Page 16 of Accidental Wedding Crasher
“Definitely.” She grinned. “This place probably has some great food. I’ll get dressed, and we can go.”
“Perfect.”
Mia stood, letting the robe fall, and walked into the living room where her clothes were. More memories from last night rushed back, and it was all Evan could do not to follow her, pull her into his arms, and ask for a repeat.
His thoughts were interrupted by his phone ringing on the bedside table. He reached for it and swiped to answer.
“Good morning, Evan,” a male voice said.
“Michael?” Evan sat up straighter, rubbing his eyes. It was unusual for his assistant to call him in the morning like this. “What’s up?”
“I want to confirm if you’ll be back for the board meeting at eleven,” Michael said. “It isn’t too late to cancel if you want to enjoy the wedding.”
Michael was always trying to convince Evan to take time off and enjoy life, even though both men were workaholics.
“No, I’ll be there.” Part of Evan wanted to stay, but he really did need to get back for that meeting. The more he thought about it, the more the memories of his night with Mia were replaced with thoughts of all the work he needed to do. He hadn’t done any work the evening before, and he needed to catch up today or he’d risk falling behind.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.” Evan ran a hand through his hair. “See you in a bit.”
He got up, dressed, and washed his face before going out to the living room. Mia was wearing the lacy dress she’d had on for the wedding and was looking at her phone. When he entered, she looked up, smiling.
“Ready to go?”
“Small change of plans, actually.” Evan grabbed his suitcase, which he hadn’t even unpacked. “I need to head back to San Francisco.”
“Oh.” Mia’s face fell. “Now? I thought we’d get breakfast.”
“I know, but I have an important meeting, and I need to get back.”
“It’s a Saturday,” Mia pointed out.
“I know,” Evan repeated, “but work never sleeps, and I missed a whole day yesterday for the wedding.” He slid his feet into his shoes. “My assistant will be in touch with details about the wedding next month.”
“Right.” Her voice sounded strained, and when Evan glanced back, she was biting her lip. Regret rose in him. He’d felt more connected to her than he’d expected, but there was no way he could have a relationship with her. It would ruin his career, like Tyler’s marriage would ruin his. No, it was better to leave now and put some distance between them until the next wedding.
“I had a nice time,” he added, though the words sounded flat even to his own ears.
“Me too.” Mia looked away.
“Feel free to stay and enjoy the breakfast and the hotel as long as you want,” Evan continued. Again, he knew he sounded like a jerk, but it wasn’t like they’d made any promises to each other before spending the night together.
“Right. Thanks.” There was an edge to her voice now, and Evan took this as his cue to leave.
“See you in a month.” With that, he opened the door and stepped into the hallway. He didn’t look back as he hurried downstairs and went to his car. He needed to drive straight back to San Francisco if he was going to have any time to catch up on work before the board meeting. He didn’t even have time to stop for coffee, much less to analyze the night he’d spent with a beautiful, fascinating woman.
He’d made a mistake sleeping with her, Evan knew that; he felt too much for her now, and that wasn’t good for either of them. Yet he couldn’t bring himself to regret the time they’d spent together. It had been a wonderful night, and he was already looking forward to seeing her again in Italy, though he’d have to make sure to keep things strictly platonic.
Evan tossed his suitcase into the trunk of his car, slid into the driver’s seat, and pulled out of the parking area. He drove quickly toward San Francisco, his mind already full of details of his upcoming meeting and plans for the work he’d do when he arrived at the office.
If a few more memories of Mia crept into his mind, too, he pushed them away quickly. It wouldn’t do to dwell on her.
CHAPTER 8
MIA
“And that’s it. Have a great summer, everyone!” Mia smiled at her class, and they smiled back at her — mostly. A few of them still hated math and struggled with the subject, but most of them had found a new appreciation for numbers through her classes. She was excited to see them again next year. They always changed and grew so much over the summer, which she loved to see.
