Page 87 of Not As Advertised

My gut clenched with guilt. I was a complete asshole.

Thank god for Claire and Mom.

With my thoughts clear from the panic I’d been drowning in for the past few days, I realized I had no idea what was going through Abbie’s mind. I hated not knowing how she was doing or if she was okay. My phone had been strangely silent since Jack’s call. The office hadn’t contacted me all week. How was Miles, even with Abbie’s help, fielding all the requests? If she felt anything like I did, I couldn’t imagine how she was managing all that extra work on my behalf.

Stripping off my clothes in the en suite, I turned the shower water to just below scalding, and I tried to imagine what it was going to be like in the office now that we weren’t togetheranymore. If I couldn’t fix things, how could I pretend I wasn’t hopelessly in love with her?

God. What if she left the company and I never saw her again? The idea of Abbie disappearing from my life made me physically ill.

There had to be a way to fix it.

Two hours later, I arrived at Appeal. I’d texted late last night that I’d be back in town for the start of the business day. Jack had sent me a meeting invite for 9:00 a.m.

I’d texted Abbie a few times, asking to talk later today, but she hadn’t responded. Not that I could blame her.

My plan was to bypass our floor completely and head straight to Jack’s office. If she hadn’t texted me back by the time I was done with the meeting, I would seek her out at her desk.

Jack was on the phone when I entered his office, but something he saw on my face must have signaled that I wasn’t prepared to wait.

“Listen, something just came up. Let me call you back shortly.”

He hung up as I moved to stand in front of his desk.

“Aiden, sit.” Jack gestured to one of his chairs. Not looking to start this conversation off on the wrong foot, I did as he asked.

“Jack, let’s cut through any bullshit. Thank you for the no-questions-asked time off. I had a family emergency, and I’m very grateful to have been able to drop everything and get to LA. I know I’ve royally messed up, and I want to clear the air.”

Jack sat back in his chair, resting his hands on the armrests.

Blowing out a breath, Jack began. “Aiden, I can accept your apology. Despite only being here a few months, yourleadership is exemplary. This situation with Ms. Summer notwithstanding.”

I nodded as he continued. There was a major “but” coming.

“But with the rumors that have made the rounds in the office, the board had to be made aware of the situation. The nature of the rumors was concerning because you’ve both signed conduct clauses in your contracts. I wish you had come to me first.”

My fists clenched where they were resting on my thighs. Jack was right. I should have been transparent with him when I decided to pursue Abbie.

“I didn’t want you to be blindsided by a summons from the board before talking with you. Before we plan for the fallout of your actions, I want to hear your side of things. When I hired you, I never thought you’d bring scandal to my doorstep.”

The optics of the whole thing were shit, I knew.

Jack continued before I could respond. “Since we’re just having an informal discussion, you’ll need to excuse my language. But what the fuck were you thinking, Aiden? Do you know how bad that looks for you? For the company?”

The truth was, I wouldn’t be able to defend my actions. They weren’t logical. Despite my fears about my relationship with Abbie, I had no regrets about my decisions as an adult, except for my behavior in the last twenty-four hours.

My biggest mistake was ending things. Sitting in Jack’s office, I wasn’t worried about my own job or how much money I could lose. Abbie was all I could think about. And how I had destroyed my right to be there for her.

Abbie thinking I didn’t love her sounded a whole hell of a lot worse than finding a new job. My mom’s and sister’s reckoning clarified my priorities. I knew I could make it through a rough patch in my career, but I wasn’t going to make it without her by my side for the rest of my life.

“I don’t know where I stand now, but I’m willing to accept the full consequences of my choices. Call a meeting. Let me speak to the board to make sure they understand my commitment to Abbie and Appeal. I believe this can work if they are willing to forgive my lapse in judgment. Please.”

Jack narrowed his eyes, searching my expression for something. Hopefully, he saw my genuine remorse for putting the company in a bad position. I felt bad about that, just not enough to change the past or what I was planning to do next. A knowing look came into Jack’s gaze.

“Okay, Aiden. I’ll call an emergency meeting and let you make your case.”

“Thank you.” I had places to be and apologies to make. I wanted to wrap this up.

“Look, Aiden, Ms. Summers is on leave for the next two weeks. She had more than enough vacation time accrued to take some time for her decision.”

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