CHAPTER TWENTY
Tara
My eyes narrowed as Zach walked across the room. Paisley and I were in the middle of a great conversation when he barged into the conference room. He was almost always the last person I wanted to see, but in that moment, my animosity toward him was stronger than ever. I tried to remain composed when he stopped in front of me, but I knew my face betrayed me.
“Good morning,” Zach said brightly. He looked from me to Sean to Paisley and back again. “Who’s this?”
I glanced at Sean to see if he would answer. His face was like stone as he stared at his brother. I never found out what happened between the brothers, but I knew that wasn’t the moment to ask. I moved closer to Paisley and wrapped my arm protectively around her shoulder.
“This is Paisley,” I said loudly. “Sean’s daughter.”
Paisley moved closer to me while I spoke. She melted into my side, and I could tell she was nervous. I didn’t blame her. I’d known Zach for years and he still made me nervous every time he walked into a room. He had that effect on people.
“Paisley,” I said gently. “This is Zach. Zach Yates.”
I let the introductions stop there. It wasn’t my job to explain to Paisley that Zach was also her uncle. I glanced at Sean. His eyes were glued to his brother’s face. Zach acted as if I hadn’t spoken. He took a step toward his brother with a malicious look on his face.
“This isn’t a daycare,” he said. “It’s a place of business. You can’t just bring your bastard children here whenever you want.”
Sean took a step forward, but I was faster. I moved to stand in front of Zach, putting my face inches away from his. He looked surprised by my sudden movement, but he quickly recovered. He grinned at me in that way I hated.
“You need to leave,” I said simply.
“Excuse me?” Zach asked. He raised his eyebrows.
“Get out,” I said. My voice was low. Dangerous. I’d never stood up to Zach before. It felt good, but that wasn’t the reason I did it.
I glanced around Zach and saw Paisley watching me with wide eyes. She didn’t look scared, but she was confused. She didn’t understand why everyone seemed so angry. I wanted to protect her.
“This isn’t your conference room,” I continued. “We’re working in here, Zach. You need to leave. Now.”
Zach stared at me with mild amusement. His lips spread into a slight grimace that made him look like a movie villain. As we stared each other down, his grimace turned into a sickening grin. I had to fight the urge to slap him across the face. I could almost feel the sting of his skin against my hand.
“Okay,” Zach said slowly. “I’ll go.”
Zach turned to leave, and I exhaled slowly. I watched him walk across the conference room with my fists clenched at my sides. When he was almost to the door, he turned back around and looked between me and Sean. There was something almost too understanding in his eyes. My stomach flipped nervously.
“You need to work, anyway,” he said. “If the numbers don’t increase within the next month, you’re gone.”
With that, he turned and left the conference room. The door slammed behind him, and I flinched at the sound. My eyes closed for half a second before I remembered I wasn’t alone. I turned to face Paisley with a smile that I hoped didn’t look too fake. Paisley smiled back, but it didn’t reach her eyes. I knew she was upset by what just happened.
“You didn’t have to do that,” Sean said from behind me. I turned to face him. He was standing at the back of the conference room, leaning against the wall. His hands were clenched just like mine, and his face looked pinched with effort. If that encounter had been hard for me, I couldn’t imagine just how difficult it was for Sean.
“I wanted to,” I said truthfully. “I’ve put up with Zach for too long. He’s a prick and someone needed to put him in his place.”
“Yeah,” Paisley said. “He is a prick.”
Sean and I looked at Paisley with surprise. My eyes widened and I had to fight back a laugh. When I turned back to Sean, he was smiling but trying to hide it. I mouthed an apology to him, and he just shrugged and laughed. We looked at each other for a few more seconds while the tension faded from the room.
With Zach gone, I went back to my conversation with Paisley. She showed me a drawing of a treehouse that she did recently. It was beautiful and so well done that it took my breath away. I glanced up at Sean to find him watching us again. I could tell he wanted to be more involved, but I didn’t know how to bridge the gap between him and Paisley.
It wasn’t my job. Not really. Still, I felt guilty knowing how badly Sean wanted to know his daughter. It was easy for me with Paisley. We bonded instantly because there was no pressure to do so. I came into her life out of the blue, and she just connected with me. It was simple, fast, and nice. For Sean, though, I imagined it was a struggle.
From the look on his face, I knew he appreciated my presence. He smiled faintly while Paisley and I talked, but I could see sadness behind his eyes. He wanted to be in my position. He wanted to sit with her and look at her drawings. He wanted to hear her talk with such excitement about each one. I smiled at him, trying to convey everything I felt without words.
“These are amazing,” I told Paisley kindly. “I can’t believe you really drew all of this.”
“They’re okay.” Paisley shrugged. “My friend Amber is way better. She can draw anything.”
“Anything?” I asked with raised eyebrows. “Really?”
“Really,” Paisley said firmly. “She’s so good.”
“I bet you’re better,” I teased.
Paisley smiled and rolled her eyes. She continued to flip through her sketch book absentmindedly. I patted her on the back and stood up. I watched her as I walked over to where Sean stood against the back wall.
“Hey,” I said softly so Paisley wouldn’t hear me. “I’m sorry about this. I don’t mean to overstep or intrude or anything.”
“You’re not,” Sean said kindly. “She loves you.”
“I don’t know about that,” I laughed uncomfortably. “I think she just needs someone to talk to who isn’t…”
I trailed off, not wanting to finish my thought. I didn’t know what I was going to say until it was already halfway out of my mouth. Once I realized what I was about to say, I wished I could take it back. I grimaced apologetically and looked down at me feet.
“Someone who isn’t me?” Sean asked softly.
“I didn’t mean that,” I said quickly. “I’m sorry.”
“You’re right,” Sean nodded. “It’s not your fault. It’s hard for her. Being without her mom. Moving in with me. She probably just needs to talk to someone who’s removed from the situation, who she doesn’t have all this pressure to get to know.”
“I know it’s hard for you, too,” I said.
I looked into Sean’s blue eyes, and my heart ached from him. Just like at the museum, I was overcome with a desire to take his hand in mine. Only now, it was different. After the night we spent together, everything was different between us. I felt it, and I knew he felt it, too.
Before that day, I decided to pretend like it never happened. I convinced myself it was just a mistake, just a meaningless mistake. I spent all day Sunday regretting the previous night, but now that I was face to face with Sean, I couldn’t regret anything.
I felt more conflicted than ever as we stood there, side by side in the conference room. His eyes just as focused on mine as mine were on his. There were a thousand unspoken words being said between us in that moment, but I still wasn’t sure what they were. I didn’t know how Sean felt about me, and I certainly didn’t know how I felt about him.
My entire life had suddenly been thrown off course. One day, I was going full steam ahead. I focused on my career. I built a name and a life for myself. I was independent and goal oriented. I may have worked too hard and spent way too much time stressing about my job, but I was happy. I was content. I was comfortable. Then, Sean came into my life and flipped everything on its head.
Now, I didn’t know which way was up.
“We should get to work,” I said weakly, finally tearing my eyes away from Sean’s face.
“Yeah,” he said. He cleared his throat and glanced over at Paisley. “We should.”
Sean and I sat down at the conference room table and went over his schedule for the week. I went over the notes I took about his first meeting with the press, and he listened politely. He didn’t speak except to answer my questions, but I knew he was listening. He never once looked away from my face. I tried to stay professional, but I could feel myself blush every few seconds.
I finished going over everything on my list and stood up to stretch. Sean followed suit and Paisley closed her sketch book to look over at us.
“All done?” she asked.
“Yup,” I smiled. “You guys are free to go.”
“What about you?” Paisley asked quickly. “Are you done working today?”
“No,” I laughed, “I’m never done working.”
“Oh,” Paisley frowned. “Never?”
“Well, not never,” I corrected. “I’ll just be here really late.”
“Maybe you could come over after?” Paisley asked hopefully. “When you’re done?”
I looked at Sean for a second. He just stared at me, waiting to hear my response. When I didn’t give one, he stepped forward and cleared his throat.
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” he said. “Tara is really busy, Paisley. She has to work.”
“But I mean after work,” Paisley insisted.
I smiled at her persistence. She reminded me of her dad more than ever. My head spun and my heart pounded. Everything between Sean and me was so confusing. I didn’t know what we were or weren’t. We hadn’t even talked about what that night meant, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to. I didn’t know anything except I couldn’t disappoint Paisley.
“Maybe this weekend?” I asked, glancing at Sean to make sure that was okay.
“Really?” Paisley asked, bouncing up and down with excitement.
“If it’s okay with your dad,” I said. I raised my eyebrows questioningly.
“Sure,” Sean said. He smiled at me slowly. “Sounds like a plan.”
“Great!” Paisley squealed. She ran over and threw her arms around my waist. I hugged her back tightly, not wanting to let go.
When she and Sean left the conference room, I watched them go, feeling more miserable by the second. I was no longer just struggling with my feelings for Sean, I was struggling with how much I’d grown to like Paisley. She was a bright, funny, talented little girl, and I loved getting to know her. Spending time with her was quickly becoming one of my favorite ways to pass the time. I didn’t want to give it up.
I sat down at the table and put my head in my hands. I breathed slowly, trying to clear my head. The day wasn’t over. I still had a lot more work to do, and now, I was more confused than ever.