Just One Spark: A Black Alcove Novel

by Jami Wagner

  “I agree, sir.”

  “You know, we all make mistakes, Maverick, and I don’t believe for a minute that your father won’t take you back. But I do see why he sent you here. He wants to make you president, and it would be my pleasure to work alongside you but only if your belief in who this company is and what we represent is clear to you. Like myself with Austin, this is your father’s way of reminding you of that. You’re halfway through it now. Don’t mess it up.”

  “Yes, sir,” I say again. Everything he said is right. I don’t want to let my father down.

  “And stop calling me sir, Mav. I’m still your uncle.”

  We both laugh at that. It’s habit. He’s still my superior when it comes to work. I call my own dad sir at work.

  “I can do that,” I tell him.

  “Now, it’s a holiday, and as long as nothing else unexpected pops up, I think you and the team earned a break. Enjoy the event.” He pats my shoulder and continues on his way.

  I peek back to where I left Beth standing. A part of me is hoping she’s still there, waiting for me. I know she has a ton of questions. Who could blame her? The question I have for myself now is, what the fuck am I going to do? I can tell myself as much as I want that this will all work out, but the truth is, in the end I will lose either my job or Beth.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Beth

  I left before the fireworks show and before Maverick could find me. It was the coward’s way out, and fully not my style, but something is going on here and I don’t like the way it makes me feel. Unsure. Unsure about everything in my life. I hate this feeling. It’s god-awful and I don’t know what to do to make it go away.

  I’ve got my computer and paper in front of me. I noticed a few things that could have gone differently tonight, and not just the stupid dancers who showed up.

  I should have known right away Austin had set those women up with the job, but a small piece of me—no matter how much I enjoy being with Maverick right now—might be looking for a reason to end this sooner than waiting for the end of the project. I mean, come on, only one of us gets the job, he’s clearly hiding something, and this connection we have, it won’t last forever. We all know Austin won’t get the job, so that leaves only me and Maverick. And he’s already an employee. The whole thing sounds messed up and unprofessional. That’s exactly why I avoided him tonight. I want to scream. Scream at everyone for whatever the hell is going on because I seem to be the only person who doesn’t know what is going on.

  “Your lover boy just pulled up out front,” Abby says, walking into the kitchen. Clearly Maverick is keeping his word on coming over. He better not expect to get any from me tonight. Not until I have the answers I want at least.

  “Should I let him in, or are you going to let him keep knocking?” Abby asks.

  I hadn’t even heard him at the door.

  “I’ll let him in,” I say.

  I jerk the door open and stand there, arms crossed. I’m right in the center so there is no way he can get past without moving me first.

  His shirt is untucked from his jeans and the top button is undone. He gives me a tight-lipped smile that just screams he knows he’s got some explaining to do.

  “If you let me in, I’ll tell you whatever you want to know,” he says.

  “Am I working hard for a job I’m not even being considered for?” I ask. The answer to this question will determine if I let him in. Please don’t say I’ve been busting my ass for nothing.

  He sighs. “I don’t know what their plan is. I don’t even know if I’ll still have a job when this is over.”

  I don’t move. I just keep staring at him. Waiting for some sign that he’s feeding me some bullshit story or maybe for him to elaborate, but neither happen.

  “Fine, I have more questions,” I say, stepping back for him to come inside.

  “I’d worry if you didn’t.”

  “Why, hello, Maverick,” Abby coos from her doorway. “I’ll just be in my room if you need me.”

  Maverick chuckles at her serious tone.

  “She’ll be fine,” he says.

  I cross my arms and glare at him. He’s speaking for me now … this guy is just full of surprises.

  “I wasn’t talking to her,” Abby grins. “You’re the first man she’s let back in here after a fight. She usually just cuts it off because no guy is worth the time.”

  “Abby,” I say, hoping she’s finished. Let’s just share everything with him.

  “Hey, you used to be predictable. Then this guy shows up and we all have no idea what you’re going to do.”

  I grab a pen on the counter and throw it at her. She closes herself behind her door just in time.

  “See, she is already throwing things!” Abby yells through the wall.

  “If it helps any, you’re the first woman I ever felt I owed an explanation to,” Maverick says, watching me from the couch.

  His admission stabs at my chest. If this is new for him, too, perhaps I can hold back the bitch in my tone. I nod, because it does help, and then sit next to him.

  “Why don’t you start from the beginning, and if I have any questions when you’re done, we’ll go from there,” I suggest.

  “Okay.” He pauses. “A few months ago, my father announced that I was in line to replace him at his retirement. It’s a couple of years away, but still, there were quite a few employees who felt this was inappropriate, considering I’ve only been there a couple of years and they’ve been there much longer. They don’t think I can do the job. And maybe they were right because about a week before the program started,” he pauses again, “I slept with a woman who turned out to be the wife to a gentleman we were preparing to sign a contract with.”

  Whoa.

  Maverick continues to stare at my coffee table as he goes on.

  “I had no idea who she was when I ran into her in the lobby. Somehow her guy found out, they showed up at the office, and there was a whole spectacle when I arrived that day. It didn’t look good and we lost the contract.”

  Yikes.

  “Later, my father told me that maybe he rushed things by hiring me right out of college. That maybe I need to earn the spot like the rest of them had to. So he sent me here. To prove I am meant for the business.”

  He finally turns to look at me. He needs this job, but so do I. The pain in his eyes almost makes me not want to ask the questions I still have.

  Almost.

  “What happens if they do choose you? Will you go back or stay here?” I ask.

  “I’ll go back and resume my position in Colorado.”

  “And if they don’t pick you?”

  “I lose my job with the company.”

  “Fuck,” I say. “That’s intense.”

  “I didn’t ask any questions. I didn’t even argue with him. He’s right. If I want to be president, I need to prove I’m the right man and that this company can rely on me. He’s my dad. I let him down and that’s just not something you do to family, you know?”

  I’m not sure how I should answer that, given the relationship I have with my family, so I don’t say anything.

  “So, what happens at the end of the three months? To us?” The question surprises me more than it does him. I don’t do relationships. I can keep telling myself that or face the truth: Maverick and I are in a relationship of some kind, and right now, I don’t see it ending well for either of us.

  “I’m not sure,” he says and pulls me close.

  I have the good hunch I’m setting myself up for heartbreak.

  Maverick

  The movie credits are rolling and Beth is soundly sleeping against my side. I’m not sure how much of the movie she watched before she fell asleep, but I hardly watched any, and there is no way I can fall asleep right now. Not with my mind racing over everything. I wish that work and responsibility weren’t such a huge factor in my life. And if I’ve learned anything about Beth in the short time I’ve known her, it’s that she is very dedicated
to her work and she really wants this job. When she asked me earlier what would happen when this was over, I didn’t know what to say.

  “The menu screen has replayed like six times now, and I know you’re awake and could shut it off,” Beth says, stirring and sitting up. “So what’s got you so distracted that I have to listen to the damn song again and watch that silly kid keep dancing on the screen?”

  I look up to see the guy from Super Bad still dancing, just as she said. I grab the remote and power off the TV.

  “I’m just trying to think of a way that this works out for everyone,” I say.

  “You’re still thinking about work?” she asks. “Maverick, you can’t dwell on it or bad things happen.”

  “Bad things don’t happen just because you dwell on something.” I laugh.

  “Yeah, they can. You think about it too long, you start missing facts, and then your story gets mixed up and you think you misunderstood something and that you really can do something about it, but really you can’t because it will make it worse.”

  What is she saying? Is she sleep-talking?

  “Oh, don’t furrow that brow at me. You know I’m right,” she says.

  “You could be, but maybe when you’ve been awake you could explain it again in more than one sentence and a little bit more clearly.”

  She shoves me, grinning as she does so.

  “So, what were you thinking about?” she asks.

  “How … I don’t want to lose my job, but I also don’t want you to not get one either.”

  “Yeah, I think that too.”

  Something in her tone just now doesn’t sound like she’s too concerned on the outcome. “But you’re not worried?” I ask.

  “Of course I am. Getting this job means … it means I get to stay here where my life and my friends are.”

  “You can’t stay here if you don’t get it?”

  She glares at me; that wasn’t the question to ask.

  “No, I can’t, Maverick, because like you said before, you can’t let family down. If I don’t get this job, I’ll be moving to take care of my mother so my brother can have a shot at his dream job.”

  She stands and crosses her arms, her hip popping to the side as she looks at me.

  “We both have things at stake here, Maverick. Please don’t act like you’re the only one who will lose something if they don’t pick you.”

  “I didn’t mean it like that, Beth. I just, I don’t know what do here. And for someone who made a huge deal about not sharing secrets, don’t you think telling me about your family is something you could have shared weeks ago?”

  “It’s not like you asked about them.”

  “You’ve never even mentioned them. I thought that was a sign not to bring it up.”

  “So I’m just supposed to say, ‘Ask me about my family’?”

  “I think we are getting off subject here.” I pinch the bridge between my eyes.

  “I don’t want to argue with you.”

  She sighs and her chin drops to her chest. “Fine.” Her response is quick.

  “I’d like to think they are going to pick two people,” I say, bringing us back to work talk. “But what happens if they don’t? What do we do?”

  “We find new jobs. We move on. It’s going to suck, but it’s not the end of the world,” she says, clearly looking past what I was really asking.

  “Beth, I meant what happens to us? This.” I point to her and back to myself. “What are we going to do?”

  She shrugs. “I’m sure we will figure it out.”

  “It’s that easy?”

  “If we let it be, yes, it is.”

  “Even if one of us gets it and the other doesn’t?” I ask.

  She hesitates. “Yeah.”

  I don’t think she even believes her last answer.

  Beth takes her seat back on the couch.

  “Can we change the subject?” she asks.

  “Of course,” I say. She’s right. This is depressing, and if our time is limited, and it could be, I don’t want to waste it.

  “Or we could not talk,” I say.

  Her glowing green eyes look up to mine, and she smiles.

  “That’s a mighty fine idea.”

  I capture her lips against mine as she crawls into my lap.

  This, this is so much better than thinking about work. Even if it will only make everything feel right for a fraction of the night. In the morning, I’ll try to think of a new plan for us. One that gets us both what we want.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Beth

  The last couple of weeks have been great yet horrible. Everything between Maverick and I is different. Every time I look at him, I can see it in his eyes that our situation is tearing him apart. I’ve also kept my distance at work, knowing now what’s at risk for him if someone were to find out about us. Those things are what have made it horrible. The great part? Well, to avoid everything, there has been a lot of sex.

  I pour myself another cup of Pepsi as I try to cool down in the late July heat. This is probably the hottest summer we have had in years and right now, I’m really wishing there were more rooms available inside the house that is hosting the company picnic for the Wyoming branch.

  “I’ll know for sure if that’s even a possibility within the next thirty days.”

  I hear Maverick’s words, but I don’t bat an eye or even flinch to look in his direction. Instead, I continue to stand in front of the drink table, adding more ice to my cup, waiting to hear what he has to say. The fact that he admitted everything to me has made him more open about why he’s here. But it doesn’t change anything.

  We both know that whatever happens is going to be a hurdle for us, if whatever we have is still even ongoing. I’d like to imagine that it will be, but if I’m honest, I’ll be more than a little hurt if he gets the job. Somewhere deep inside my mind, I’ll never know if he got the job because of his family or because I truly wasn’t any good.

  “How do you mean?” a man asks him. I don’t remember his name. He was one of the many people I met when we showed up here today.

  “Well, it depends on whether or not my father allows me to resume my position under him,” Maverick answers.

  “Assuming you succeed over me and Beth.” Austin’s input silences the entire crowd around them. I can feel all eyes on me. They’re burning a hole in the back of my head, just waiting for me to turn around, to have a reaction. I don’t really have one. I never expected Maverick to give it all up for me, but then again, I never expected him to assume he would be offered the spot over the three of us. Or maybe I did and I just don’t want to admit it.

  Because I know they are all waiting, I turn. My eyes find Maverick’s right away and his lips tug to the left into a small smile. Even when I’m unsure of my own feelings, he can still make me react. Make me believe it will all work out. All because of a barely there smile. A throat clears, pulling my gaze.

  Austin rises from his chair, a beer in his hand and slight wobble to his balance before he regains his footing.

  “That’s what you think, isn’t it?” Austin’s words slur just slightly. A woman whispers something in his ear and attempts to take the bottle from his hand, but he jerks it back.

  “I don’t need to quit anything. I want to know what it is that this guy thinks makes him better than me.”

  “Austin, I’m not sure where you got that idea…” Maverick begins.

  “Oh, don’t act like you didn’t come here thinking you actually had to try. We can all see you’re under the impression that you just need to show up and after your suspension period is over, you’ll go back to Colorado like none of this ever happened.”

  A wicked grin takes over Austin’s face as he looks at me. “And anything that did happen will be gone.” He makes an invisible ball with his hands and slowly moves them apart. “Poof!”

  He’s really trying to get a reaction from me. Has this entire night. He knows there is something going on between Maveric
k and me, but what I don’t understand is why he wants us to make the wrong step. Why doesn’t he just out us himself?

  If it weren’t so silent from the scene Austin has caused, I would have missed the small growl Maverick released with his long sigh.

  “Austin, why don’t you head inside? I’ll be right along behind you. We can discuss whatever you have on your mind in private. Let everyone else get back to the party,” he says, rising his glass with a chuckle. “Work talk always has a way of sneaking up at a party, doesn’t it?”

  A few join him in his laughter while others continue to stare with concern.

  With furrowed brows and a grim smile, Austin takes a step toward Maverick. He tosses his beer into a nearby trash, and I jump when the bottles clank together.

  “I better do what you say now, shouldn’t I … boss?” he says, right before ramming his shoulder into Maverick.

  My hand flies to my mouth. If Austin was looking for a reaction, he’s about to get one. Maverick takes a long swig of his beer before slamming it into the same trash, making the same noise. I follow right behind Maverick as he heads inside with Austin.

  “Maverick, don’t do this,” I call after him. The fact that we haven’t discussed work or us further since that night means he probably has a lot of frustration built up. I know I do. But I can’t let him take it out on Austin. Not here.

  “Go back to the party.”

  “Not without you.”

  “Beth.”

  “Maverick,” I say. He isn’t the only one who gets to be mad.

  He stops and faces me. I glance back at the party that is out of sight now that we are on the side of his uncle’s house.

  “Don’t give him what he wants,” I say.

  “I can’t let him get away with what he just said. It’s not right and it’s sure as fuck not okay.”

  I release a sigh and lean back against the house.

  “A small part of him might be right, though,” I say, fully aware my words could cause a fight. “Please don’t hide it from me.”