Chapter Thirteen

Beth

I left before the fireworks show and before Maverick could find me. It was the coward’s way out, and fully not my style, but something is going on here and I don’t like the way it makes me feel. Unsure. Unsure about everything in my life. I hate this feeling. It’s god-awful and I don’t know what to do to make it go away.

I’ve got my computer and paper in front of me. I noticed a few things that could have gone differently tonight, and not just the stupid dancers who showed up.

I should have known right away Austin had set those women up with the job, but a small piece of me—no matter how much I enjoy being with Maverick right now—might be looking for a reason to end this sooner than waiting for the end of the project. I mean, come on, only one of us gets the job, he’s clearly hiding something, and this connection we have, it won’t last forever. We all know Austin won’t get the job, so that leaves only me and Maverick. And he’s already an employee. The whole thing sounds messed up and unprofessional. That’s exactly why I avoided him tonight. I want to scream. Scream at everyone for whatever the hell is going on because I seem to be the only person who doesn’t know what is going on.

“Your lover boy just pulled up out front,” Abby says, walking into the kitchen. Clearly Maverick is keeping his word on coming over. He better not expect to get any from me tonight. Not until I have the answers I want at least.

“Should I let him in, or are you going to let him keep knocking?” Abby asks.

I hadn’t even heard him at the door.

“I’ll let him in,” I say.

I jerk the door open and stand there, arms crossed. I’m right in the center so there is no way he can get past without moving me first.

His shirt is untucked from his jeans and the top button is undone. He gives me a tight-lipped smile that just screams he knows he’s got some explaining to do.

“If you let me in, I’ll tell you whatever you want to know,” he says.

“Am I working hard for a job I’m not even being considered for?” I ask. The answer to this question will determine if I let him in. Please don’t say I’ve been busting my ass for nothing.

He sighs. “I don’t know what their plan is. I don’t even know if I’ll still have a job when this is over.”

I don’t move. I just keep staring at him. Waiting for some sign that he’s feeding me some bullshit story or maybe for him to elaborate, but neither happen.

“Fine, I have more questions,” I say, stepping back for him to come inside.

“I’d worry if you didn’t.”

“Why, hello, Maverick,” Abby coos from her doorway. “I’ll just be in my room if you need me.”

Maverick chuckles at her serious tone.

“She’ll be fine,” he says.

I cross my arms and glare at him. He’s speaking for me now … this guy is just full of surprises.

“I wasn’t talking to her,” Abby grins. “You’re the first man she’s let back in here after a fight. She usually just cuts it off because no guy is worth the time.”

“Abby,” I say, hoping she’s finished. Let’s just share everything with him.

“Hey, you used to be predictable. Then this guy shows up and we all have no idea what you’re going to do.”

I grab a pen on the counter and throw it at her. She closes herself behind her door just in time.

“See, she is already throwing things!” Abby yells through the wall.

“If it helps any, you’re the first woman I ever felt I owed an explanation to,” Maverick says, watching me from the couch.

His admission stabs at my chest. If this is new for him, too, perhaps I can hold back the bitch in my tone. I nod, because it does help, and then sit next to him.

“Why don’t you start from the beginning, and if I have any questions when you’re done, we’ll go from there,” I suggest.

“Okay.” He pauses. “A few months ago, my father announced that I was in line to replace him at his retirement. It’s a couple of years away, but still, there were quite a few employees who felt this was inappropriate, considering I’ve only been there a couple of years and they’ve been there much longer. They don’t think I can do the job. And maybe they were right because about a week before the program started,” he pauses again, “I slept with a woman who turned out to be the wife to a gentleman we were preparing to sign a contract with.”

Whoa.

Maverick continues to stare at my coffee table as he goes on.

“I had no idea who she was when I ran into her in the lobby. Somehow her guy found out, they showed up at the office, and there was a whole spectacle when I arrived that day. It didn’t look good and we lost the contract.”

Yikes.

“Later, my father told me that maybe he rushed things by hiring me right out of college. That maybe I need to earn the spot like the rest of them had to. So he sent me here. To prove I am meant for the business.”

He finally turns to look at me. He needs this job, but so do I. The pain in his eyes almost makes me not want to ask the questions I still have.

Almost.

“What happens if they do choose you? Will you go back or stay here?” I ask.

“I’ll go back and resume my position in Colorado.”

“And if they don’t pick you?”

“I lose my job with the company.”

“Fuck,” I say. “That’s intense.”

“I didn’t ask any questions. I didn’t even argue with him. He’s right. If I want to be president, I need to prove I’m the right man and that this company can rely on me. He’s my dad. I let him down and that’s just not something you do to family, you know?”

I’m not sure how I should answer that, given the relationship I have with my family, so I don’t say anything.

“So, what happens at the end of the three months? To us?” The question surprises me more than it does him. I don’t do relationships. I can keep telling myself that or face the truth: Maverick and I are in a relationship of some kind, and right now, I don’t see it ending well for either of us.

“I’m not sure,” he says and pulls me close.

I have the good hunch I’m setting myself up for heartbreak.

Maverick

The movie credits are rolling and Beth is soundly sleeping against my side. I’m not sure how much of the movie she watched before she fell asleep, but I hardly watched any, and there is no way I can fall asleep right now. Not with my mind racing over everything. I wish that work and responsibility weren’t such a huge factor in my life. And if I’ve learned anything about Beth in the short time I’ve known her, it’s that she is very dedicated to her work and she really wants this job. When she asked me earlier what would happen when this was over, I didn’t know what to say.

“The menu screen has replayed like six times now, and I know you’re awake and could shut it off,” Beth says, stirring and sitting up. “So what’s got you so distracted that I have to listen to the damn song again and watch that silly kid keep dancing on the screen?”

I look up to see the guy from Super Bad still dancing, just as she said. I grab the remote and power off the TV.

“I’m just trying to think of a way that this works out for everyone,” I say.

“You’re still thinking about work?” she asks. “Maverick, you can’t dwell on it or bad things happen.”

“Bad things don’t happen just because you dwell on something.” I laugh.

“Yeah, they can. You think about it too long, you start missing facts, and then your story gets mixed up and you think you misunderstood something and that you really can do something about it, but really you can’t because it will make it worse.”

What is she saying? Is she sleep-talking?

“Oh, don’t furrow that brow at me. You know I’m right,” she says.

“You could be, but maybe when you’ve been awake you could explain it again in more than one sentence and a little bit more clearly.”

She shoves me, grinning as she does so.

“So, what were you thinking about?” she asks.

“How … I don’t want to lose my job, but I also don’t want you to not get one either.”

“Yeah, I think that too.”

Something in her tone just now doesn’t sound like she’s too concerned on the outcome. “But you’re not worried?” I ask.

“Of course I am. Getting this job means … it means I get to stay here where my life and my friends are.”

“You can’t stay here if you don’t get it?”

She glares at me; that wasn’t the question to ask.

“No, I can’t, Maverick, because like you said before, you can’t let family down. If I don’t get this job, I’ll be moving to take care of my mother so my brother can have a shot at his dream job.”

She stands and crosses her arms, her hip popping to the side as she looks at me.

“We both have things at stake here, Maverick. Please don’t act like you’re the only one who will lose something if they don’t pick you.”

“I didn’t mean it like that, Beth. I just, I don’t know what do here. And for someone who made a huge deal about not sharing secrets, don’t you think telling me about your family is something you could have shared weeks ago?”

“It’s not like you asked about them.”

“You’ve never even mentioned them. I thought that was a sign not to bring it up.”

“So I’m just supposed to say, ‘Ask me about my family’?”

“I think we are getting off subject here.” I pinch the bridge between my eyes.

“I don’t want to argue with you.”

She sighs and her chin drops to her chest. “Fine.” Her response is quick.

“I’d like to think they are going to pick two people,” I say, bringing us back to work talk. “But what happens if they don’t? What do we do?”

“We find new jobs. We move on. It’s going to suck, but it’s not the end of the world,” she says, clearly looking past what I was really asking.

“Beth, I meant what happens to us? This.” I point to her and back to myself. “What are we going to do?”

She shrugs. “I’m sure we will figure it out.”

“It’s that easy?”

“If we let it be, yes, it is.”

“Even if one of us gets it and the other doesn’t?” I ask.

She hesitates. “Yeah.”

I don’t think she even believes her last answer.

Beth takes her seat back on the couch.

“Can we change the subject?” she asks.

“Of course,” I say. She’s right. This is depressing, and if our time is limited, and it could be, I don’t want to waste it.

“Or we could not talk,” I say.

Her glowing green eyes look up to mine, and she smiles.

“That’s a mighty fine idea.”

I capture her lips against mine as she crawls into my lap.

This, this is so much better than thinking about work. Even if it will only make everything feel right for a fraction of the night. In the morning, I’ll try to think of a new plan for us. One that gets us both what we want.