Page 49 of Deal with Mr. Cruel

“Mae, there you are,” said Jonas, standing up nervously. Why did he stand up? He stood awkwardly for a moment and then sat back down. He watched Mae hold back a smile as she took a seat in front of him.

“I got caught up with a schedule conflict for Braydon’s trip.”

“Oh. That’s all right. I was beginning to think you were avoiding me.”

“Maybe a little,” she said softly.

He furrowed his brow. “Why?”

“I’ve just been going through a lot, and you tend to complicate things.”

“Who, me?” Jonas asked, acting innocent, holding his hand to his chest.

“Oh, stop. Now, let me look at these post-its.”

For the next hour they went through the talking points for the meeting. It was close to feeling normal. Mae was closer than she had been the past two days, but that was only because shehadto be. Still, Jonas was happy for it. He breathed in her perfume and studied her face as she concentrated on working through his idea of organization. He loved the way her brow furrowed when she was studying his handwriting. He loved when one blonde tendril of hair would fall in her face and she would tuck it behind her ear, only for it to fall thirty seconds later. He loved the way she placed the tip of her pen against her lips, which sat like plush, pink pillows on her perfect face.

She looked up and caught him staring intently. “What?” she asked, tilting her head.

“Nothing,” he said softly, shaking his head.

She looked at him for a moment longer before accepting his answer.

“You should really get a notebook,” she said, stacking the sticky notes on top of one another. “This is not the most efficient thing.”

“It’s worked for me,” said Jonas, leaning back in his chair and looking around his office.

Mae rolled her eyes. “You ready for the meeting?” she asked.

“Areyou?Nico is going to be there.”

Jonas knew Mae’s relationship with her brother had been rocky since he found out about them. At first, it was satisfying knowing how worked up Nico was. Of course, it was unprofessional to barge into his office like that, but clearly Jonas had finally gotten to him. Another bonus was the anger Mae felt that had led to some pretty amazing sex. But still, Jonas could see how the issue with her brother was wearing on Mae.

“I’ll be fine. Just please don’t try to rock the boat.” She gave him a look.

“I’m not the one who came in here, guns blazing.”

“I know. But still. Please, Jonas,” she pled.

Jonas nodded. “Okay.”

They stood up and walked down the hallway toward the elevator. They waited in silence until the doors opened. Jonas was surprised to see Wendy and Victoria standing inside.This won’t be awkward,he thought sarcastically, as they stepped inside. He greeted them both with a tight smile, and pressed the button for the doors to close. He could feel Victoria’s eyes burning a hole in him until she went on to looking Mae up and down judgmentally. Jonas stood a little closer to Mae, just to make his point. Wendy was smiling at them like a child. Yep, definitely awkward.

Jonas was relieved when they reached the conference room floor. Most of the office was sitting around the table, ready for the meeting. Jonas took a seat at the head of the table and Mae took the seat next to him. Just then, the team ambled through the door loudly.

“Quiet down, boys,” said their new trainer, who was trailing behind them.

The team nodded in unison and leaned against the back wall. They weren’t usually at meetings, but since they were a big part of tomorrow’s festival, they had been called in. Jonas spotted Nico, who was staring down at his feet, making it clear he had no interest in being there. He looked to Mae, who glanced at her brother sadly before going through the stack of sticky notes. He needed to make this right. Eventually.

“Thank you all for being here,” said Jonas as he stood up. “I appreciate all the hard work everyone has put in this week to make sure our festival is a success. There are a few final details to discuss for the day of.”

He turned to Mae, who began listing off different tasks. Everyone listened intently while typing notes into their phones and adding to-dos to their planners.

“Now, about the auction. I hope you boys are ready,” said Jonas, looking at the team.

“Bring on the cougars!” shouted Chad as he beat his chest.

The team whooped and slapped each other on the back.

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