Page 42 of A First Sight

As I headed over to Uncle Ben’s office, Mel hurried off. Usually, I would know his schedule, but I couldn’t remember if I asked him to order lunch for us, much less a single thing I assigned him to do.

Shite.

I sighed. My mind was too distracted to be much good here. I tried to get Maggie out of my head before, and it didn’t work. Now that I spent time with her, I couldn’t see how it’d be possible.

“Uncle Ben.” I tapped on his open door. “Mel said you wanted to see me?”

“Close the door and have a seat.”

I suddenly felt like I was nineteen again.

“What happened yesterday?” he asked, getting straight to the point. “I thought you’d come by first thing this morning and tell me, but you’ve been locked in your office since before I got here. Mel says you seem out of it.”

“Mel came to see you about me?”

“I asked him,” my uncle corrected. “And he’s as concerned about you as I am.”

Dammit.

He was right. After a moment to gather my thoughts, I explained everything. Well, everythingexceptthe kiss or the things Maggie said to me last night. Those were private, even from family. Once I finished, I held my breath and waited for him to respond.

Uncle Ben shook his head, disapproval written on his face. “It’s a bad idea to get this involved, Drake.”

“You would’ve preferred I let that asshole hurt her?” I fought to keep the anger out of my voice, but it seeped through.

“Of course not,” he said sharply. “But you said yourself that Maggie has family in the city. Once the police arrived, you should have let it go.”

“She needed my help,” I insisted.

“You’re enamored with her, lad,” his voice softened. “And I understand. She looks so much like Belle, I’m sure it’s impossible to see anyone else, but that makes it worse.”

I shook my head. “It might’ve started that way, but it’s not like that anymore. Maggie isn’t Belle. I see the differences. Personality. Likes. And even how she looks. Yes, the resemblance is still there, but I don’t see Belle when I look at Maggie. I just see…Maggie.”

Instead of the immediate dismissal I expected, Uncle Ben studied me in silence for nearly a full minute before something in his expression shifted. “You have plenty of vacation, and I’m still here to take care of any issues that come up, including handling your accounts if need be. Take some time off, even if itisat the last minute.”

“Oh, um, all right.” That wasnotwhat I thought he would say. “I’ll leave at lunch, then, if that’s okay.”

And that wasn’t what I thoughtIwould say.

“That’s fine. Log out of your accounts, and I’ll take care of things from there. Give Mel a call in the morning if you’re not coming in, and he’ll let me know.”

An hour later, I was on my way to my place, wondering what I would do for the rest of the day. Maggie didn’t specifically say her plans, but I assumed she had plenty of things to keep her busy. That was one reason I left instructions with the head of security—a pleasant army veteran named Murphy—to provide her with whatever she needed, be it a car or access to the penthouse.

Tonight, I’d decided I would cook dinner. I wasn’t a professional, but I knew my way around a kitchen. My housekeeper had bought the ingredients. I had hundreds of excellent wines in my walk-in wine fridge. I wouldn’t make assumptions about the wine, not wanting Maggie to feel this was a romantic date, but I had it on hand.

I spent the rest of the drive home planning the meal. It was too early to consider dating, not after the hell she went through.

However, I couldn’t keep two words from echoing in my mind.

Soon maybe…

THIRTY-FOUR

MAGGIE

I nearly droppedmy phone when I heard the door open, but a quick peek into the living room as Drake walked in slowed my racing pulse. I was on the phone with my oldest brother, Austin, and I hadn’t told him I was staying with a man. All Carson had told my family was that I was with a friend. The last thing I needed was for Austin to freak out about my ‘friend’ being a guy I barely knew.

Drake seemed surprised when he saw me, but simply nodded when I pointed at my phone. I returned to my room.

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