by Cindi Madsen
So she just told them Audrey was recovering, hoping it was true. She was tempted to send a mass e-mail telling everyone she wasn’t engaged anymore, but the boss still had the promotion hanging over their heads, keeping them in line. No doubt he wouldn’t think an emotional mess who just got dumped would be a prime candidate for the job.
First thing Friday morning, Wayne called her into his office. Her stomach sank as she walked past the gray cubicles, the office she’d lusted after for so long, to the corner room with a view of the entire downtown.
Wayne turned his chair to face her and gestured toward the cushy leather seat across from his desk. “Have a seat.”
Dani sat, back straight, feet firmly on the floor. She knew Mark, one of the other junior execs up for the promotion, had just been in, which meant this was the meeting to tell her she was still assigned to work under Bill. For the rest of her life. Mediocre pay, all the work and none of the credit. He’d probably even tell her that she lacked the marketing degree, but if she kept working hard, she’d eventually be able to move up.
All bullshit.
For the hundredth time, she wished she’d decided to move back to North Carolina with Wes. Who cared if she couldn’t pay her bills and had to eat ramen for life?
But then there were her mom and grandma to worry about. At least Abuela had gotten the go-ahead earlier this week to be taken off oxygen and was doing better. Mama had even sounded rested when Dani talked to her last night. It was almost enough to give her hope they’d make it yet.
“I was very impressed with you at the retreat,” Wayne said. “I’ve looked over all of the projects you worked on for the last year, and I’m very happy with the progress you’ve made.” He leaned forward, and she waited for the “but.”
“I’m offering you the position of senior executive,” he said and her heart started pounding. She’d dreamed of those words for so long, she almost pinched herself to make sure it was real. “We’re expanding, and I’d like to put five people under you. I’d hold you accountable for your clients and theirs. It means more hours, more responsibility, and more accountability. Do you think you can handle that?”
“Yes, sir,” she automatically said, even though her head was swimming at the thought of the added stress. She could do it, though. She was good under pressure.
“Good. I think this is going to be a lucrative move for the entire company.” He extended a file toward her. “Here’s the contract.”
Dani took it, working to keep her hands from shaking. It was such a big moment, and the mixture of excitement and a pinch of fear was making her slightly dizzy. She opened the file and glanced inside. The annual pay made her heart skip several beats—it was more than she’d expected. She skimmed down the page, reading all the stipulations, and then her heart stopped for a different reason. “Two years?”
“That’s standard here. If you break any of the codes of conduct or we’re unhappy with your work, we maintain the right to end the contract, but we’ll be putting a lot of work into your training and your department. We ask for a commitment of two years.”
The words two years played through her head on a repeating loop. In two years, Wes would probably have his business up and running.
He might have a new girlfriend. A new fiancée.
Her stomach turned to stone; breathing became difficult.
But if it was meant to be, it was meant to be, right? And maybe the promotion was just what she needed to enjoy her job more. Yeah, that sounded likely, what with all the long hours and accountability and seeing the outside world she never got to hang out in from her fancy new office window.
Now she couldn’t breathe at all.
“Dani?”
She whipped up her head. “I’m so honored. I just… Can I take a little time to think it over?”
His bushy eyebrows drew together and his mustache twitched.
“I mean to read the contract. I feel like I’ll miss something, and I like to be thorough. I’ll do the same with the accounts I work on, I assure you.”
The chair gave a small squeak as he sat back in it. “Sure thing. Why don’t we meet back up at the end of the day. About six?”
Six? As in he expected her answer today? Shit.
“Sure.” She flashed him a smile she hoped looked less fake than it felt and left his office, practically sprinting back to her desk.
Her eyes ran over the text in the contract again, stopping on the two years.
It was stupid to think about throwing away that big of a salary for an adventure junkie guy who might change his mind about her tomorrow, right? Hell, he’d already changed his mind about her.
But he didn’t know how she felt. Because she’d never told him.
She drummed her fingers on the top of the desk. She’d e-mailed him two days ago. Just a simple hey, hope you’re okay e-mail that asked about Audrey.
Desperately hoping he’d e-mailed her back—at least that’d mean he was ready for their friendship break to be over—she opened her inbox.
There were some work e-mails. More junk from dating sites. One from the site she actually paid for. One from the guy said dating site claimed was a perfect match for her. She’d been avoiding Darryl as much as Wes had avoided her.
She started composing a new e-mail to Wes with the subject line URGENT!!!! Because apparently she’d now started using all caps and multiple exclamation points, too. She’d been so worried crossing the friends line with Wes would destroy what they had that she’d never thought about what blocking her feelings could do to her. She started pouring them out in the message.
But then she decided it was pathetic and deleted the entire thing instead of sending it.
She stared at the contract for a couple more minutes. She even picked up a pen, determined to sign her name. But then she saw Wes in her mind. Scruffy, clean shaven, five years ago, now. Laughing. Broken after hearing about his sister. Asleep next to her. At home in a helicopter.
Wes, Wes, Wes.
She was so in love with him she could hardly think straight anymore. He was on her mind as soon as she woke up in the morning, all throughout the day, when she tried to fall asleep at night. She knew she’d never love another guy as much as she loved him. A giant lump lodged in her throat. She took out her cell phone and scrolled to his name. She was already on the verge of tears, so she wasn’t sure if her heart could take him ignoring her call.
To dial or not to dial. To sign or not to sign. She needed to talk to him. Needed to do something.
Before it was too late.
…
“It’s too late,” Wes said to Audrey. Apparently Mom had filled her in on the fake engagement, but that didn’t stop her from pressing the issue now that she was not only awake but also able to sit up and eat semi-solid food.
He blamed the fact that she was all sickly for why he’d spilled his guts on the fake engagement, from acting like he loved Dani to somehow realizing he did.
Audrey winced as she scooted up in bed, and he reached over and readjusted the pillow for her. “I can’t believe you lost her,” she said.
“Were you even listening to me?” Wes sat back and ran a hand through his hair. “She was never mine.”
“You forget that I met her when you two really were just friends. When you showed up at home, announcing you were engaged, I didn’t believe it at first. But then I saw the way you two watched each other when you thought no one was looking. That’s when I realized what you never had with Sophie. I knew you wouldn’t get bored with Dani.”
“She thinks I’m impulsive and irresponsible.”
“You are.”
“Gee, thanks.” He shoved her yogurt toward her. “Eat more.”
“The Wes Turner I know doesn’t give up that easily.”
“Which is why I keep telling you to eat.”
“You know that’s not what I mean.”
Wes sighed. “Maybe someday Dani and I will figure it out. But it’s not a good time. I don’t even kn
ow if I want my job anymore.”
“That’s such bull,” Audrey said. “You can’t stop doing what you do because I got scared last minute and fell into the rocks instead of jumping into the water.”
For the first few days it was touch and go, but even now that she was awake and could eat semi-solid foods, it wasn’t like she’d be able to leave the hospital any time soon. “But you punctured a lung and you’re going to have to get screws put into your leg.”
“Yeah. Thanks for the reminder.” Audrey put her hand on his arm and locked eyes with him. “I don’t blame you for my accident. Don’t use me as an excuse to stop doing what you love. And you shouldn’t make excuses for not being with the person you love, either.”
“Hey, I tried. It’s not up to me.”
“Really? Aren’t you the one ignoring her calls? Her e-mails?”
“Fine. I’ll e-mail her back.”
“Don’t be a wuss. You owe her a call.” Audrey held up her hand when he tried to talk. “Don’t give me that ‘I need a break’ crap. You need her, Wes. You’re a mess without her. Have you told her that?”
“I don’t see the point.”
“You think it makes you weak. That Matthew being out there, pacing the halls and crying makes him weak.”
“I didn’t say that,” Wes said.
“But you thought it. He’s worried because he loves me, but I know I don’t have to worry because he’ll be right by my side the whole time, surgeries, rehab—whatever. We’ll get through it together. Having someone like that doesn’t make you weak; it makes you strong.”
“Fine. I’ll call.” He patted his pocket and frowned. The last time he’d used his phone…Mom had called, asking him to grab some breakfast for them and he’d…put it in the cup holder. “I left it in my car. I’ll call her later.”
He started to sit back down but Audrey scowled at him. “So go get it and call. Then come back here and tell me what happened.”
“I’m not gonna—”
“Look what I have to watch on TV. Look at it!” Audrey pointed at the tiny image that showed some kind of soap opera. “I prefer real-life drama. So come back here after you call. And sneak me in a Diet Coke, ’kay? I need something more than yogurt and this mushy oatmeal.”
Wes rolled his eyes but left the room knowing he’d end up coming back. At least to deliver her a soda—he owed her that much. On the elevator ride down, he wondered if he really could go back to flying a helicopter and planning extreme adventures. What if people he took got hurt? He didn’t want to be responsible for that.
Wes hung his head. Maybe he was afraid of responsibilities. Afraid of running a company and screwing up a business one of his favorite people in the world had built from the ground up.
The elevator doors popped open with a bing and the dingy stale air of the parking garage filled his lungs. For the past week, this had been his outside time, and honestly he was starting to miss the outdoors. Being the person flying through the skies at two hundred miles per hour.
He grabbed his phone and turned it on. His muscles tensed when he saw he had a voice mail from Dani. Would it be good? Bad? A stop ignoring me, you asshole message?
He glanced at the hospital, wondering if his sister were responsible. Surely Audrey didn’t work that fast, though. While he wouldn’t put it past her, the message was from about an hour ago, long before he’d spilled everything to his sister.
He hit play and held the phone up to his ear.
“I know you need space or whatever,” Dani said. Her voice was shaky and it shot him right through the heart. “But I need to talk to you.” She sighed. “I got offered the promotion. The salary and benefits are good—in fact, it’s everything I wanted and more. But when I saw they wanted me to sign a two-year contract, I told him I had to think about it. Shit, Wes, I don’t know what to do.”
She paused. “I thought that if we were together, even for a weekend, it’d make it impossible to get over you. But even without that, I can’t seem to. I miss you. And I should’ve told you before, but…” He could hear her take a breath, then two. “I love you. I love you, and I’m sorry I screwed it all up.”
The message ended, and all Wes could hear was his blood rushing in his ears. He’d heard that right, hadn’t he? She loved him? And it didn’t sound like it was in the totally platonic way. But she’d gotten the job offer. His work was here, his family was here—he was determined to help Audrey through physical therapy so it wouldn’t be so hard on any one person.
Damn. Now he didn’t know what to do. He rushed back into the hospital. Had to backtrack to the soda machine for a Diet Coke. If he wanted Audrey’s attention, he’d need to bring her that drink. The elevator was taking forever so he ran up the stairs, the soda can so cold it was burning his hand.
He charged into her open door and tossed her the Diet Coke.
As she sipped it, he relayed the phone call, his nerves bouncing all over the place like he’d just downed all the caffeine. “What do I do? What do I say?”
“I’d go with a grand gesture. Maybe something impulsive and romantic. You’ve got at least one of those things down.”
“Impulsive. Romantic.” He swallowed past his dry throat. “I’ve got something that should cover both.”
Chapter Nineteen
The numbers on the clock flipped closer and closer to her meeting with her boss, and Dani still didn’t know what to do. She checked her e-mail again—nothing from Wes. Her phone was on, and he hadn’t called.
Maybe he hasn’t gotten my message yet.
Maybe I shouldn’t have told him I love him.
Her stomach rolled and she wrapped her arms around her body. No, even if her confession didn’t change Wes’s mind, he deserved to know.
The digits at the bottom of her screen changed, advancing another number. Thirty-two minutes until Wayne expected a decision. Could she say no if Wes didn’t want her anymore?
Could she say yes when she knew she’d still hate her job and forever wish she were in North Carolina instead?
Dani stood and rolled her neck one way and then the other. The stress was making her shoulders tight, and a pounding headache was edging its way in. Time to go outside, take some deep breaths, and figure out what she was going to do.
“Dani?” Linda came around the corner. “I’m supposed to send you to the roof. Apparently we’ve got a new client, and Wayne wants you to be the one to meet him and bring him down to the office.”
“From the roof?”
“Some bigwig. He’s arriving by helicopter.”
Of course. A helicopter. That wouldn’t make her think of Wes at all. “Can’t Bill do it? I was just about to take a quick break and grab a soda and some fresh air. Or maybe Mr. Bigwig can just drag his fancy butt down here himself?”
Two lines creased Linda’s forehead. “You really want me to tell Wayne that?”
Dani blew out a long breath. “Of course not. I’ll go up to the roof. Maybe I can at least catch a few gulps of fresh air.”
Linda started to walk away, then abruptly spun back, took the pencil Dani was using to hold her bun in place out of her hair, and smiled. “Good luck.”
Well, that was weird. Suddenly she was wondering if she got offered the job because she was female and Wayne thought she could reel in rich guys. So much for her improvement and skills.
She made her way to the elevator and punched the roof access button. Not that she wanted to play female escort, but she figured some lip gloss wouldn’t kill her. She smoothed it on and popped a breath mint.
The evening air was perfect, warm but with a cool breeze. Dani inhaled and stepped out farther on the roof. Mr. Fancy Pants Client wasn’t here yet, but she could see the helicopter nearing, the dark blue almost getting lost in the sky.
The helicopter was sleek and larger than the one Wes drove.
Wes. Thinking his name was a stab to the chest.
She glanced at her phone again, using it to check her e-mails. But of course
there was nothing. Apparently it was time to suck it up and realize that she needed this job. As soon as she got back downstairs she’d sign the contract and take it to Wayne.
The wind from the helicopter stirred her hair, whipping it faster around her head the closer it came. The landing skids touched down and the loud whir of the rotor slowed. She thought she heard a door open, but she didn’t see anyone.
Then a dark figure was coming around the front. The last rays of sunlight caught his hair, and she must have been losing it, because the guy had the same hair as Wes.
The same way of walking.
The same blue eyes.
Wes stopped in front of her, the air electric between them. She felt each thump of her heart, every breath that stole from her lips. She slowly reached out and gently poked his arm, thinking he might pop and the illusion would be gone.
Solid.
His lips kicked up on the right side, then the grin spread to the left, the way it always did.
She could feel his smile mirrored on her lips.
“I need to ask you a question,” he said.
“I meant what I said,” Dani blurted out, near tears with him here in front of her when she’d been so sure he’d given up on them. “I do love you. I love you so much I can hardly breathe, and I don’t know how we’ll work everything out, but I want to. I’ve never wanted anything more.”
“Well, that’s a relief because…” He pulled something out of his pocket and dropped onto one knee. A simple diamond on a silver band sat in the box, the still-spinning rotors causing light to wink off it at intervals. “Danielle Caridad Morales Vega, will you be engaged to me for real this time?”
She stared down at him, her mind trying to catch up to what he’d just asked. “You want to be engaged to me? Like the kind of engaged where we get married?”
“That’s the basic idea, yeah.”
The tears forming in her eyes started to spill over, no chance at stopping them now that the impact of what he was asking her was sinking in. “And you’re sure we wouldn’t be jumping into it too fast?”