Page 12 of Collision

Chapter three

Mikaela

The only way to describe the sound that leaves my chest is a cackle. A witchy, heartfelt cackle. Max leans in to me as he wheezes, his hand holding my waist while I dry my eyes and try to calm down.

“He didn’t?” Another burst of laughter comes when I look into his wide eyes and he silently begs for me to believe him.

“I swear.” He sucks in a short breath. “He looked like he’d been caught shitting on someone’s doorstep as soon as he saw her and she was ice cold. No reaction.”

My head rolls back as I lean against the wall, still crying, still desperately trying to steady my breath before I have to see Jamie again, and Max leans against me. Our bodies shake in silence before he starts choking on another round of hysterical laughter.

“No one ever said anything about it again?” I push off of the wall as we both straighten up and he shakes his head, his eyes going wide with alarm.

“God, no.” The thought alone sobers him up enough to stop his laughing. Unfortunately, it only adds to mine. “I don’t think anyone wanted to get fired. I mean, he was so embarrassed. And then, when she published the story, she painted him as a bashful bachelor and girls were calling here all week because she published his photo with it. I think it was revenge. The whole office decided he was going through enough. It was our first big bit of press.”

“I can’t believe he never told me.”

“Why would he tell you, Mikaela? He slept with the girl, span some lie about having to leave town for a year and ends up interviewed by her the next week. That shit’s just embarrassing.”

I fall into another fit of breathless giggles as I lean forwards, my hand resting on Max’s forearm, and the doors slide open.

Almost immediately I feel the cool gaze of discontent washing over me and I twist my body to step out of the elevator, avoiding Ben’s eyes. Instead my gaze falls on his arm, tucked behind the office administrator, his hand clearly resting possessively on the small of her back. She’s staring up at him all doe-eyed and smiley and I step carefully out of their way as Max’s hand slips from my waist.

I don’t look back, even when I get to my desk. Instead, I take my phone and notepad out of my bag and try to ignore the burn of his eyes on me. I can see him from the corner of my eye, standing with his hands now shoved in his pockets and his focus completely trained on me. Max grunts something beside me, throwing himself in my desk chair, and watching the doors close in an excruciating display of time slowing down to extend my misery.

“Erm. Up please.” I smile softly at Max once Ben is gone.

“You know the pain in the ass has a thing for you, right?”

My stomach twists and I bark out a grim laugh.

“I’m glad you said that now and not before lunch, because that’s a sure fire way to put any girl off of her food.”

“Mikaela.” He raises his eyebrows at me as I push him out of my chair and roll my eyes.

“Max.”

“I saw the way you froze up when he looked at you.” There’s a playful shrug of his shoulders when he plonks onto the desk and picks up the stress ball I brought in this morning. “You sure there’s nothing there on your part?”

Putting my head in my hands I can’t help but feel drained already. This is one of the things I always hated when Haston would appear in my life; constant questioning. Constant doubt and justifications and not being believed. Just like that fucking night two years ago when he showed up in Boston and landed himself in our favourite bar of all places. Taking a deep breath, I remind myself that Max doesn’t know this.

“Completely sure, Max. There was just a thing this morning that has me on edge with him.” I smile softly as I look up, determined not to ruin a great afternoon with the heaviness of my life. “That’s all.”

Max nods, pushing himself off of my desk and smiling widely.

“Okay. You’ve got one smooth playboy incoming, FYI.” Max backs away towards his desk and pretends to cover his eyes in embarrassment as I stifle a giggle. Gratitude floods my senses and I thank the heavens for the way Max can ease back into simple fun so quickly.

Jamie stops at my desk with a pile of papers in his hands and an apologetic smile. The same smile he used one hundred times when we were kids. The same smile that usually means I’m going to have to do something he should be doing, or I’m going to have to cover for him.

“What do you want?” I frown and he sucks in a breath.

“I’ve got a potential new signing coming in in twenty. He’s big news, Mik. Publishing him could really put us on the map here.”

“But?” I prompt, knowing he’s not done.

“But I also needed to read and make decisions on these manuscripts that were sent in… by yesterday.”

Of course he did. And of course he’s now flashing his signature puppy dog eyes at me as he waits for my response.

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