Derrick shut the door behind him. His fists were still clenched as he dug a beer out of the fridge. Embarrassment and shame burned his skin. How dare she bring up Catherine? He chugged the alcohol angrily. Had it really been four years now? It seemed like only a few months had passed. He had buried himself in work and meaningless sex as a distraction from the pain she had caused him. When he married her, he had meant for it to last. As soon as he had found out about the affair, everything had changed. It was like a switch had been flipped inside of him, cutting off all the love he had for her. She had betrayed his trust. Something like that couldn’t be rebuilt.
It was his anger and resentment towards Catherine and her lover that had made him promise never to date an employee, or anyone really. Now, this girl next door was in the picture, and he was on the brink of breaking his promise. She was impulsive, childish, and lacked any sort of real plan for her life. She was everything he hated in a person, so why was he so drawn to her?
His thoughts wandered back to her first night in that house when the alarm went off. She had been so beside herself and frazzled. It was easy to tease her and get under her skin. She wore her emotions on her sleeve and fought for what she believed in. Her first day on the job, she had gone viral in a coffee shop defending him. Derrick smiled remembering the video footage. She was so passionate, and despite himself he craved that. He had become so closed off to love ever since the divorce. Being exposed to someone with that much life in them was entrancing.
Maybe four years was long enough to punish himself. Maybe he had paid his penance for failing at his marriage. The truth was, he blamed himself for Catherine cheating. He had always felt if he had just done more then maybe she would have been satisfied. That was why he had thrown so much of himself into his business. He needed something in his life that he could control when everything else fell apart. Now, here he was calling Lizzie childish when he had been running away from his own emotions for four years. If there was one thing he couldn’t stand, it was a hypocrite.
Derrick peered out his window towards Elizabeth’s house. She wasn’t bringing any more boxes out. If she could set aside her childishness and show up at work tomorrow, then he could set aside his own issues and give her a chance. It would show she was at least trying to improve herself after he pointed out a flaw. He pounded down the rest of his beer.
The next day, Derrick got out of bed early and dressed himself for work. For the first time in years, he was looking forward to work for more than one reason. Nerves rolled in his stomach. He hadn’t been this hopeful about a woman in years. Now all she had to do was show up.
He paced back and forth at the office, waiting. In his excitement, he had shown up early. He checked his watch one more time. Derrick silently prayed for her to walk through the door. Each person who came in offered false hope. The minutes ticked by. There were only a few minutes left now before she was either late or not coming at all. A sad boulder of disappointment sat on his chest. He turned to walk back to his office when the sound of heels clicking across the tiles caught his attention. Derrick turned towards the door hopefully.
It was her! Elizabeth had worn a simple black dress with no frills or trace of childish abandon. She was all sharp lines and strictly secured hair wrapped up in a neat bun. She had taken his criticism to heart. He fought to keep his joy from showing too vividly on his face.
“Miss Adams, may I speak with you for a moment?”
“Yes, Mr. Page.” Her tone was cold and removed. It hurt him more than he expected.
He led her to his office so that they could talk alone. A thin layer of sweat had formed on his palms. It had been so long since he had asked a woman out for a proper date. He was out of practice. “I see you made it in today.”
“Yes, sir. I realized that you were right, and it was time for me to put away my childish emotions.” Her voice and face were bland as she spoke. Her spark was missing. “Did you have something work related to talk with me about? I really should be getting started.”
“I guess that will be all then.” Derrick couldn’t bring himself to do it. Not like this. She was being so distant with him. Everything felt wrong. He hadn’t wanted her to change completely. “Lizzie, it wasn’t my attention to hurt your feelings yesterday, I—”
Elizabeth held up her hand, “Not at all, Mr. Page. No need to explain. I should be going now.” She opened the door and left him standing there with an ache in his chest.
His computer chimed. Derrick clicked to open the attachment of the email that had just come through. The picture of him holding her from the photoshoot. The Page Industries logo was placed in the bottom righthand corner with the slogan, “Page Industries: Luxury Awaits,” written in curling letters. As he stared at the picture, he realized that the couple in the photo could become an actual reality. He had to admit, they looked good together. A smile crept across his face as he stared at her. Determination settled in his heart. He had to win her over, no matter what it took.