Page 100 of Say You Remember Me
“Oh, I actually already heard from her this morning.” I paused, smoothing the folded blanket and setting it on the foot of the hospital bed. “We have a video call scheduled for this afternoon when I’m at my dad’s house and have decent Wi-Fi.”
“You’re heading to your dad’s house?” There was a beat of hesitation in his tone, like he wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or not.
“Lexi and Noah are taking over the next shift here so I can go back and get his house tidied up and ready for when he comes home.”
“Does that mean you know when he’s getting discharged?”
A small smile crept onto my lips, the weight in my chest lifting slightly. “The nurses said tomorrow, as long as he behaves and takes it easy.”
“That’s amazing,” Ian said, the warmth in his voice like a balm to my frayed nerves because he actually cared—not just about my dad, but about what this meant for me. And that care, so genuine and unforced, made my heart ache in the best possible way.
“Yeah,” I said softly, my fingers brushing over the corner of the blanket. “It’s such a relief.”
A moment of quiet settled between us before Ian’s voice came through again, lower now, more serious. “Listen, Maddie…I just want to say I’m sorry for dragging you into all of this. You’ve already been dealing with so much, and then I go and make everything worse. If you’re mad at me—or if you want to quit—I get it. I’ll give you the best recommendation I can…though, with the headlines, I’m not sure how much that would help.”
I let out a small laugh, even as a knot of tension twisted in my stomach. “It’s fine, Ian. Not fun or ideal, but I’ll survive. I just hope people don’t think I was trying to, you know, sleep my way to a big raise.”
The other end of the line went completely silent, and for a moment, I thought maybe I’d shocked him into speechlessness. A smile tugged at my lips as I teasingly added, “It’s nice to be the one throwing the shocking comments around for once. Usually, that’s your job.”
His chuckle came a second later, awkward and warm, and I imagined him running a hand over the back of his neck. “You caught me off guard, that’s all.”
His voice, his laugh, everything about him made my heart squeeze, and for a moment, I let myself revel in how much I liked talking to him. Even with everything going on, it was momentslike this—easy, light, filled with something I couldn’t quite name—that made the world brighter.
I considered asking if “sleeping my way to a raise” was actually on the table, just to see how Ian would respond, but I held back. That was a line I better not cross—not when my mind was already doing a poor job of keeping things professional. Thinking about Ian in strictly work-related terms had become almost impossible, thanks to the way his kisses had burned themselves into my memory.
The thought of our last kiss—the way his hands had gripped my hips, his body pressing me firmly against the wall—flashed vividly in my mind. Heat surged up my neck, and I had to force myself to focus. “So, uh…exactly how much detail did you have to go into during your interview with Marsha? Does she know the…full extent of our interactions? Or did you keep it mostly about the fake engagement?”
There was a pause, and I could hear Ian exhale softly before he answered. “I told her how the situation came about. And…” His voice dipped slightly, like he wasn’t thrilled about what he had to say next. “And I mentioned that we kissed. A few times. But that it didn’t go further than that.”
“Okay.” The word came out quieter than I’d intended, and my cheeks burned as my heart thudded harder in my chest. This was the first time we’d actually acknowledged those kisses out loud.
Had he thought about them as much as I had? Had they left the same lingering effect on him, the same spark that felt impossible to extinguish? I hoped so.
But then again, I’d been wrong before. I’d let myself believe things were one way when they weren’t—like I had with Jaxon, spending nearly a decade thinking he might someday love me enough to marry me. That he’d see me as something more than the mother of his child.
The memory stabbed at me, but I shoved it aside. I couldn’t dwell on that now. Not when there were more pressing things to worry about, like keeping my job and salvaging my reputation. I just hoped Ian’s family and the people at work didn’t look at the shopping spree, the ring, and the headlines and think I was trying to gold-dig my way into the Hastingses’ family fortune.
“Thanks for the heads-up,” I said finally, my voice steadier than I felt. “I better get going. I need to head to my dad’s house and prep for the call.”
“Of course.” Ian’s tone softened. “Good luck with it. And…let me know how it goes, okay?”
“I will.”
As I hung up, I exhaled a shaky breath and stared at the screen for a moment, my thoughts swirling. If I could just get through this call with HR without losing my job, then maybe I’d have a chance at figuring out if I had a future with my boss.
I sat at my dad’s kitchen table later that afternoon, the faint hum of the air conditioner the only sound in the otherwise quiet house. My laptop sat open in front of me, the camera angled just right, though I’d already checked it at least three times.
I’d told myself to stay calm, but as Marsha’s face appeared on the screen, my stomach twisted into knots.
Hopefully, I don’t screw this up.
“Good afternoon, Maddie,” she said, her tone calm but focused. “Thank you for taking the time for this meeting today.”
“Of course,” I said, clasping my hands in my lap to keep them from fidgeting. “Thank you for being flexible with the video call.”
“No problem. We want to make this as smooth as possible.” She smiled slightly, adjusting her glasses. “Now, if you’re ready, we’ll go ahead and begin.”
I nodded, my heart thudding against my ribs.
