“He kissed your neck, Madison. Is that something you let all your clients do?”
I flinched. So he’d seen that kiss. “I can explain.”
He laughed. “Explain what exactly? I think it’s pretty clear what’s going on here. He’s just the kind of guy you should be with, right? He’s the one everyone will approve of. The one you don’t have to convince yourself to be with because he ticks off everything on some list of what you think a man should be.”
We’d stopped moving, and his voice started to carry. I looked around the room. People were beginning to stare, and I could feel my face heat and my eyes water as the embarrassment of the whole situation washed over me.
Sean didn’t back down. Those beautiful gray eyes that once held so much warmth and joy were hard, cold, and full of anger. He shook his head and dropped my hand, backing away from me.
“I’m done,” he said. “You two deserve each other.”
He shouldered his way through the crowd toward the exit. Pain burst through my chest as tears welled in my eyes. Before I knew what I was doing, I followed him out the door.
Chapter 22
Sean
I burst through the doors of the hotel and out into the street. The cold night air hit me like a punch to the face. I thrust my hands into my hair, gripping the roots and pulling hard to distract myself from the pain in my chest.
“Fuck,” I yelled into the night sky, startling a woman and her small dog as she walked past me. I flinched and apologized. She picked up the furry little thing and glared at me as she made her way back into the hotel.
I needed to go. I needed to get as far away from the unbelievable fucking nightmare this night had become, but I was stuck, my feet frozen to the sidewalk.
“Sean!”
I turned as Madison pushed her way through the revolving door. I immediately started up the sidewalk with no destination in mind other than away from her.
“Sean, wait,” she called, moving as quickly as her heels would allow.
I sighed and whirled around to face her. “For what?” She stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes wide, surprised by my outburst.
“I…” she stammered. Her eyes darted around her for a moment before settling on her fingers. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“Sorry for what exactly?” I asked. “Sorry for leaving me, or for dating my father behind my back?”
“We are not dating,” she said. “I came here at my boss’s request.”
“Well, that just makes everything better, doesn’t it?” I sneered.
“I don’t know what you want me to say.”
I rubbed my chin and laughed. “There lies the problem, doesn’t it?”
I turned away and tucked my hands into my pockets, making my way up the street, my heart cracking with every step that distanced us. I was angry and upset, and fuck I needed a drink. I stepped into the street and flagged down a cab. I ducked into the back seat, instructing the driver to head to the only place that felt like home.
***
“What the actual fuck?” Alex asked. Her jaw dropped dangerously close to her lap.
I nodded and tossed back my shot, slamming the glass down on the bar. Then I signaled Liam for another.
“Your father, seriously?” she asked.
Drew shook his head. “Jesus, that’s just…”
“Yep,” I said, popping the P as I brought my freshly filled glass to my lips.
Alex and Drew traded looks over my head, then burst into laughter. My best friends, the wonderful assholes they were, doubled over, laughing at my pain.
People around the bar turned and craned their necks to see what the fuss was about. Some old guy, no doubt already a few beers in, even joined in without a clue as to what was going on.
I nodded my head, resigned to that fact that this was my life now. Sitting at a bar, mainlining tequila while my so-called friends mocked me mercilessly in the background.
I looked up at Liam and flicked my empty glass toward him for another refill. He bit his lip, trying to remain composed while Alex and Drew lost their minds on either side of me.
I pounded back another shot and welcomed the warming sensation that burned its way down my stomach as I got to my feet.
“Well, fuck you all very much,” I slurred as I stumbled my way toward the door.
Alex grabbed my arm. “Wait Sean, don’t go.” She wiped the tears from her eyes as her laughter died down. “Come on, we’re sorry, okay. Stay.”
“I came here looking for a little bit of support, not ridicule,” I said, dropping heavily back to the bar stool.
“Well, that was your first mistake,” Drew said.
Alex snickered. I whipped my head around to face her, fixing her with a glare, but in true Alex fashion, she just glared right back.
“So what did he say?” Drew asked.
“Who?”
“Your dad,” he said.
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
“I just pretended we didn’t know each other and introduced myself. The bastard didn’t even notice the weirdness,” I said. Liam was busy, so I leaned across the bar to grab the bottle of tequila and serve myself. There goes his tip.
“Why?” Alex asked.
“Why what?”
“Why not just come out with it?”
“And cause a scene?” I asked.
She nodded, realizing my point.
“I can’t believe she’s been dating your father and you at the same time.”
“That’s the really great part,” I said. “She said that they aren’t dating, that they’re involved in some big development deal and she is seeing him for work.”
Alex tilted her head to the side, her brows raised. “Well,” she said.
“Are you serious?” I snapped.
“You know as well as I do that sometimes a little schmoozing is part of the job. Maybe it is just a work thing.”
“He kissed her!” I said. “I saw it with my own eyes.”
“Fuck! He kissed her?” Drew asked.
“Where?” Alex asked.
“In the ballroom,” I sighed. I was growing more and more frustrated with this line of questioning, especially since Alex seemed to think I was overreacting to the woman I love dating my father. My father! She was on a date with my fucking father. My reaction was one hundred percent appropriate.
Alex shook her head. “No. Where on her body? Her cheek? Her forehead? Her lips?”
“Her neck,” I growled. “He kissed her neck.”
Alex winced, sucked air through her teeth, and leaned back in her seat. “Ooh, that is bad.”
“Thank you,” I said, nodding my head as I reached for the tequila again.
“So, what now?” Drew asked.
“Now,” I said lazily, turning my head to face him. “Now I’m gonna finish this bottle and pour myself into a cab. After that I have no fucking clue.”
I dropped my head to the bar, and Drew put a heavy hand on my shoulder.
My chest felt heavy and my head swam with tequila and misery. I needed…fuck, I don’t know what I needed, but I wanted her. Just her.
***
After a miserable drunken weekend, I did manage to sober up long enough to drag my pathetic, broken ass into work Monday morning. I’d barely slept a wink, avoiding calls from everyone.
“You look like shit,” Drew said as I dropped into my chair.
I dropped my head into my hands. “Thanks,” I said, rubbing my eyes as I tried to muster up enough strength to get through the day.
Drew leaned over the low wall that separated our work space. “You okay?”
I lifted my head and gave him a look to show him just how not okay I was.
“I’ve never seen you this upset over a girl,” he said.
I reclined back in my chair and looked up at the ceiling. “She’s not just any girl.”
He nodded. “I get that.”
I ran a hand down my face with a groan. “This wh
ole situation is bullshit.”
“Could be worse,” Drew said.
I narrowed my eyes, my brows pulling together. “How?”
“She could end up your new step-mommy.” Drew smirked, and I tossed a stress ball at his head. Asshole.
Drew ducked and dropped into his seat, I could still hear him laughing as my phone rang. I reached for the receiver to answer it, still shaking my head at the jackass.
“Sean Taylor.”
“Seany!” a familiar high pitched squeal blasted from the phone. I winced and held the phone away from my ear to get the ringing to stop before I addressed her.
“Hey, Chris,” I said. “How goes the gallery?”
“A. maze. ing,” she said, punctuating each syllable like it was its own word. “Well, it will be when it’s done. Which, if we get this pesky electrical issue worked out, will be this weekend!”
Chris was my high school girlfriend and the one bright spot in my lousy dating history. Things may not have worked out between us, but the breakup was civil and we managed to stay friends. Most people saw her as a perky, bubbly blonde, but the girl was a brilliant business woman. Only her attention span could be a tad short, so she was always bouncing from venture to venture, building companies, restaurants, then selling out before the first year, at a profit of course.
“Sounds great,” I said.
“You’re coming, right?” she squealed.
“Oh. Uh…I don’t know…”
“Oh, please, please, please, Seany,” she said with an audible pout. “Come. For old time’s sake.”
I thought about it for a minute, weighing my options. Gallery opening with a gorgeous blonde distraction, or drinking alone in my apartment until it was time to go back to work.
“Okay, count me in,” I said.
“Agh!” Her excited scream caused me to flinch away from the phone again. “Oh my God, I’m so excited! I’ll text you the deets. Kisses.”
Chris hung up before I could say anything else. This was good, exactly what I needed. Get out of the city for a few days, clear my head, get some perspective on the shit storm my life had become. Friday couldn’t come fast enough.
Chapter 23
Madison
The next week went by relatively quietly. The frequent calls and texts from Sean had come to a screeching halt after the ball. I was grateful for the silence. It gave me a chance to put everything in perspective and really understand what a truly horrible person I’d become. I hated myself for hurting Sean, and I hated myself even more for missing him.
Bryan was a whole different story. He missed the confrontation between Sean and I, he may have been the only one who did, but thankfully the mayor had pulled him aside to try to gain his support for a park clean-up initiative he was trying to get through the city council. Timing had luckily been on my side.
I hadn’t heard from Bryan since, except for the enormous bouquet of red roses he sent to my office. Jeremy announced their arrival by dropping the vase heavily onto my desk. When I glanced up at him, he pursed his lips and muttered, “Mhmm,” on his way out the door.
Jeremy was firmly on team Sean. I, however, was doing my best to avoid the situation entirely. Denial had become my happy place.
I knew that I would have to come clean eventually and tell Bryan the truth about Sean. The tricky part was figuring out how to tell him all the while keeping the housing project, and my career, intact.
***
When I got home, I was surprised to find Liam bent over the dining room table, surrounded by paperwork with his head in his hands. I set my bag down by the door and went to see what he was up to.
“What’s all this?” I picked up a copy of his bank statement from the stacks of paper spread across the table.
Liam sighed and ran his hand down his face. “I’m trying to get all of this paperwork together for the bank.”
“Let me help you.” I pulled out a chair and took a seat.
“Thanks,” he said, ruffling through the paperwork in front of us.
I watched him for a moment as he read. His eyes darted from document to document, and he kept running his fingers through his hair. He looked worried and stressed. His face was tired, and his shoulders were slumped and tense.
“You can do this,” I said, reaching for his hand. “I know you can.”
The corner of his lips twitched in the slightest of smiles, but he was missing the joy of this moment. He was about to be a business owner. He should’ve been celebrating, not sulking in my dining room.
“What’s going on?” I asked, determined to get to the bottom of this.
“What if I fail?” he asked, his voice low.
“You won’t.”
“But what if I do?” Liam looked up at me with those sad eyes I had seen in the mirror so many times over the years. “What if I take over and the bar goes to shit. Not only will I prove Dad right, but I will be letting Jack down.”
I shot to my feet, almost toppling over my chair in the process. “Get up,” I said. Liam looked at me, his brows furrowed and his lips turning down. “Get up!”
He sighed, but did as I asked and rose to his full height, which towered over me. I grabbed a hold of his arms and fixed him with a determined look.
“You can do this,” I said. “Jack loves you and believes in you. If he didn’t then he wouldn’t entrust you with his legacy. I’ve seen your passion for that place. I have seen how much you love that dingy little dive. You will make it yours and you will be successful. Screw what Mom and Dad think,” I said. His eyebrows rose, but my pep talk seemed to be sinking in.
He studied me for a minute before wrapping his meaty arms around me in a tight hug. He pressed a kiss to the top of my head and rested his cheek there. When he pulled away, his eyes seemed brighter and more hopeful, which made me smile. He deserved to have his own life, to be happy, and I knew in my heart that The Den would be that for him.
“Thanks, Maddie,” he said with a smile.
“Anytime. Now, go fix us some dinner while I sort this out.” I waved a hand at the mess of papers scattered across the table.
He cooked and I sorted. Teamwork makes the dream work. I went over the loan applications and explained to him the basics of what he would need to put together a good business plan. The Den was already an established successful business, but Liam had some really great ideas about revamping the food and the drink menu to appeal to a younger, more hip crowd without chasing away his bread and butter regulars.
We talked as we munched on maple bacon mac and cheese. I was in carb heaven or hell, depending on your perspective. Liam’s food was always amazing. He’s never had formal training as a chef other than a few cooking classes here and there, but he wasn’t afraid to try new things and experiment. If I could only get him to apply his confidence in his cooking to running the business then he would be set, but that would come with time.
***
“Pack a bag, little lady,” Eric said as he burst into my office wearing a grin that made him look like a cat-that-ate-the-family canary.
“What?” I asked.
I looked up at Jeremy, who was hovering in the doorway. He shrugged his shoulders and tilted his head, his expression making it clear he was just as much in the dark as I was.
“We’re going to the beach,” Eric said.
I swallowed. “Excuse me, we are going to the beach?”
“Yes. Bryan Townsend has invited us to his beach house for the weekend. He insisted, actually,” Eric continued.
“Eric, I don’t think that would be appropriate…”
“Oh, don’t be ridiculous. Kate is coming too. You love Kate,” he said. It was true. His wife Kate was great. Eric didn’t deserve her, but I knew a thing or two about being married to a cheating insufferable asshole.
“Oh, well…”
Eric interrupted me again. “Bryan ordered a car to pick you up here and take you straight to the house Friday afternoon. Kate and I will join you on Saturday.”
“Nonsense,” he said, waving his hand at me. “Mark has some soccer thing Saturday morning so Kate and I will head down afterward. No reason for you to miss a day at the beach waiting for us.”
He had a point, but it would be a day at the beach alone…with Bryan. This was not good.
“Can I think about it?”
“No need. It’s a done deal. Don’t worry your pretty little head about a thing. It’s all been taken care of.”
His condescending tone set my teeth on edge.
“Eric, I don’t think I’m entirely comfort…” I started.
“I said,” he interuppted. His eyes fixed me with a pointed look, letting me know without a shred of doubt that this weekend was mandatory. “It’s a done deal.”
I forced a smile and nodded my head. Dread sat heavy in my stomach. How was I supposed to stay an entire weekend in a house with Sean’s father?
“Wonderful,” he said and headed for the door. “This is gonna be a great trip. I can feel it.”
“Yeah, great,” I mumbled, dropping my head to my desk.
***
Friday afternoon I found myself in a town car on the way to Martha’s Vineyard. I stared out the window, chewing on my nails and growing more nervous with every passing mile marker. To say this weekend had potential for disaster was the understatement of the century.
The car pulled up in front of a modern structure just after eight o’clock. The house was two stories of angular lines and cold, gray concrete. Beams of light lit up the cool gray walls in evenly spaced lines of blue and green.
I stepped out of the car and into the cool evening air. The salty tang on the breeze did nothing to ease my nerves. It was too dark to see the water, but I could hear the roar of the waves as they crashed onto the sand in the distance.
The driver set my bag at my feet, and I smiled and folded a tip into his hand. He nodded his thanks and headed back to the car. I stood in the gravel driveway and took a deep breath, attempting to steel my nerves. Then I headed toward the small set of stairs off to the right.
Choosing Happy (Madison Square #2) Page 24