smile. “Or fate just enjoys making us uncomfortable.”

Was this awkward for her? It wasn’t for me. Okay, maybe I was fumbling around for words and things to talk about, all to avoid what I really wanted to say to her—not a day went bywhen, at least once, I didn’t wonder where she was or what she was doing. But I wouldn’t admit it to her or anyone.

“Fate is such a tease, considering this seems to happen to us time and again.” My gaze held hers and I lowered my voice. “We meet, things happen, then we walk away. So it has me curious. What will happen this time?”

A flirty smile rolled through her lips, captivating me. “I guess we’ll soon find out.”

“Maybe fateisat work here,” I finished as a few fireworks lit up the sky. As if perfectly timed, the touch of pyrotechnics complimented the growing mood between us. “See? It’s a sign.”

She grinned and I chuckled, ready to lean in, make my move, unfortunately, Lacey reappeared, this time more boldly. She hooked her hand through my elbow, standing a little too close.

“Brooks, there’s a Mr. Lennox asking for you now,” she said, with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

Maisy’s smile fell, and her eyes darted to Lacey, then at our joined arms, then at me, jumping to conclusions.

“This is my assistant. Lacey,” I blurted.

Maisy nodded. “Oh, of course. Hello.”

“This is Maisy Calhoun, the sister-in-law of Rex,” I mentioned, and caught the icy nod from Lacey. A flicker in Maisy’s gaze left herself momentarily open for me to see right through her. She was jealous.

That gave me an ounce of hope. There was plenty there still between us. And I couldn’t wait to find out where it led us this time.

“I should let you get back to your clients,” Maisy said, voice calm, but I could feel the withdrawal beneath it.

“Maisy—” I started, but she rushed off. As I watched her disappear into the crowd, I wondered if I would ever be done chasing these moments fate kept dangling just out of reach. Likea carrot? And me, the most rabid rabbit, always desperate for a bite.

I reluctantly followed Lacey to Mr. Lennox, and he started in on the latest project he was hoping to enlist our services for. Only my mind couldn’t let me be, constantly feeding me memories of that spring break week I’d spent with Maisy back when Rex and Chelsea had been recently engaged and started planning their wedding.

Rex had wanted to take his fiancee on his yacht and sail to the Buchanan’s private island. They brought Maisy along for her spring break, sort of her last hurrah before graduating from Columbia. It had surprised me when Rex invited me to join. I’d gotten the vibes from Chelsea that she didn’t want me ruining her sister’s future opportunities in the field of neuroscience. After all, Maisy was considerably younger than me, and Chelsea probably worried I’d be a rake and ruin her.

I’d agreed to go and wouldneverregret it... With five days together to talk, laugh, and play on the beach in the middle of nowhere, I fell for Maisy that week. Hard. Fast.

Add into that the matter of her virginity, and I became obsessed with having her all to myself. We kept each other plenty satisfied, but I was a true gentleman. I didn’t take her innocence, no matter how much she offered it to me, the little minx.

She was young, about to graduate college. The age gap between us hadn’t bothered me, but she was on the cusp of greatness. Anyone could see that. She’d get her degree and was determined to do something incredible with it. A future with us together looked bright on the horizon, and I thought we had plenty of time ahead of us, not worried whether I’d claim her virginity at some point.

Only on the last day of that trip, I didn’t expect Maisy to hit me out of nowhere with the news that she would leave theweek after graduation to work for the Scientific Fleet of Oceanic Enterprises—a plum assignment cruising in the Southern Hemisphere with her professor for a year.

An entire year of not seeing her, of not watching the love between us grow into something permanent? Of not having her in my arms, protecting her from that asshole professor?

None of it made sense, but she refused to consider passing up the opportunity for which she’d worked so hard. She practically begged for me to take her virginity before she left, but I couldn’t. I should have. But I didn’t.

I only knew once I had her, I wouldn’t want any other man inside of her. And that would drive me insane spending a year apart, wondering if other men were. Too much could happen across three hundred and sixty-five days.

What choice did I have? I chose my sanity and I let her go at that point... and hated every second without her since.

Mr. Lennox droned on about something and I suddenly realized he’d quieted and expected me to say something. Thanks to Lacey at my side, elbowing me, I jolted. “I couldn’t agree more,” I replied, and he seemed satisfied. The torture of this conversation went on longer than it should have.

We stood near a glowing sculpture of simulated brain activity with flashing lights, like neurons. It seemed to be mocking my mind. Somewhere far behind me, Maisy laughed at something someone said and it carried to me like a siren’s song. How could Maisy, who wasn’t even within five feet of me, still make my pulse trip over itself?

I bit my tongue and pressed my nails into my palm to keep from interrupting Lennox, to prevent myself from turning to see who it was making Maisy laugh. But I had an inkling it was the professor. Finally, I couldn’t stand it and twisted my head—of course I was right. He evidently had her entertained with some remark.

My jaw clenched because the world was upside down. It should be right-sided with me next to Maisy, not him. And there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it right now. She was far from mine—yet.

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