“I haven’t heard any gossip about this at the office,” she said.
“I haven’t told anyone, except Gavin. All my energy has been spent basically in accounting triage-stopping hemorrhaging, getting the department stabilized, hiring a new controller. I haven’t had the time or opportunity yet to forge any real personal relationships with the employees.” He looked at her over the edge of his bottle. “Guess that’s going to change during this bonding weekend.”
“Yes. That was the point.” She felt all her opinions about him shifting rapidly, like sand during a windstorm, and she wasn’t sure she was happy about it. Disliking Jack had been uncomfortable, but she was accustomed to uncomfortable work situations. No, she greatly feared that liking him would prove even more problematic. “It was good that you and Gavin came to an agreement. I know from experience that not all bosses are so accommodating to a personal schedule.”
“It was a deal breaker for me.”
She raised her brows. “You would have turned down a CFO position?”
“Yes. I turned one down before I accepted Gavin’s offer. Having my thirty-year-old brother-in-law-who also happened to be one of my best friends-die made me reexamine, reevaluate my life. My goals. What was important to me. For a long time my career came first. Looking back, I see I was driven to the point of letting everything else slide. After Rob died, well, everything changed. Including me.”
There was no doubting his sincerity, and she could actually feel the ropes that had anchored her aversion to him slipping from their moorings. “I… I think it’s great that you’re helping your sister and are so involved in your niece’s life.”
“Thanks. But not all women would agree with you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I have a couple of ex-girlfriends who weren’t very understanding of the fact that I would take a long lunch on a weekday for a four-year-old but not for them. Or that I was unavailable Friday evenings. And sometimes on weekends as well, if Sophie had something going on at her school, or if we’d scheduled a family outing. We’d all planned to visit the zoo this weekend then catch the latest Disney flick, but I had to bow out because of the team building.”
Maddie recalled the phone calls she’d overheard him making and she inwardly winced with shame for the conclusion she’d jumped to. He’d been canceling a zoo/movie outing with his sister and niece-not erotic dates with hot babes.
“And what do your current dates think?”
He gave a short laugh. “As soon as I find someone willing to take me on, I’ll let you know. I can understand the frustration of not being included, and I haven’t asked any women to join us on our family outings. But on the other hand, I haven’t wanted to introduce anyone into our little circle until I was sure she was going to be around for a while. The last thing Sophie needs is a revolving door of ‘aunts.’ ” He took a swallow of beer then continued, “I guess you’d be apt to take the women’s side on that issue.”
She shook her head. “Actually, I agree with you.”
He slapped his hand over his heart and staggered back a step. “Call the paramedics. I think I’m about to keel over from shock.”
She laughed. “Surely we’ve agreed on something before now.”
He screwed up his face in an exaggerated ponder then shook his head. “Sorry. Can’t think of a single time.”
Maddie thought about it for several seconds and realized she couldn’t think of an occasion either. They’d butted heads pretty much from moment one. “Well, clearly there’s a first time for everything. I think it’s very admirable that you’re putting your niece’s interests before your own.”
“Thank you. Although you sound very surprised that I’d do anything admirable.”
“I suppose I am surprised,” she said, feeling as if she owed him both honesty and an apology. “My mom died when I was in fifth grade. It took my dad several years before he even went on a date, but once he finally started dating, he kept that part of his life separate from me and him. He didn’t want me to meet someone who he might only end up dating a few times and have me wondering-or worrying-if she might become my stepmother. Now that I’m an adult, I can appreciate that he wanted what was best for me and didn’t introduce me to a bunch of transient dates.”
“Has he ever remarried?”
She smiled. “Yes. In fact, as we speak, Dad and Yvonne are on a two-week European cruise to celebrate their tenth anniversary.”
“So happy endings are possible.”
“In some cases, yes. Is that why you’re reading How to Find Your Soul Mate-to find a happy ending?”
She’d asked in a slightly teasing voice, but when he answered, his gaze remained serious. “After Rob’s death and my reevaluation of my own life, I realized I want to find what my sister had with Rob. What my parents have shared all these years. That special connection with one person. I’m tired of games and drama and the singles scene. After my last relationship ended, I sort of went into hibernation, and frankly, between the new job and helping out my sister, I haven’t had much free time. Nor have I met anyone who interested me enough to make the effort.” He drained the rest of his beer. “And I’m sure that’s more than you ever wanted to know.”
As recently as two hours ago, she would have sworn she knew all she wanted to know about him. But that was based on her own incorrect assumptions and wrong conclusions about him. Now she felt as if she didn’t know nearly enough. As if she could sit here and talk to him for hours.
She cleared her throat. “You said that I surprised you, but I have to say… you’ve surprised me.”
“Because you thought I was an arrogant, heartless prick.” He said the words without rancor. Indeed, he appeared amused.
“An arrogant pain in the ass,” she corrected. “Which, as far as work goes, I still think you are. But in keeping with our apparent détente, I also think you’re intelligent and an excellent and fair boss to your staff.”
“Thank you. As far as work goes, I think you’re a nit-picking, uptight micromanager. But in keeping with our apparent détente, I also think you’re intelligent and a good organizer. And that you look pretty damn amazing in that dress.”
His words surprised her, but then he utterly shocked her by reaching out and brushing his fingers over the back of her hand. It felt as if a lightning bolt zoomed up her arm and spread all the way down to her toes.
“I told you all about me and the mysterious contents of my suitcase,” he said, his gaze searching hers. “So now it’s your turn. What’s a nice girl like you doing looking for a one-night stand?”
She hiked up a brow. “Nice girls can’t have one-night stands?”
“Sure they can.” He studied her for several seconds, and she would have given a lot to know what he was thinking. “But I somehow don’t think it’s your usual style.”
“Obviously because of the ‘be brave, don’t chicken out’ note.”
“Only partly. Even without benefit of the note, it just doesn’t seem like you.”
“It’s not.” The words slipped out before she could even think, followed by a nervous laugh. “Would you believe me if I told you I’m actually sort of shy?”
He nodded slowly then said, “Yes, I would. Not in your job, in things that you’re sure of. There your confidence shows. But outside the business realm… yes, I can image you’re often shy.”
His answer surprised her. “No one believes me when I tell them I’m shy,” she found herself saying. “That social situations make me nervous. That I’ve had to train myself not to just stand in the corner and remain silent. Force myself to talk to people I don’t know. Ever since my mother’s funeral, with all those people crowding around me, talking to me…” A shudder ran through her, one she turned into a shrug. “I was painfully shy then. The out of control curly hair, thick glasses, and railroad-track braces didn’t help.