Page 83 of Say You Remember Me
IAN
The moment Maddieclosed the door to her suite to finish packing, I darted into my room and threw everything into my suitcase. My thoughts were racing, bouncing between Maddie, her dad, and the plans I’d need to adjust for today.
I could apologize to the conference committee later about skipping tonight’s gala. A fancy dinner didn’t matter as much as getting Maddie where she needed to be.
After putting my suits in their bag, I texted Mr. Frankle—the client I was supposed to meet for lunch—and apologized for the short notice, explaining there was an emergency and that I’d be in touch next week to reschedule.
His company was just starting the onboarding process with Hastings Industries, so I knew he had a lot of questions for me to field, but hopefully, he’d understand.
Once that was taken care of, I slung my bag over my shoulder and headed down to the lobby to check Maddie and me out of our rooms.
When Maddie joined me a few minutes later, her face was pale, her shoulders tense.
“Ready to go?” I asked when the valet pulled up in my car, just outside the front doors.
“Yes.” She nodded and then we stepped out into the warm morning air, putting our bags in my trunk with the assistance of the bellhop.
Maddie didn’t say much as she slid into the passenger seat, but she didn’t need to. I could feel her anxiety radiating off her.
Hopefully, her dad would be okay. Hopefully, he’d get through surgery and everything would be fine.
The drive to Syracuse was close to five hours, but according to the quick research I’d done on how long bypass surgeries took, we would most likely make it to the hospital before he was out.
I just hoped he was okay. I didn’t know him, but Maddie’s world revolved around the people she loved. Losing him? It would shatter her.
As we hit the highway, Maddie remained quiet, staring out the window as the landscape blurred past. Music played softly in the background—a mellow acoustic playlist I’d chosen—but it wasn’t enough to fill the heavy silence.
I glanced at her occasionally, watching as she twisted her fingers together or wiped at her eyes when she thought I wasn’t looking.
She just needs a little space, I decided. So I kept my focus on the road, even as my phone buzzed repeatedly in my pocket.
I’d missed a call from my publicist Bronwyn when I was checking out of the hotel and figured I’d just call her back later when we got to Maddie’s dad. But she was apparently in a persistent mood today because my phone had been buzzing every fifteen minutes since hitting the road.
“Do you need to get that?” Maddie asked when Bronwyn’s name lit up my phone once again about two hours into the drive.
I glanced at my phone, knowing that based on the persistence of her calls that Bronwyn probably had some kind of bad news for me. So I said, “I’ll just call her back when we stop for gas.”
Twenty minutes later, we stopped at a gas station to fill up. Maddie mumbled something about needing the restroom and headed inside. While the tank filled, I finally pulled out my phone and scrolled through the messages from Bronwyn.
Bronwyn: Call me immediately.
Bronwyn: Ian, you really need to see this.
Bronwyn: There’s a video from last night. You need to call me NOW.
I frowned, swiping to dial her number. She picked up on the first ring.
“Ian, have you seen the video?” she asked, jumping right in and ignoring her usual pleasantries.
“No,” I said, my stomach twisting. “What video?”
“It’s from the mixer you were at last night,” she said. “You’re standing at a cocktail table with your assistant—Maddie, right?—and Slade Jennings.”
“What?” I asked, anxiety instantly flashing through me as I realized what the video probably showed.
“The audio isn’t super clear,” Bronwyn continued. “But it looks like you and Slade had an argument. Then it shows you pulling Maddie away, and as you walk out, Slade says something to another guy about you getting engaged to your assistant because you got her pregnant.”
“Ah sh—” I said, stopping myself from swearing. “And a lot of people have seen it?”
