Page 16 of Bachelor CEO

He stood only a few feet behind her, whichmeant he must have crept up.

“Why would I feel guilty, and how long haveyou been standing there?” she shot back. He stepped forward and settled next toher. He was still dressed in what he’d worn to the party,putting her at a slight disadvantage in her thin T-shirt with nothingunderneath.

“Saw you come down and figured I’d find outwhy.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not trying to steal anythingelse that’s precious to you.”

“Testy, I see. Maybe you are guilty.”

She sighed. Somehow Chase always had the upperhand, even when the chips were down.

“I just needed a few moments alone,” Mirandareplied. “I probably should go. I have to drive home tomorrow.”

“Have you ever been out on the water?” heasked, removing his shoes as if he hadn’t heard a word she’d said.

She shook her head. “I’ve never been on anyboat, except for Walter’s anniversary cruise on Lake Michigan.”

“Then you were a deprived child.”

Perhaps it was the way he said it that madeher bristle and forget her urge to leave. “Not all of us were as fortunate asyou. Not all of us grew up with a silver spoon in our mouths and a job waitingfor us.”

“Yeah, a job that you’re determined to takeaway.”

“I’m only a vice president, and a second oneat that. Behind you,” Miranda reminded him, ignoring the fact that she’d dancedgiddily around her studio apartment the day she’d officially gotten the job.

Chase didn’t buy her explanation. “Semantics.You know as well as I do that my grandfather doesn’t intend for me to comeback. And don’t pretend that it’s not in your plan to make yourself so damnindispensable that even if I do return, the board will back you and not me forhis job.”

“That’s not my intention,” she protested,despite having fantasized about doing just that. What womandidn’t let herself dream, when the possibilities seemed limitless? At leastthey had on the day Leroy hired her.

Chase scoffed. “Yeah, I believe that as muchas I believe you just forgot to tell me about your job. We may have encounteredeach other by accident, but your actions once we met were calculated anddeliberate.”

“Really, they weren’t,” Miranda said. She hadto work with Chase. They needed to get off on the right foot if he was going tobe responsible for her training. “Perhaps we should start over,” she suggested.“Give ourselves until Tuesday to calm down and put this behind us.”

“And you really believe in that drivel? Thatwe can pretend nothing happened?”

“People do it all the time.” She jutted outher chin. “I want this job. This is a dream opportunity for me. You leavepermanently or come back after a year, I don’t care. My aunt never thought I’dget this far. I made something of my life and that’s all that matters.”

He stared at her a little more intently now,as if trying to figure out what she wasn’t telling him. But she refused toelaborate. “So whatever grudge you have, I’m here to do a job. Nothing more,”she finished.

“I wish I could believe that.”

She squared her shoulders. “It doesn’t matterwhat you believe. It’s the truth.”

“Truth is relative. Often meaningless. Ikissed you today. That’s the truth. But I guess itwasmeaningless. Just…”

“An awkward mistake,” she interjected quickly.Thinking about Chase’s mouth on hers had her temperature skyrocketing.

“Another mistake to be forgotten on Tuesday,as well, I gather.”

He sounded disappointed,which was funny considering he’d reacted so coldly in the boathouse.

“So we start over, as if we’d never met?” heasked.

“Fresh start on Tuesday,” she agreed, awarethat the air above the dock had become charged.

“Sotodayismeaningless,” he said. “I forgive you and you forgive me.”

Aware that somehow she’d started down aslippery slope, but not sure where it was leading her, she nodded. “Exactly.”

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