by Claire Angel
The elevator opened and I stepped out, gingerly, not knowing what to expect from Brooke. To my surprise one of the junior secretaries looked up from Brooke’s desk and smiled brightly at me.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Blakely.”
“Where’s Brooke?” I demanded.
“Uh, she wasn’t feeling well, sir, so she asked if I could relieve her.” The girl was a little pale at my stern interrogation but kept her chin up.
“I see,” I said, and marched to my office.
The girl didn’t make a peep for the rest of the afternoon. I paced up and down until I thought I would lose my mind. Whatever ailed Brooke must have come on at a phenomenal speed. What a crappy excuse for running away from me. Did she suppose she’d hide from me forever? I had to see her, explain to her that what happened between us wasn’t a boss lording it over his lowly PA. This wasn’t sexual harassment, it was love.
LOVE! Holy shit, Noah. Are you serious? Didn’t you learn your lesson with Cassandra? Love is a fairy tale that ends in tears. Snap the fuck out of it, man!
No! I wasn’t going to talk myself out of opening up my heart again. I couldn’t live like a hermit crab, hiding, coming out every so often to have a quick bite, then retreating back into my prison. I was done hiding.
The young girl at the desk outside my office jumped when I opened my door suddenly.
“I’m leaving for the day,” I said calmly. “You can go now.”
“Thank you, Mr. Blakely.”
She sat like a statue as I waited for the elevator doors to open. As I stepped in and waited for the doors to close, I saw her rise, very slowly. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights. I really had to work on my people skills.
Chapter 20
BROOKE
I had to get the hell out of there. I called Claire, told her I wasn’t feeling well, and asked her if she had anyone who could fill in for me for the afternoon. She sent Jolene, her junior secretary, to man the fort, while I left for home with my tail between my legs—and the void that Noah had left there.
What the hell did I just do? I may not have started it, but I certainly did nothing to stop it, either. I couldn’t stop it. No, that wasn’t quite true, I didn’t want to stop it. Having Noah inside me, kissing and caressing me, looking at me with his warm smoking hot hazel eyes, was the only thing I wanted to think about. I was falling in love with him, but my timing couldn’t have been worse.
He was in the middle of a custody battle for his son. Heaven only knew how messy that would get. I couldn’t put myself in the firing line of his frustrated wrath over the hurt his ex was about to unleash on him. Then, there was the fact that he was my boss—my mother's boss, no less! For the first time since this mess started, I thought of what I was doing to Mom’s reputation at work. No one I knew worked harder than she did, all so that her daughter could undo it in just a few weeks.
And, what did Noah think of me? Was I a conquest to him? A mere office fuck? Ugh...I had to think about it all. When I got home, I changed into my running clothes and hit the trail through one of the parks nearby my house. I planned to run until the fog cleared from my mind, or my legs gave in. Anything would be better than sitting in my living room, staring at the switched off TV.
My phone rang, and I looked at the caller ID. It was Jen. I didn’t answer because I didn’t want to talk about it, and she’d know that something was up. I waited until the call went to voicemail, then popped my phone onto silent. I never ran without it—too many freaks and weirdos around to be out of comms, so I put it away safely into my fanny pack and strapped it to my waist.
I felt like a school kid who skipped class as I left my house and bolted for the park. My iPods were in position, ready to blast the cobwebs out of my head, with compliments from Kat Dahlia. As I saw it, I had a few decisions to make about the way forward, or backward, with Noah Blakely. I felt more for him than I thought I would after such a short time, which was as shocking to me as it would no doubt be to my mom.
Ugh...Mom. She was going to kill me. I didn’t even want to think about Dad’s reaction to my obviously senseless attack on the family name. Dramatic much, Brooke?
I was being a tad overdramatic, I realised, but now was not the best time to take a self-opinion poll. The park was busy but not chaotic. I ran past a few runners on the trail, all of them as seemingly introspective as I was. I guess that’s why runners ran. It was the only place where runner and road became one, to the exclusion of all else.
Cody’s cute little face flashed before me as I ran. He was so damn cute. I didn’t dare tell Noah, but after I put the little guy to bed and read him a story, he looked up at me suddenly and said, “I like you. Will you be my new Mommy?” Then, he closed his eyes and fell asleep. No pressure, thanks a bunch. Max and I shared a moment, and I left the room, reeling from the few heartstrings that snapped.
From what I gathered, the ex-Mrs. Blakely had a bit more on her plate than looking after such a little treasure. No wonder Noah was such a grouch. I’d be a Countess Elizabeth Báthory, Hungary’s most prolific serial killer ever, if I had to contend with a bitch like that. Okay, maybe not that bad, but still.
I lost track of time as I ran. I had no idea how long I’d been running when my legs finally started screaming at me to stop. I looked at my phone to see what the time was. I’d been out running for an hour and a half—or was that sprinting? I also saw a missed call from Noah’s phone. I cooled off and stretched before I listened to the voicemail he left.
‘Hi, Brooke. I hope you’re okay. Jolene at the office said you’re not feeling well. Please call me when you can. I think we need to talk. Chat soon.’
I listened to his message over and over, trying to decipher the meaning in his tone. The ‘I think we need to talk’ bit made me nervous. Was he trying to let me down easy? That phrase was never what a girl wanted to hear. No one had ever said to me, ‘Hey, we need to talk. I think I love you’. It was usually followed by something pathetic like, ‘I’m not into relationships right now’, or ‘It’s not you, it’s me’, and shit like that.
It annoyed me that I couldn’t figure out from his tone exactly which line he’d throw at me next. Great, so not only was my heart aching, but so were my legs. What a fucked up day! I couldn’t keep running, though, so I walked back home.
I was deep in thought when a car pulled up next to me and a voice belted out, “Oi! I’ve been looking for you. Why aren’t you at work? I thought you weren’t feeling well.”
Jen hung out of the driver’s side window.
“Hi, Jen. How did you know I wasn’t at work? And how did you find me?” I said, still slightly out of breath.
“I thought you’d like to meet for lunch, but when I called your cell it was off, and a girl at the office told me you weren’t feeling well. So, I went to your place to check on you, and you were MIA there, too. So, I figured you would be out somewhere, running your ass off, and here you are!”
“Jen, you are wasting your talents as a golf pro. You should be a private detective,” I said, shaking my head.
“Get in here,” she said, pointing to the passenger door.
Resisting Jen was futile, and I was too tired to argue, so I did as I was told.
“Okay, you liar. I can see you’re not sick. What the hell is going on?” she said, giving me the hairy eyeball.
“It’s a long story.” I sighed.
“Bullshit. It’s Noah, isn’t it? You slept with him, didn’t you?”
“Have you got someone following me? Is there anything about my life you don’t know?”
“Not much, no. Spill it.”
“Let’s go to my place, and I’ll fill you in.”
“Bad choice of words, but okay.”
“Thanks, potty mind,” I retorted.
Jen laughed. “I’ve got a better idea. Let’s go to that little Italian restaurant around the corner from here. If we’re going to have a heart to heart, I’m going to need carbs.”
“Okay. I c
ould use a greasy pizza myself.”
“And wine.”
“Yes, that, too.” I smiled.
“Cheer up,” Jen said. “We’ll figure this out. Mamma Jen is in the house.”
“Oh, good. That helps.” I laughed.
Chapter 21
NOAH
I had to talk to someone. Brooke wasn’t answering her phone, and she wasn’t at home when I went around. I didn’t believe her sudden onset of illness. She was avoiding me, not that I blamed her. What a mess. What should have been a fantastic day, getting rid of Cassandra from around my neck, was marred by the colossal screw up with Brooke, no pun intended.
“Hey, Charlie. SOS, bud,” I said as he answered the call.
“Oh, fuck. Who’s pregnant?”
“Not that kind of SOS. Meet me at the club. I need a drink.”
“That bad, hey? Okay, I’ll worm my way out of working, and see you in twenty.”
“Thanks, buddy.”
“Hey, no need to thank me. Just keep the whiskey at room temperature.”
“You got it.”
When I got to the club, I went straight to the bar and ordered myself a double whiskey. This situation called for real booze, not a ‘decaf’ drink. The barman looked at my face for a moment and left the bottle close at hand. What a standup guy.
“Where’s the patient?” Charlie called out in a stern voice as he entered the room. “Dr. Charles Robert Dixon, the Third, at your service.”
“I’m over here, you dingbat. Sit down and drink your whiskey.”
“Oh, goody,” He smiled, “the good stuff.”
“Nothing but the best for you, Doc.”
“Right, now tell me where it hurts.”
“I fucked up, Charlie,” I started.
“What did you do to piss Cassandra off this time?”
“Wrong again. On the upside, that battle is over, and I won, kinda. It cost me a pretty penny, but Cody is now with me, fulltime.”
“Well done, Noah! That’s great news. So, if she’s not the problem, then...oh wait a minute. It doesn’t have anything to do with that gorgeous PA of yours by any chance, does it?”
“The very same. I’m head over heels in love with Brooke ‘bloody’ Jones. Worse still is that I banged her brains out in my office earlier, and now she’s nowhere to be found.”
“I’m not going to pull punches here, bud, but it’s not good. Is she the kind of broad who will throw a harassment suit at you?” he asked, swigging his whiskey.
“I don’t think so. Anyway, that’s not what’s bothering me.”
“What is?”
“I didn’t have a chance to tell her how I feel about her. The moment was so overwhelming, I thought I could tackle the subject later today. But now she’s ‘off sick’, and I’m dangling from a powerline like a dead bird.”
“You’re an intuitive guy, Noah, surely you must have some idea of her feelings for you, if any.”
“You’d think,” I said. “But this girl is hard to read. She isn’t like any other woman I’ve ever been with. Yes, I know it sounds corny, but it’s true.”
“Perhaps it’s because this one has a brain.” He smiled.
“Okay, enough ‘Miss Thicky’ jokes from you, thanks. Cassandra wasn’t stupid, she just cared more about unimportant shit.”
“Okay, back to your dilemma. What can I do to help?” Charlie asked.
“Nothing. I needed to get it off my chest. I’m sure I’ll feel better once I’ve dumped it all on you.”
“That’s what friends are for. Go ahead, I’m listening.”
“Thank you, Dr. Frasier Crane. I’m going out on a limb here considering relationship advice from you as it is. Don’t make me even more nervous,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“Just because I don’t take my own advice doesn’t mean that it’s shit. You’ll find I’m wise beyond my years,” Charlie said.
“Okay. I’m unsure if she feels pressured into being with me, or if she wants to be with me. Then there’s Cody. It’s a big ask to come into a relationship with someone who has a child from a previous marriage. I haven’t even had the opportunity yet to tell her that there won’t be an epic, protracted court battle with Cassandra. I’m sure that must scare the shit out of her.” I went off on a tangent.
“Whoa, whoa there, Noah. Slow down. You’re listing all the minuses. What about the plusses? Let’s start with that. What do you have in common?”
“She’s smart, beautiful, loves kids, and is a firecracker in the sack. How’s that for plusses?”
“Marry her, I say.” He laughed, then slapped me on the back. “Cheer up, bud. Before you find a bridge to jump off, get hold of her, and talk it out.”
“Well, fuck me, Charles, you are truly a gifted therapist.”
“You better not be sarcastic, or I’ll put you on your ass,” he said with a grin.
“No, actually you’re making a lot of sense. Now, if you could only track her down for me, I’ll make you the Godfather of my offspring.”
“You mean I’m not? WTF!” he said with a wounded look.
“Oh, shut up. You wouldn’t know one end of a kid from the other.” I laughed.
“True dat.”
Chapter 22
BROOKE
We sat down at a table near the window of the Italian trattoria. I stared out the window while the waitress told us about the specials. She needn’t have bothered—I didn’t hear a word she said.
“Earth to Brooke. What are you going to drink?” Jen asked as she tapped me on the forearm from across the table.
“Uh, white wine, thanks. Actually, I think I’ll have whiskey, instead.”
“Sounds serious,” Jen said. The waitress tried not to judge, or at least let it show on her face.
Jen ordered my favorite pizza to share, and once we had our drinks, she looked at me in silent expectation. That was my cue to spill the beans.
“I slept with Noah today.”
“Holy shit,” Jen said softly. “That’s serious stuff.”
“You don’t say.”
“So, what’s the problem exactly? Small wiener?” She giggled. She saw my face then said, “Okay, my bad. Carry on.”
“The problem is I don’t know what this means. His life is a complicated minefield at the moment. I don’t want to be another complication, an issue he needs to deal with. Also, if I’m going to date someone, I want to be the center of his attention. Is that selfish?”
“Absolutely not,” Jen said. “I wouldn’t want to suck hind tit on the pecking order of Brandon’s priorities, either. There’s lots of time for that when we have a family to raise, and he refuses to do the midnight diaper run.”
“Funny. Seriously, what now?”
“How do you feel about him? Forget about his feelings for just a moment. What do you want? You may be reading the situation completely wrong. You’re not a mind reader. Before you go off half cocked, talk to Noah. You can’t worry about issues that may or may not exist.”
“You know, Jen. You’re smarter than you look,” I said, winking at her offended look.
“Bloody hell! No, please, tell me what you really think.” She grinned.
“Love ya, Jen.”
“Yeah, me, too.”
Chapter 23
NOAH
I felt better after my talk with Charlie. I had one more drink, called Janice to check on Cody, then drove to Brooke’s house again. I parked in her driveway—she had to come home sometime, so I would stay put. Like a stalker, I sat in my car and waited. One of Brooke’s neighbors kept peeking at me through the window of her kitchen. I half expected the police to arrive and question me, but thankfully they never came.
An hour or so into my recce, I saw a car heading toward me. It stopped next to mine. Brooke got out, stood still next to the car, and stared at my Jag. I was relieved when she didn’t bolt. I waited for her to move, then I climbed out of the car.
“All good, Brooke?” the woman in the car with her asked.
“Yeah, thanks, Jen. I’ll call you later.”
Jen gave Brooke the thumbs up, and then she left.
“Hi,” I said, gingerly.
“Hi,” she said back.
It could have been worse, I suppose. She could have told me to fuck off. I was hopeful.
“Can we talk?” I asked.
She looked at me as if she was trying to read me.
“Okay,” she said. “Come inside. I’m sure ‘Mrs. Big Ears’ over there has had enough entertainment for one day. Anymore, and I’ll have to charge her an admission fee.”
I followed her into the house, and she signaled for me to sit on the sofa in the living room.
“Can I get you a drink?” she asked.
“No, thanks.”
“Okay,” she said as she sat down on the couch opposite me. “What did you want to talk about?”
“We left things up in the air after...after this morning,” I said, not feeling my usual confident self.
“Yes, it was a little awkward,” she said casually, which irritated me a bit. Did she feel nothing? Was I wrong in my assessment of her feelings? “I didn’t want to make any assumptions,” I carried on, “so I would appreciate it if you could tell me where we stand.” There I went again, acting like an asshole boss.
“Well, Noah, or shall I call you, Mr. Blakely? If I had any inclination that you had genuine feelings for me, other than a little boy who didn’t want other little boys to play with his shiny new toy car, I could give you a genuine answer,” she snapped.
“Okay, I deserve that. I’m sorry about losing my shit over the gay hug incident, but surely that must tell you how I feel?”
“No, that tells me you are territorial.”
“Brooke,” I sighed, “I’m not territorial. I’m in love.”
She stared at me as if she was a mute.