“What the hell does that mean?” Jason snapped.
“It means that you have a great work ethic and a desire to see the company succeed. Just don’t forget that Montgomerys isn’t your whole life.”
There were times when his father spoke like Yoda, and right now Jason didn’t have the time to delve any deeper into what he was saying. He had to get Maggie acclimated with his project and make sure she was completely prepared when they left in two weeks for their whirlwind trip.
* * *
Jason had done a damn good job. Sitting on the private plane that was getting ready to take off, he looked over at Maggie and smiled. They had worked long hours for the last two weeks, and she was just as familiar with every aspect of this project as he was. She was smart, inquisitive, and well versed. He knew without a doubt that she was going to be an asset to him on this trip and that he wouldn’t have to spend precious time explaining things to her, because she clearly understood exactly what it was he was trying to accomplish.
Not once during the previous weeks had there been an issue with the long hours. At first Jason was sure that her husband was going to put up a fight; after all, Maggie had been working fairly regular hours for so many years, so this was quite an adjustment. But just as there’d been no complaint from the husband, Maggie hadn’t complained either.
They’d worked side by side from eight in the morning until sometimes as late as ten at night. Jason found that after their initial clashing during their interview, they both seemed to come to understand each other and had formed mutual respect for one another. Conversation flowed when it was needed and at the same time, they were both comfortable working in silence. For having worked together only two weeks, they were seemingly in sync. Jason wasn’t used to that.
“If we don’t hit any delays we should be in Chicago by ten. I called and confirmed the town car, and since we’ll have missed most of the morning traffic, we should be at the hotel by eleven,” Maggie was saying as she glanced at their schedule on her tablet. “We’re meeting the Claremont people at one, so once we’re checked in, we can have lunch brought up to the rooms and be ready to go by twelve thirty.” She looked up at him. “How does that sound?”
“Good,” Jason said distractedly. Meetings like this didn’t normally stress him out, but this plan for expansion that he had made him a little edgy. “Did we leave the evening free or did you pencil something in?”
“I left it free just in case they wanted to meet over dinner. I didn’t want to over-schedule us on our first day,” she said lightly. “I’ve researched several restaurants in the area and the one at our hotel would actually be perfect for a meeting. I can call in a reservation now if you’d like, just in case?”
She was very efficient; that was what Jason admired most. Maggie was certainly making his life easier already. “Let’s wait and see how the afternoon goes. For all we know they can be exhausting and not people we want to work with. In which case, we’ll just have a quiet dinner and discuss our next plan of attack.”
Maggie laughed. “Sounds like a plan. I’ll just mark these places for future reference.”
While she was busy tapping away on her tablet screen, Jason studied her. With her blonde hair pulled back into a severe ponytail and her brown eyes downcast, Maggie seemed to do her best not to stand out. Jason had to wonder a little at that. While he could appreciate her professional manner and her obvious desire not to draw attention to herself, he couldn’t help but wonder why. Most of the women he knew, both in business and in his personal life, did things to make themselves look attractive. Maggie, on the other hand, wore little to no makeup, dressed ultraconservatively, and did her best to blend into the background. This was exactly what Jason had said that he wanted, but the more he got to know Maggie, the more he had a feeling that she wasn’t presenting her true self.
Their captain announced their turn for takeoff and Jason watched Maggie’s response. Her white-knuckled grip on the seat told him that flying was definitely not her thing. While most of their travels were going to require flying, there were going to be some shorter legs that he had planned a rental car for. He was sure that Maggie would be relieved on those days.
“Not a fan of flying, huh?” he asked, hoping to distract her.
“No, not really.”
“It’s not so bad,” he said in a soothing tone. “The key is to just relax.”
“Easy for you to say,” she mumbled and heard Jason laugh.
“Look, don’t focus on what you’re feeling, focus on me.”
Maggie’s eyes went wide. “Excuse me?” she said, indignant.
“I mean, talk to me about this meeting today. Talk to me about the weather. Talk to me about what you think of my tie,” he suggested.
“Your tie?”
“Sure. Whatever you need to talk about, we’ll talk about,” he said and smiled at her confused look. “So what do you think? Stripes? Is it a good look?”
He was teasing her and for that Maggie was relieved. In their time working together, they had gotten along much better than she had expected. They had always kept things on a business level; this light side of him was a pleasant surprise. His dark eyes twinkled and she felt herself relax. “I’m not normally a fan of stripes, but they aren’t overly obnoxious.”
“Stripes are obnoxious?” he asked.
“They can be. Think of prison stripes.”
That made Jason laugh again. “Well, I can guarantee you I will not be going for the prison stripe look. Ever.”
“Good to know,” Maggie said and realized that her stomach no longer felt so queasy and that they were no longer climbing. She loosened her grip on her seat and looked out the window. “Is that it? We’re done with takeoff?”
Jason smiled at her. “See? A little distraction always works.” The next hour passed quickly, and soon they were in the car and heading for their hotel. Check in went like clockwork. Jason was glad they had adjoining rooms. They were only going to be in Chicago for two days, but it would make things easier if Maggie was close by when he needed her help.
No sooner were they settled in their rooms than lunch was being delivered. While Jason had been checking them in, Maggie had been taking care of ordering their food. Jason knocked on the door dividing their rooms and Maggie unlocked it and let him in.
“That was fast,” she commented as she reached for her briefcase.
Jason stopped her. “Whoa, we’re going to eat lunch like normal people and not talk business for the next fifteen minutes, okay?”
Maggie more than readily agreed. They had been talking business for weeks and she felt like if Jason were to fall ill, she would be able to handle any and all of his meetings because she knew the details so intimately. To be able to have a few minutes reprieve to eat and relax sounded like heaven.
Jason had set up their food at the table in his room and waited for Maggie to sit down before he joined her. “I hope you had enough time to get at least a little settled into your room.”
Maggie waved him off. “I don’t plan on getting too comfortable. It makes it easier when it’s time to leave if I haven’t taken everything out.”
“That makes sense. Did you have time to call home?”
“What for?” she asked without thinking.
Jason arched a dark eyebrow at her. “I thought you would check in with your husband and let him know we arrived safely.”
“Oh,” Maggie said, forgetting for a moment that she was supposed to be married. “I texted him. He’s at work so I just figured we’d talk later tonight.”
It sounded believable enough, but Jason had to wonder how good a marriage she had if they spent so much time apart and didn’t seem to mind it at all. If he was married, he’d certainly be uncomfortable with his wife traveling with another man! What was wrong with Maggie’s husband?
Clearing those thoughts from his mind
, Jason took a bite of the BLT Maggie had ordered for him and then asked, “Have you ever been to Chicago before?”
She was delicately eating a chef’s salad and held a finger up while she finished chewing before answering. “Actually, I haven’t. It was never on my radar as someplace I wanted to see and I’m not really focusing on it now, since we’re not here to sightsee.”
Practical, Jason thought, and for just a minute he felt bad about not making any time to show her some of the sights. It seemed like Maggie led a very quiet, sheltered life and it made him a little sad for her. With a husband who seemed to lack any interest in her and Maggie’s quiet acceptance of it all, it just didn’t sit well with Jason.
“Are you a baseball fan?” he asked. Maggie shook her head. “Oh, well, I thought maybe we could maybe find time to tour Wrigley Field, but if that’s not something that interests you…”
Maggie gave Jason a serene smile. “I don’t expect you to entertain me, Jason. We’re here to make Montgomerys grow. That’s not going to happen if we’re off playing tourist.”
While he should be happy that she wasn’t looking for any personal attention from him, there was just something about her demeanor that was unsettling. Jason made another mental note to delve a little deeper into this as their trip went on.
“You’re right about that,” he finally answered. “I always tell myself that I’m going to take the time and go and see a game but I never do. Are there any sports that you do enjoy?”
“Hockey.”
Jason almost choked on his sandwich. “Hockey? Seriously?”
Maggie looked at him with confusion. “What’s wrong with hockey?”
“Nothing, nothing at all, it’s just that I thought for sure you would have said something like tennis or golf.”
She laughed out loud and Jason found that he enjoyed the sound of it. “Why on earth would you think that?”
“Well, for starters, you’re a fairly conservative woman. Hockey is a loud, obnoxious, violent sport. I just can’t see you standing up and screaming at a game.”
“Well, believe me, I have done my share of screaming. I think hockey has got to be one of the most challenging sports there is to play. There’s so much going on and it’s just fascinating to watch.”
“Who’s your favorite team?”
“The Rangers.”
“New York? You’re a New York fan? Aren’t you from Virginia?”
“What does that have to do with anything? Virginia doesn’t have a hockey team and the Rangers are awesome!”
“How many games have you gone to?” he asked, still in disbelief that they were even having this conversation.
“Not nearly enough,” she said lightly. “I’ve only gone to New York twice and I was a teenager. My dad took me to a game at Madison Square Garden and it was amazing. Then last year, I managed to go and see the Rangers play the Hurricanes in Raleigh.”
“Is your husband a hockey fan, too?”
“What? I mean, yeah, sure. He’s okay with it.”
“Raleigh’s not that far away. I’d think that you would try to go more often.”
“It’s three hours of driving each way. To go to a game would make it a two-day event and I just don’t have that much time to invest, you know? Besides, there’s something magical about seeing a team play on their home ice. The vibe at the Garden is completely different from what I felt in Raleigh.”
Jason tucked that bit of information away as he glanced at his watch. “If we’re going to get everything done, we need to finish up here. The car will be back for us in fifteen minutes. Will that be enough time for you?”
“I’m ready,” Maggie said dismissively, pushing her unfinished salad aside. “All I need to do is grab my briefcase. I’ve got everything we need for today in there, organized and ready to go.”
Finishing his last bite of sandwich, Jason rose from his chair, went in search of his own briefcase, and then turned back to Maggie. “So what do you think? Do I stick with the stripes or do I need to change?”
“Don’t be such a chick, Jason,” she said teasingly as she stood. “You look fine.” Maggie turned and walked into her room to grab her things. Jason realized that her opinion really was beginning to matter.
* * *
It was well after eight when they were finally riding the elevator back to their floor at the hotel. Maggie leaned back against the wall and sighed. “I didn’t think they’d ever stop asking questions. I mean, in every scenario I played out in my mind, none of them went like this.”
Jason faced her as he leaned against the opposite wall. “I know what you mean. I think I sort of zoned out there after a while.” He scrubbed a weary hand over his face and let his head fall back. “And as if that wasn’t enough, what was with the dinner they brought in?”
“Oh, I know, right? I thought Chicago was known for its good food! I have no idea where that stuff even came from.”
“Want to order some real food for us, or do you want to go down to the restaurant to eat?” he asked.
“Honestly, I want to kick off these shoes and crawl into bed.” Maggie stopped and considered what she was saying. “Okay, maybe I have the energy for some ice cream, but nothing more than that.”
Jason chuckled. “I may order a pizza.”
That piqued her interest. “Pizza? I could stay awake for some pizza.”
“Atta girl,” he said, still laughing. They arrived at their floor and headed for their rooms. “Why don’t you go and relax and I’ll call you when the pizza gets here.”
“Bless you,” Maggie said as she practically fell through her door. Within minutes she had stripped out of her business attire that was beyond uncomfortable after such a long day and changed into a pair of yoga pants and a T-shirt. Certainly Jason didn’t expect her to be dressed in her work clothes all the time, did he?
She pulled the clip from her hair and massaged her scalp. Working longer hours was taking a little more getting used to. During her stint in customer service, her workday was relatively short compared to what she was doing now, and staying in such a severe look was getting uncomfortable. Staring at her reflection in the mirror, Maggie considered what else she could do with her hair to make it look professional without killing her scalp. Running her fingers through her long hair, she shook it out and found that she felt much better. It was almost nine o’clock when Jason knocked on the door.
“Pizza delivery!”
Maggie opened the door to him and smiled. “Do you want to eat in here or are you already set up in your room?”
Jason couldn’t speak. For a moment he could only stare. The woman he had come to know these last weeks was gone, replaced by someone completely different. With her hair loose, Jason realized just how long it was. It was wavy and thick and wonderful, and he found himself itching to reach out and touch it to see if it was as soft as it looked. She had bangs that were wispy and light and seemed to drag his attention to her expressive brown eyes.
Eyes that were staring curiously at him right now.
Oh, right. Pizza. “I’ve got everything set up inside,” he said gruffly and then turned back toward his room. “I had them send up some drinks, too. I wasn’t sure what you wanted so I got a variety.”
“I probably shouldn’t have anything with caffeine this late, but there is something to be said for a Coke with pizza.”
“A girl after my own heart,” he said and then realized how awkward that was. “What I mean is…”
Maggie laughed. “It’s okay, Jason. I know what you meant.” She sat down and helped herself to a slice of the deep dish pizza and groaned with delight at the first bite. “Now that is food,” she said with a sigh.
Jason held in his own groan. With her new look and the near orgasmic sounds she was making while eating, he was starting to sweat. She was his assistant and she was a married woman! He shoul
d not be noticing all of these things about her and yet he couldn’t seem to stop himself.
“Aren’t you going to have any?” she finally asked.
“What? Oh, yeah, sorry. I guess my mind is still on the bizarre meeting from today.”
“Please, no more talk about business,” she pleaded. “I think I’d just like to forget that today even happened.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” he mumbled.
“So does that mean Claremont is off the table for prospective clients?”
He nodded. “I don’t think we could meet each other’s needs. I’d rather cut my losses now and move on to what’s next.”
“I’ll email Rose in the morning with an update. Our next appointment isn’t until ten tomorrow and then our flight to Ohio is after dinner.”
Jason merely nodded again. He couldn’t focus. He wanted Maggie to finish her pizza and go to her own room. His mind was spinning in a dozen different directions—none of which were business related—and he needed to get his thoughts back on track. Knowing he was being rude, Jason grabbed up another slice and stalked over to the other side of the room, sitting down with his laptop and doing his best to ignore Maggie. Maybe she’d get the hint and leave.
Within minutes, she did. With a quiet “good night,” she closed the door between their rooms and Jason heard the lock go into place. That’s when he let himself breathe again. If this was how he felt after one day, how the hell was he going to survive for another twenty?
* * *
They were airborne once again the following evening, and Maggie could tell that Jason wasn’t pleased with their trip so far. Neither meeting had gone as they had hoped and Maggie could only pray that Jason wasn’t going to let this get him down.
“Well, tomorrow’s another day,” she said to break the silence.
Jason merely grunted in response.
She decided to make another attempt to draw him out. “Neither of them are what Montgomerys is looking for. I’m glad we got them out of the way early and now we can move on to something better.”
Wait for Me / Trust in Me Page 18