by Chelsea Hale
She put her purse down, lugged her suitcase upstairs, and forced herself to unpack before checking her e-mail again. It’d been three weeks since she’d seen Alice and Derek. She and Alice had exchanged a few e-mails back and forth, but not a single line from Derek.
And then it happened. A ringtone from downstairs. Her heart raced as she skipped every other step to get to her phone. She pulled out the phone and an unknown number appeared on the screen with the location of New York.
She answered, but the masculine voice greeting her back wasn’t Derek’s.
“Is this Miss Jones?”
She gripped the phone, her heart sped up. Was it The Edge? “Yes.”
“Miss Jones, my name is Adam. I’m Mr. Thompson’s assistant.”
Adam was calling her to connect into Derek’s office. Derek had warned her that multiple people screened his calls and dialed for him. She didn’t quite understand that, but it didn’t matter, here was the moment. “Adam, hi. Congratulations on the birth of your baby. I saw some pictures on Derek’s phone.” Her heart fluttered. She’d be talking to Derek soon.
“He is a cute one, Miss Jones.”
The pause felt long but she wasn’t sent to Derek’s phone. Finally she said, “How can I help you, Adam?”
“This is kind of awkward to bring up, but Mr. Thompson said he’d arranged for you to create custom art for our nursery.”
Derek had taken her up on her offer to help. He hadn’t forgotten about her. “Yes. That’s right. He wasn’t sure if the mockups would work. I have others you can look at if you want.”
“My wife loves them. Don’t change a thing.”
Mandy put a hand to her heart. An interior designer didn’t want to change anything about her quick designs. “Thank you, Adam. I just need the size of the walls, and I can get started.”
“I’ll e-mail them over to you. The address on the card is the right one?”
“Yes. I’ll have it finished in two weeks.” That was when her next companion cruise was.
“Mr. Thompson informed us of how busy you are traveling, so please don’t rush if it doesn’t fit into your schedule.”
Derek knew she’d been traveling and hadn’t wanted to add extra pressure. But he could have sent her an e-mail or a text if he was too busy to call. She liked Adam and wondered how he was able to be so laid back with Derek for a boss. Adam would be easy to work with. “It’s no trouble.”
“Is there anything else you need besides the room measurements?” he asked her.
“An address for delivery.” Would it go to Derek’s house first so he could present it in person? It wasn’t a surprise since the person who’d receive the gift was making the arrangements. She imagined Derek was busy on a call or in a long work meeting. Did he ever think about her the way she did about him?
“I’ll add that in. Also you can respond to the e-mail and send an invoice, and Mr. Thompson will take care of it.”
When she’d come up with the idea to help Derek, she hadn’t thought about payment. It hadn’t even crossed her mind. She’d thought about the person she was trying to help. Bringing money into her gift to help him stung just a little. She wouldn’t send the invoice, but Adam didn’t need to know that right now.
“Perhaps I should talk about the payment with Mr. Thompson personally.” She held her breath, wanting to hear Derek’s voice.
“No need, Miss Jones. Besides he is in a meeting and asked me to handle this. Even if you sent it directly to him, I’d still see the dollar amount of the bill. Just send it directly to me.”
It was worth a shot. “Thank you, Adam. I look forward to working with you.”
Chapter Eighteen
Talking to Adam brought Derek to the forefront of her mind. Mandy waited on hold for The Edge. Her nerves tingled as the same instrumental song played on repeat.
“Miss Jones?” a female voice finally came on the line.
“Yes, I’m here. I was wondering about the status of my portfolio.”
“Your portfolio looks good, and you’re one of our most talented freelance designers.” The woman paused.
Starting with praise without an offer sounded too good to be true. “But?” she asked tentatively.
“We can’t offer a change at this time over the phone.”
Not over the phone, but they’d do it in person? “I…can come in for a meeting. I’ll be in New York in a few weeks.” Or she’d come whenever it made sense to get an in-person interview.
Computer keys clicked through the phone as Mandy waited. The woman gave her a date just after a cruise. “There’s only a fifteen-minute block open. That’s the best I can offer.”
Fifteen minutes wasn’t a full interview slot but they already knew the work she did as a freelance artist was good. Meeting in person was a formality. She could make it work if she changed a plane ticket. “I’ll take it,” Mandy said. She would land the position with The Edge and then she would call Adam and have him schedule her into Derek’s calendar.
After getting the measurements from Adam, Mandy worked hard for the rest of the afternoon getting the sizes and rough drafts ready for her art project. She spread out on the kitchen table and went to work.
Each art piece needed to connect with the others, but in a non-matching way. She’d connect the colors but changed the patterns on each of the animals featured. She was doing three large wall hangings on stretched canvas but decided she was also going to do a small tabletop picture in a frame that had Caden’s name and all three animals next to it.
She’d done the rough blocking and was on to some of the detail in the first piece when Jenny came through the door, carrying her briefcase and a box full of legal documents. She dropped the box on the floor with a huff.
Mandy stood up from where she’d hunched over her art and rolled her neck then greeted Jenny at the door.
“It’s about time you’re home,” Jenny said. “I’ve missed you. We need to catch up. I want to hear all about your travels and Derek.”
Mandy eyed the box they stepped around. “Don’t tell me that is your idea of fun this weekend,” Mandy said. Jenny worked long hours, and then filled her weekends with more of the same.
Jenny blew out a breath. “This is a big case, with some even bigger complications.” She grabbed a water from the fridge.
“Is Coco at a wedding shoot tonight?” Mandy had hoped to spend time with her roommates while she was in town. She’d be gone again in a couple weeks for a cruise out of Miami, and then depending on Liz’s schedule, Mandy hoped to visit Liz in New York for a week and see Derek.
“Peter and Coco are shooting a destination wedding this weekend for one of Coco’s old friends. They’re in Hawaii until Wednesday.” Coco filmed weddings, and her boyfriend, Peter, did wedding photography. It was practically a perfect personal and professional picture.
“I guess I’ll forget about the ice cream in the freezer then.” Mandy went back to working, lightly drawing in the details of the patterns on the elephant.
“Do you have a sundaes for breakfast story?” Jenny’s long brown hair was coming loose at the sides from the elegant updo she had it in. Mandy wondered if Jenny would ever consider chopping her hair. Just a little.
Mandy wished she had a story to share over ice cream with her roommates. It was one of their favorite traditions. “You know that moment when you hope you have something to say about a guy, and then things fizzle, and you still hope you’re going to be talking about him soon?” Mandy couldn’t quite tell the look on Jenny’s face, but it seemed to be understanding. “Well, that’s where I’m at.”
Jenny laughed a bit. “Me too, actually. I guess that’s the problem with mixing business and pleasure, you can’t have it both ways.”
Mandy had only mentioned Derek once, but at this point she wished she hadn’t been so eager to tell her roommates about him. Oh well.
Jenny’s vague advice always seemed to hit the nail on the head. That was Mandy’s problem. She’d been trying to
mix business with her personal life. No wonder she was burned. No wonder Derek had Adam call her instead of doing it himself. The thought stung. Now there wasn’t even business between them. She sighed. Try as she might, she couldn’t figure out what had changed. Or maybe she’d just imagined the whole thing in her head. But their kisses said otherwise.
Maybe they were just too different. They figured out how to get along together on a cruise where the responsibilities were limited to Mandy making sure Alice had a good time. Now that Derek was back in New York City, maybe life was too busy for him to fit her in his life.
She needed to change her focus and not think about Derek. “Looks like you have a lot of work this weekend,” Mandy said, eyeing all of Jenny’s files.
Jenny frowned. “You could say that. Always work. Sometimes I wish it didn’t run my life so much. But I guess you have to put in the time to be successful, and that’s what I want.”
That was probably what Derek wanted too. To be successful. Maybe they could get to know each other outside of the cruise and see if things could work. She could show him that she wouldn’t get in his way of being successful. It was worth a try. She glanced over her art for the nursery. She’d finish these up and take her next cruise, and after that she was headed to New York to see if it would work out. She had to try.
Chapter Nineteen
The lights of the New York City skyline illuminated in stark contrast to the black sky. Derek knew the noise and bustle was out there, on the streets, but everything was still in his office. It reminded him just a little of the pirate night on the cruise. There was dancing and noise on the lower deck that he and Mandy had been removed from, as they danced under a blanket of stars in the sky.
Looking back, that was a moment that he stepped outside of himself. He called her out on her observing everyone else, instead of living in the moment, but he’d really been talking to himself. So he had danced with her and kissed her. And therein lay his mistake. He’d gotten attached. And now back in the packed city he loved with the job he’d worked his whole life for he felt it. Empty.
Try as he might over the past couple months, he wasn’t able to get rid of it. Surrounded by people and employees he became aware of just how apart he was from it all. He ate and drank business. He’d slept at his office on more than one occasion, convinced he had too much to do to allow him the luxury of his own bed. The cruise had shown him life could be different. He shook his head, not allowing himself to go there again.
He wouldn’t think of Mandy for the rest of the night. Wouldn’t think of how her words sliced through him. She’d done her job. She’d given Alice a great vacation, and Mandy had only put up with him because she had to.
Derek ignored the thoughts and swiveled his chair around. He’d still put in a few more hours of work making sure everything was ready for his presentation to the board tomorrow.
His cell rang. “Thompson here.”
“Sorry to bother you at home.” Adam’s voice came through the line. He had taken a half day off today.
“Still at the office finishing up.”
“Should I come back in?”
Three months ago, Derek wouldn’t have even let Adam take a half day, but Caden was sick and Derek was going to stay late regardless. It was easier focusing on work. “No need. How is your son?”
“He’s doing better. Your gift arrived today. Thank you. Mandy’s work impressed Kira. You have a very talented friend.”
He wanted to see what she’d come up with. Adam had coordinated all of it at Derek’s request. Maybe Adam would take a picture and show Derek. Then he’d have Adam contact her and thank her. “Did the invoice arrive for it?” There was a long pause. “Adam?”
Adam cleared his throat. “Mandy didn’t want payment for it.”
Derek rolled his eyes. “I don’t accept that. Did we pay for shipping?”
“She said she didn’t want to wait, and she’d do it herself.”
Stubborn woman. “Ask her again.”
“I did. She said if you have any questions about the gift she’d be happy to answer them directly.”
Mandy was baiting him. She wasn’t going to get away with that. He’d have Grams talk to Mandy. He couldn’t do it. He’d been putting in longer hours to keep his mind off of her. Calling her was out of the question.
Adam cut through his thoughts. “She’s very nice to gift it, and my wife thinks maybe her friends would like similar work done. Would you mind if Kira contacted her?”
“Mandy is talented. You have her contact information. I know she does custom work when she’s not traveling,” he said, wondering if at least the extra work would compensate her for the expense of her gift. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night.”
After the board meeting the next morning, Grams pulled Derek aside. “You’ve got the board eating out of the palm of your hand,” she said quietly. “Well done. Your grandfather would be proud.”
“Thanks, Grams.” He looked around the room at those still mingling, not wanting to be overheard. “Will you join me in my office?” He had nine minutes before his next appointment.
Grams nodded and followed him down the hall.
Derek ushered her into his office and closed the door behind them.
“This place holds memories of visiting your grandfather here,” she said wistfully. She eyed the large globe on the wood pedestal and spun it a few times. “I used to spin this, and he’d tell me as soon as he retired I could spin the globe, and we could go wherever I pointed to.” Her eyes glistened.
Derek pulled her into an awkward hug.
She sniffed. “I’m glad you joined me on the cruise. It was like a little piece of him was with me. I had so much fun, it’s hard to be back somedays.”
Derek agreed inwardly but couldn’t bring himself to tell Grams why. “Have you heard from Mandy?” Maybe Grams would get through to Mandy that she didn’t need to gift the art to Adam. It was worth a try.
Grams straightened, her smile returning. “We’ve e-mailed a few times. Does she want to come for a visit soon? I could have the house on Martha’s Vineyard ready by the end of the week.”
“I haven’t spoken to her. But she gave Adam a gift for his baby. Courtesy of me. Three large wall hangings and Kira can’t get over how nice they are. She’s even talking Mandy up to her friends.”
“That’s great for Mandy.” Grams’ eyes searched Derek’s face, and Derek made a conscious effort not to look away.
“Yes, but the stubborn woman isn’t taking payment for them.” He didn’t like owing people anything. This was a transactional agreement. It should be held up by both parties, not gifted. It only made the heartache for her worse.
Grams smiled. “That sounds like her. Very generous and giving and aware of the needs of her friends.”
Friends? They weren’t friends. They weren’t anything, anymore. Besides, he didn’t need Mandy’s generosity. He could afford to pay whatever price she asked for. He didn’t need to take her charity. “I was hoping you could talk to her about it. Make her send me the bill.”
“And offend her?” Grams tsked. “I couldn’t do that. Why not ask her yourself?”
Derek shrugged. “I delegate those tasks.” He couldn’t tell her why he was avoiding her.
“Yes you do,” Grams said, laughing a little. “Well maybe I will give her a call and see how she is doing? I’d love to see her again. She’s full of life and fun to be around.”
“Things are different now, Grams, she’s not your traveling companion anymore.” Sure, she was full of life and fun to be around on the cruise, like Grams said, but she had to be that way with everyone. He didn’t want to tarnish Grams’ memory of the cruise by explaining that he read Mandy’s real thoughts and she wasn’t as sincere as she seemed. He only said, “She isn’t going to keep in touch with every companion she’s ever had.”
Grams’ face dropped as she looked back at the globe sadly. “I know. I miss what we had on the cruise.”
Derek turned to his desk to gather his things for his next meeting. “So do I, Grams.” But wishing that he could unread Mandy’ note didn’t make it possible. Every memory was embedded into his mind, and the sooner he could pay her for the art, the sooner he could move on from it.
Chapter Twenty
Mandy stepped off the plane and then walked out of the JFK terminal. Only a few hours ago she’d disembarked from her Caribbean cruise. Giddiness washed over her. Here she was in New York City, going to spend a week with Liz and Tyler.
With her luggage in hand she took the Airtrain into the city. A woman with curly red hair waited when Mandy got off at her stop. Liz Lakewood.
Liz squealed. “It’s so good to see you!”
She gave Mandy a big hug, then her husband, Tyler, did the same. He took her suitcase.
“It’s so good to see you guys too!” Mandy said.
“Are you hungry? Are you tired?” Liz asked. “We should drop your suitcase off before we show you around.”
Tyler gave Liz a kiss. “Let her catch her breath.”
Liz laughed. “Sorry, I’m just so excited to see you! It’s been too long.”
“I’ve missed you guys too. It’s been a busy summer traveling for me.”
“It sounds like it. I can’t wait to hear all about it.” Liz wiggled her brows up and down.
The view from Tyler and Liz’s apartment overlooked Central Park. Mandy sucked in a breath. “Wow.” The city spanned in every direction, and she wondered what Derek was doing. She still didn’t have his number and hadn’t heard from him, but she could always call his assistant. In the end, she knew she would never call Adam. Not until she was sure she wouldn’t be rejected, like she’d felt for the last couple of months.
“It’s something, isn’t it? I’m still not over this view,” Liz said. “So, food, museums? We could go to a show tonight? What are you up for?”