Matt

"Mr. Dahl?” My personal aide buzzed me on his intercom, startling me from my thoughts. "You asked me to remind you that you have the department meeting in ten minutes."

I leaned forward to press the button to respond. "Thank you, Cheryl." I stood to stretch and straightened my suit coat. It wasn't uncommon for tech CEOs like myself to take a much more casual approach these days, wearing shorts and flip flops, even pajama pants, in to the office, but that had never sat well with me. When I put on his suit each morning, it was like I was donning armor, preparing myself for the day to come. Style, or lack of it, was both a reflection of who you were and a reminder of what you aspired to be. And I had never aspired to be a beach bum hippie type, which is what the shirts and flip flops ensemble represented to me. I didn't care how much those guys made; I was focused on building myself as much as I was focused on building my business.

I was grateful for Cheryl's reminder. I'd been lost in thoughts of her again. When I'd discovered Mae missing that morning, I had taken it in stride, or so I thought. But on the drive back, my brain insisted on dwelling on it. It was common courtesy to at least leave a note. Maybe it was being back in that town, dredging up the childhood memories and feelings of abandonment, but by the time I'd reached the city, I was burning with indignation and a desire to turn right back around, track Mae down, and make her explain herself.

I knew that was crazy, though. It had been a one-night stand. I couldn't expect her to take my personal hang ups into account. We'd had a good night, a really hot, sexy night, and if she didn't want to ruin it with morning after chit chat, I should be thanking her.

I started making my way to the developers' floor. It would be nice if I could address all of IT at once, but the developers were, as far as I was concerned, the heart and soul of the company. I didn't do much development these days, but that was where I had started, building this company from the ground up. Now, I had teams for sales, teams for research, teams for operations. It was hard to believe that this had all started as a one man operation.

I nodded to each person I passed, greeting them by name when I could. And that was most people. I made it a point of pride that I could identify any person who had been with the company six months or more by name and position. So it didn't surprise me when I exited the elevator and instantly recognized the woman walking past, her skirt long enough to cover all the basics, but short enough to keep it interesting. What did surprise me was who it was. But I'd recognize those curves anywhere. They'd been staring in my dream every night since I'd met her.

"Mae?"

At the sound of her name, she stopped and turned, a look of confusion on her face. But if I had any questions about whether she would remember me, they were gone once her eyes met mine. She recognized me all right.

"What in the world are you doing here?" I asked.

"I work here," she said, and that damn determination that originally drew me to her flashed across her face. "I told you, I make my own way."

"That was what, three months ago?" Two months, twenty days, to be exact, but who's counting? I told myself it was because it was Gracie's funeral, that's why I remembered the date so clearly. I knew I was full of shit.

She tossed her hair with a triumphant smile. "You actually gave me the idea. I researched paid internships, and here I am." Another look crossed her face. I wasn't sure what it was, what it meant, and before I could dig in, it was gone, and her expression was guarded. "What are you doing here?" she asked suspiciously.

"I... have some business here." I had told her I owned a software consulting firm, right? I knew I had, because I had offered her a job. But clearly I hadn't told her anything else about it, or she might have connected my company to me. I don't know why I didn't just come out with the full truth right there. I knew I wanted to crack open that emotional armor that had just slammed down between us, and hiding who I was wasn't going to help. She'd find out soon enough. I was surprised we hadn't run into each other yet as it was.

I couldn't help myself. I stepped close to her. She stepped back, but I followed. I had to ask her. "Why did you leave without saying goodbye?"

Her lip trembled, and I couldn't help but think how bitable it looked.

"It was just a thing, Matt. Just a night."

Something in her eyes said it had been more than that. But if she had thought of me the way I had been thinking of her, why was she holding back now?

"It would have been nice to see you again," I said simply.

She looked like she was at a loss for words, and then shrugged. "I'd love to have answers for you, Matt, but I don't right now. I… I can't talk. I have to get to a meeting."

Without saying goodbye, she turned and walked away. I took the opportunity to enjoy the view as I followed her. I didn't know how this happened, because if her name had crossed my desk in the new hire information I would have noticed, but if she was headed where I thought she was heading, this department meeting had just gotten much more interesting.