Page 62 of New Girl in the City
My phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out with a distracted shake of my head. Though the second my eyes hit the text a smile spread over my face.
‘I’m downstairs. Take your time, Princess.’
It was the end of day and I’d gotten so distracted with work that I hadn’t even realized it was time to go until Liam’s text, but now I perked right up. Leaving work had always meant, at best, an hour or so with Walter eating dinner on the hood of his car. At worst, it meant home alone with a takeout menu.
Now, my after-work routine had Liam in it, and I couldn’t be happier about it.
“It’s lover boy, huh?” Lydia asked.
I looked up from the text. “No,” I insisted, but we could both tell I was lying.
“Right,” she replied with a grin. I waved a hand at her.
“Whatever. I’m heading out.”
“Uh-huh. I’d normally give you shit for staying longer than you, but I caught a peep of him this morning and I totally get it. Get out of here.”
“Thanks, mom,” I called to her as I headed back into my office to grab my things. I was glad that when I scanned my email I didn’t see much more than had been there when I had last looked at it. A feat since the messages hadn’t stopped coming since I walked in the office. I snagged my bag and made for the door while texting Liam that I was on my way down. I waved at Lydia on my way past and was waiting for the elevator when Claudia stepped up beside me
“Hey, hot stuff,” she greeted.
“Hey, yourself. You done for the day?”
She nodded. “Yup, but unlike you, I don’t have a sexy young thing waiting on me.”
I rolled my eyes at her. “Oh, please.”
“Don’t oh, please me. That man is fine as hell, and you know it.”
“Okay, he is. But don’t call him a sexy young thing.”
She pursed her lips and glanced at me. “Fine, then, what should I call him? He’s eight years younger than you and smoking hot. Plus, he’s your driver,” she added when I made to stop her.
“Okay, so he is all of those things.” I fell silent at that and then shook my head. “But I think he’s my boyfriend.”
“You’re dating someone younger than you?” A voice asked from behind us. Claudia and I whirled in tandem towards the speaker. My stomach dropped when I saw that it was Madison. Her arms were still full of files, but her face had a different look than the grateful expression she had worn earlier. The look in her eyes looked accusing, and it was focused squarely on me.
Shit.
“Madison,” I began, but she shook her head, eyes looking like they were watering. She blinked against it.
“I thought you were different fromhim.”
I jerked back like I’d been slapped. “I am nothing like him. You don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
“But I just heard the two of you, and--”
“No.” I held out a hand, stopping her. “This is inappropriate. This conversation is done. You are welcome to finish your work and complete your internship. My personal life is not up for discussion. Especially when you do not know what is going on.”
Beside me Claudia was wincing. “Shit. I’m sorry, Mel, I didn’t think.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” I told her quickly, and turned towards the elevator when it dinged behind us. I shot a quick nod at Madison.
“Have a good evening, Madison,” I told her and then stepped in. I was angry, but also hurt and more than a little confused.
Was I like him? Was what I was doing with Liam wrong?
Claudia joined me in the elevator and her hand shot out, slamming against the close button before she’d even cleared the door. I kept my eyes focused up and away from where I was sure Madison was still standing. I couldn’t trust myself to look at her. I didn’t want to know what I was going to find if I did.
