Page 13 of Almost True
Pride filled me at hearing just a few of Aidan’s accolades. It hit differently to know it was Aidan, of course, even though I’d been eager to meet the man behind the recommendation long before this moment.
Chad slow-blinked. “Good for you.”
Ah, there it was. One of many,manyreasons I couldn’t wait to get rid of this person. The only thing that could wow a man like Chad? More zeroes on the end of a paycheck. Julian Grenier had us all beat, and God bless him for it.
“Thank you.” Aidan’s eyes flicked to mine. “Would you like to reschedule?”
Warmth and goodness bloomed in my chest at his direct question.
“Please.” I managed not to continue and say,let’s leave here together and be alone.That wouldn’t be professional, and based on how things had proceeded, we were sticking with the formal meeting set up. We’d have much to discuss, and I only prayed he’d still give me the chance to do it tomorrow at coffee.
Nodding just slightly, he began gathering his things. Chad’s continued existence paired with the general frisson lighting up my entire body becauseit’s Aidan!meant I hadn’t managed any of this well, not at all like I normally would’ve, and I couldn’t stand it.
“Thank you so much for coming, Aidan. I appreciate your time, and I apologize for this.” I couldn’t pretend treating him like a business associate came naturally. All I wanted to do was hug him. Be close enough to him to assure myself we were, in fact, standing next to each other in real life and not during some midnight conjuring my exhausted, lonely mind had dreamed up.
Or, you know, I’d also like to kiss him. Like I’d never wanted to kiss anyone else in my entire life. And that made little sense in the real world considering we were acquaintances at best and strangers at worst.
That thought made my shoulders tighten with tension and regret. We weren’t anything right now. But that magnetic pull toward him hadn’t gone anywhere since yesterday or the last eighteen months.
“Of course. No problem.”
He left the portfolio on the table as he shoved a few things back into his bag. He had this purposeful, slow methodology about him, but something about the way he hadn’t looked me in the eye for the last half hour made it feel like he was in a rush.
“I think you sent them digitally as well. Is that correct?” Anthony asked.
“Yes. You should have everything. I’ll look forward to your call.”
Still no eye contact.
I stood and pushed past Chad as he tried to slide his seat back, rushing toward Aidan, who’d already made it to the door. Unable to stand the thought of him leaving without another word, without some kind of conversation to address what’d happened, how he’d found out who I was,anything, I reached for him. “Aidan, I’m—”
“Baby, let the man go! It’s a Friday afternoon and he’s been working all week!” Chad threw his hands out wide like everyone in his invisible audience would understand his perspective.
“Have a good afternoon,” Aidan said, and left, the door shutting firmly behind him.
“I am not, nor have I ever been, your baby.” My body hummed with so many conflicting feelings—regret to see Aidan go, irritation that Chad had said anything at all or was even here. But the baby, and the presumption, and the fact that he’d shown his face at all, meant my fuse was far shorter than it should’ve been. Maybe because I’d missed a chance to talk to Aidan, to really reconnect and help us past this crazy realization.
Anthony appeared out of nowhere, as he often did, and shut the door firmly behind him while giving me a meaningful look.
I revisited my well ofdon’t make a scene or you’ll end up on CNNand smiled at Chad. Then I threw that out the window because I should’ve said all this minutes ago, but my brain had been wading through the sludgy matter created by an upsetting phone call with my very misguided mother after Chad’s surprise arrival right as my meeting was about to begin, andAidan. “You can leave, Chad. I didn’t invite you and you are not welcome here. Please get your bags—they’re waiting in the hallway, so you won’t have any trouble finding them on the way out.”
His lower lip jutted out. “Really? You won’t even have dinner with me?”
Okay. No. The lip. The pout. None of it was going to work and I was just… done. “No. Since I had no idea you were coming and I didn’t invite you, I won’t. Add to that I don’t want you here, and I see no reason on earth why I’d bother having a meal with you.”
He reared back. “Didn’tinviteme? Your own mother invited me. She knows what I have to offer you.”
Goodness gracious, the man had fire in his eyes like this was truly a personal insult and he hadn’t weaseled his way into my house by showing up unannounced and playing on my desire to go without a public scene. It was only right that I turned him away myself rather than having security do it. My ghosting him for weeks clearly hadn’t penetrated his miraculously thick skull.
And though I knew it was a mistake to laugh at the man when his ego was the issue, I couldn’t resist the short chuckle. “What could you possibly have to offerme, Chad? You don’t like me. You like my portfolio. And I certainly don’t like you. Go, be free to find your dream woman. May she be even wealthier than me.”
He scoffed and looked genuinely horrified, but I just waved him off, totally done with him. “You can grab your things. I’ll have a car waiting for you whenever you’re ready.”
He shook his head, clearly disgusted with me.Oh darn.
I turned to find Anthony, but Chad’s voice cut through the air. “You know, you wouldn’t be such a lonely, work-obsessed shrew if you’d admit you need someone in your life.”
I straightened my spine and stopped just shy of flipping my ponytail over my shoulder becausegood riddance to you, sir.
