Page 30 of Check the Halls
“Do you think he’ll sign my ass if I ask nicely?”
I give him a playful shove.
“Behave!” Honestly, it’s like everyone’s lost their minds. Ben is a big deal. I’ve known this for years. But to witness how people react to him is something else. I’m going to have to reconcile the version of him that I know to his public persona.
Another of my employees, Keely, walks by. Her dark eyes are darting nervously around the room as if she’sexpecting something to go wrong at any moment. She’s petite, barely grazing my shoulder, with sleek black hair cut into a sharp bob. I get the distinct impression she’d rather disappear into the nearest shadow.
“Hi. Everything looks great, Keely. Thank you for coming in early to set up.”
She nods quickly, her delicate fingers twisting together in front of her. “No problem.” Her voice is soft, but the way she shifts her weight from foot to foot makes it clear she’d rather be anywhere else.
I offer what I hope is a reassuring smile. “Could you check on lunch to make sure it gets delivered on time?”
“Absolutely.” She practically jolts at the chance to escape, darting toward the door so fast I barely have time to thank her.
I sigh, watching her go. One of these days, I’ll figure out how to connect with her.
I don’t have that problem with Ivan. He’s twenty-two years old with few boundaries and even fewer filters. It’s refreshing and mildly concerning at the same time.
“Well, I’m ready for my introduction whenever you’re ready to make it,” he sighs, almost wistfully.
“Introduce yourself,” I say as I bring up my email again. No new angry red messages greet me this time, thankfully.
“That appears to be working for someone,” he muses.
I lift my gaze to see Alyssa, next to Chanda, positively fawning over Ben. She’s wearing a dress cut just low enough to display cleavage, and she’s drawing more attention to it by holding her arms pressed together in front like she’s about to swing a golf club. Ben says something causing her to laugh and touch his arm.
I grit my teeth. It’s fine. Totally fine.
So why is my stomach tying itself into a series of complicated knots?
Ben looks up, meeting my eyes across the room. He gives me a look I’ve seen many times before. Mostly when my dad would interrogate him about his plans for the future. He’s asking me for help.
A feeling of protectiveness washes over me at his obvious discomfort, spurring my legs into motion. I’m the one who dragged him into this mess. The least I can do is save him from being shredded by Alyssa’s talons.
“You made it,” I say as I join him, Alyssa, and Chanda at the front of the boardroom.
“Wouldn’t miss it,” he says, giving me a warm smile. He’s freshly shaved, the sharpness of his jaw stronger than ever.
“Madelyn, it just occurred to me that you never told me how you two know each other,” Chanda exclaims.
Oh God. I don’t want to have this conversation with my boss. Or give Alyssa any kind of ammunition to use against me in the future.
Ben answers before I come up with a response. “We went to high school together.”
My chest tightened at the oversimplified backstory, but I silently thanked him for it. It was better this way. The last thing I need is to be the subject of office gossip.
“How wonderful,” Chanda says, beaming at me. “We’re so happy to have her join our family here. She has already proven to be an invaluable part of our team.”
Pride swells in my chest at her kind words.
“I don’t doubt it for a second,” Ben agrees, his voice soft. We hold each other’s gaze a bit too long.
“Yes, we all love Madelyn,” Alyssa adds and I can only imagine how much it pained her to say it. “Shall we get started? Ben, you’re sitting over here. Next to me.”
He doesn’t so much as look in her direction, but says, “Thanks, Alyssa.” His pronunciation was off and I’m surprised she doesn’t correct him.
Apparently it's only offensive when I do it.
