Page 32 of Say You Remember Me
“It’s fine.” She laughed. “But…I think you may have just cured me of thinking you look hot in every scenario.”
I froze.Wait, what?My brain replayed her words, and I stared at her, stunned.
“Oh my gosh, I—” Maddie’s eyes widened in horror as a hand flew up to cover her mouth. “I forgot for a second that you’re my boss and that commenting on your looks is totally inappropriate.”
“It’s fine.” I grinned, feeling her embarrassment wash over both of us. “But for the record, I once dressed up as Cupid at a Valentine’s party as a prank…and I rocked it.”
“I bet you did.” She smiled, relieved that I wasn’t upset. “I just know that I, uh, haven’t exactly made myself indispensable at work yet. So I’d really like to keep my job.”
“You’re fine, Maddie. If I can’t even wash dishes, do you really think I’d survive without an assistant for long?”
“Maybe not…” She laughed, her shoulders relaxing. “I definitely don’t mind having a little job security.”
“You do,” I said, probably too earnestly.
And I probably shouldn’t tell her that she could make all kinds of flirty comments and I’d still want to keep her around.
“Anyway,” I said, shaking the thought away, “I should head out so you can get some sleep before work.”
She nodded. And I might have been imagining it, but she almost seemed disappointed that I was leaving. But the look was gone a moment later, and she said, “Let me walk you to the door.”
She led me out of the kitchen and into the living room. When she opened the door, I pulled out my keys and unlocked my car. The headlights of my Bugatti flickered, catching her attention.
“Wow.” Her eyes widened, her jaw dropping slightly. “That’s…a fancy car.”
I shrugged, feeling a little self-conscious. “It gets me from place to place.”
“I bet it does.” She laughed, shaking her head. “Probably gets you there pretty fast, too.”
“That it does.”
10
MADDIE
I satat my desk on Tuesday morning, scrolling through Ian’s inbox. Most of the emails were routine—quick replies, confirmations, nothing requiring much brainpower. Which was a relief, because even after a solid seven hours of sleep, my mind was restless this morning, buzzing with the events of last night.
Yeah, last night had been...unexpectedly good. Not only had I made a few new friends at Sloan’s party, but I’d also really enjoyed the surprise conversation I had in the kitchen with Ian.
There I’d been, just planning to help Sloan with a bit of cleanup after getting Grant to bed, when I walked in and found my boss standing at the sink, attempting to wash the dishes.
A half-smile tugged at my lips as I remembered the way he’d asked for tips. Knowing now that he rarely did things like that, it was kind of adorable that he’d tried to help out.
Even if he’d been completely terrible at it.
Oh, Ian.I chuckled to myself as I clicked the next email.You are something else.
And if he kept doing thoughtful things like that, I might just end up with a full-blown crush on him.
Not that I had any illusions about where this could go. Because even if he wasn’t my boss, a high-powered billionaire like Ian Hastings would never be interested in a small-town girl with a kid.
Sure, there was this delicate attraction between us, like a thread waiting to be pulled. But we both knew it couldn’t go anywhere, so the undercurrent of romantic tension between us was just something to make the workday more exciting. No expectations, no complications—just a little harmless fun.
I focused back on the emails on my screen. As I was about to click the one from the Boston Summit’s team, a new email suddenly pushed through from someone named Margot Cavanaugh.
Wait…My fingers hovered over the mouse as I stared at the name. Was this…theMargot Cavanaugh?
Could this really be the famous socialite I’d seen splashed across headlines and social media a few years ago? The same Margot Cavanaugh who’d graced magazine covers and runway shows, the great-granddaughter of Reginald Cavanaugh, the oil tycoon?
