Chapter 24

Rainey

The elevator couldn’t get down the shaft quick enough. By the time I reached the lobby of Michael’s building, my eyes were burning with angry tears. I couldn’t believe I’d been so stupid. Everything I’d thought about Michael was true. He was a liar, and I should have trusted my instincts. Just because he was rich, that didn’t give him permission to treat people that way.

I nearly sprinted through the lobby to get out of that building. I didn’t even care how I looked. And I hoped Michael had the sense not to follow me. I imagined his piercing blue eyes fixing me in place and demanding I tell him why I left.

I reached the curb and hailed a cab. Luckily Michael’s home was on a busy street. I wanted to get as far away as quickly as I could. And it was downright freezing outside. Getting to the train wasn’t an option today.

I gave the driver my address and leaned back in my seat. I turned to the building and said a silent “good riddance” as we drove off.

How could I have been so foolish? I thought there was something real between us, and I had gone against everything I believed for the chance to be with him. He seemed sincere when I questioned him about his secrets. And granted, I’d kept the biggest one from him; mine wasn’t nearly as bad as his.

Thinking about it, I barely knew the guy. I allowed myself to be swept away by him and his good looks. Which is how I always seemed to get into trouble with men.

I looked out the window at all the passing cars. The monotony of the drive to my home cleared my head. I was going to have to face Michael eventually. He was my boss after all. I’d come clean about my feelings for him and that we were moving too quickly into something more serious. I’d demand we keep things professional from now on. Honesty was best, no matter how awkward it might feel to admit my feelings for him.

I’d learned that from the toxic relationship with Killian. Showing Michael my feelings by kissing and nearly screwing him at the lodge was easy. Speaking face to face would be harder, but I wasn’t a pushover. I needed this job, and I was going to do whatever I had to keep it.

What the hell had gotten into me? How did I ever think this was going to turn out okay? I had to be losing my mind.

For the rest of the ride home, I came up with multiple scenarios on how to tell Michael that I wanted to remain co-workers for the time being. It helped ease my mind a little bit.

I needed to talk to someone about this, though. Mom would be the perfect sounding board. She was always rational and remained impartial. Sometimes it got on my nerves, but I needed her practical brain right now. I hated to admit I almost slept with my boss but if anyone wasn’t going to judge me, it was her.

When the cab pulled up to the house, I was surprised to see their car wasn’t in the driveway.

I paid the cab driver and got out, checking my phone. It was after three. They were probably out getting Tanner from school.

Crap! They expected me to be at work, so there was no rush for them to come home. Sometimes they stopped for coffee and hot chocolate at the local cafe. Calling her home wouldn’t work because Tanner would then be home and I’d needed her undivided attention.

I went inside the house and stripped out of my work clothes and into sweats and a long-sleeved shirt. I grabbed the landline and called Tessa.

She picked up on the second ring. “Why are you calling me from home at this hour?”

“Hi, to you too,” I said.

“Aren’t you supposed to be at work?” she asked.

“Aren’t you?” I threw back. I wasn’t in the mood for our normal banter.

“I am at work.”

In the background, I could hear thumping music and women’s voices, one of them was cackling with laughter. “Oh, should I call you later?”

“No, I have a coloring on a timer. I have, like, ten minutes to chat. What’s up?”

I sighed and told her everything. About the lodge and almost sleeping with Michael. I left out the possibility of his connection to anything illegal. Until I had solid proof, I wanted to keep that part to myself. Besides, Tessa already thought Michael had ties to the mob, and I didn’t want to be a part of that rumor mill. I assumed the rumor had stemmed from his money and his connection to his brother’s nightclub, Kadia.

“So, I went over to his place this afternoon,” I said.

“Nice! What was it like? How do the one-percent live?”

I remembered the luxurious penthouse with fondness. “It’s really nice. Like the nicest place I’ve ever seen. You could probably fit two or three of my parent’s houses inside.”

“Damn!” she said. “Okay go on.”

“Everything was going great. Then he kissed me. Then his butler and security man asked him to go into his office because someone was there.”

“Who was it?”

I imagined Tessa chewing on her nails at that moment. It was a terrible habit but one that she couldn’t shake no matter how hard she tried or how many time I told her. “It was a woman. The one who owns the lodge we went to this weekend. I knew it was her because she’d practically naked in the portrait above the fireplace. There she was standing in his office. She jumped into his arms and kissed him.”

“On the mouth?”

“On the cheek. But I didn’t stick around long enough for it to get more hot and heavy.”

“What did you do next?”

“I left and came straight home. I wasn’t going to be a part of that.”

“Have you spoken to him yet? Has he called you to see where you went?”

“No,” I said, and I didn’t plan on talking with him for the rest of the day, even if he did call. I needed a break from him and what I’d seen. I’d go into the office tomorrow refreshed and ready to work.

“Well, maybe you can lie and tell him that it was an emergency with Tanner. I’m sure he’d understand,” she said. “And then you can tell him about wanting to be professional at work. So then it might not be as awkward as you think.”

I hesitated.

“Rainey?”

“I haven’t told him about Tanner yet.”

“What? Still?”

“I’ve been avoiding the topic.”

“Rainey, if you can’t be honest about your son, that’s a big sign saying that Michael is probably not the one.”

“Only because I don’t want to use Tanner as an excuse for anything. I want to keep my job.”

Tessa sighed. “I’m not seeing why lying is the best answer. The longer you hold that back, the harder it’s going to be to tell him. And I’m pretty sure he’s not going to feel great about you lying to him when the truth comes out. Lies, even small ones, can affect a relationship big time. Remember Killian?”

“Of course I remember Killian. But this is different. I’m not lying to him.”

“You’re lying by omission, girlfriend.”

This was not how I wanted the conversation to go. We got off track completely.

“My mom is pulling up with Tanner,” I lied. “I should go.”

“Call me later if you need me. I should be out of here by seven.”

“Okay,” I said then hung up.

Mom wasn’t home, but I didn’t care to stay on the phone with her if she was going to be argumentative. She had no idea what it was like in the corporate world where most of the bigwigs were men. Working in a boutique salon, she surrounded herself with other women who didn’t judge anyone with a kid. If I walked into the interview with Michael and said I was a single mother living in an apartment over my parent's house outside the city, he might never have hired me. He’d probably think I couldn’t handle the workload. But he and anyone else who thought that way was wrong. I only needed the opportunity to prove that.

I’d tell him eventually if it ever came up. But since I was going to act more professional when it came to Michael, getting personal with him wasn’t a part of the plan.

Talking with Tessa did nothing to settle me about the whole situation. I wondered if Mom would feel the same way. I knew I was lying to Michael, but that might be the one thing that kept us on that professional level. If we didn't get in too involved in each other's personal lives from now on then, we might have a shot to make this work.

My stomach started to settle with my new decision. I was going to handle this like the adult that I was and admit to Michael that we made a mistake and it could never happen again.

I started dinner to distract myself. My parents and Tanner arrived home forty-five minutes later.

“Mommy!” he said and jumped into my arms.

I squeezed him tight against me. My love for him filled my heart and mind, taking away any thoughts of Michael for the time being.

Mom walked into the kitchen, removing her scarf. The static electricity made her blonde bob stick up from all angles. She attempted to smooth down the locks. “You’re home early. If I had known, we could have come home sooner.”

“It’s fine,” I said, walking over and kissing her on the cheek.

She held me at arm’s length and narrowed her eyes. “Did something happen?”

I flashed a quick smile. “No, Michael had some meeting to go to and gave me the rest of the day off.”

I made a point to glance at Tanner. Mom understood that I didn’t want to talk about any of this in front of my six-year-old son. His tendency to tell everyone about everything he heard was endearing yet most of the time not helpful. Especially if he said something to my ex during their visitations.

“What’s for dinner?” Tanner asked.

“I’m making mac and cheese,” I said.

“Yummy!” he jumped up and down, clapping his hands.

I wanted to use up all of the staples that I’d bought when I wasn’t working. Once I had a few paychecks under my belt, I wanted to fill my refrigerator each week with fresher ingredients. Unfortunately fresher meant more expensive so I needed to save. And I planned on putting aside money each week to repay my parents for their generosity, even though I was sure they wouldn’t take it. I’d have to find a way to sneak it into their home somehow.

“I’m going to start dinner for your father,” Mom said. “How about I come up later for some tea?”

I would rather something stronger, but I wasn’t about to say that in front of Tanner. Before I knew it, Killian would probably come after me saying I was an alcoholic. I didn’t blame Tanner for his big mouth, but I avoided any important conversations around him at all costs. At least until I could teach him to keep some things to himself.

After dinner, I sat with Tanner on the couch and watched the Cooking Channel with him. He loved to experiment in the kitchen, and he enjoyed watching the chefs on the television turn a bunch of ingredients into a delicious dish.

I smiled, thinking that I’d be able to foster that love for cooking when I had a little more money. Eventually, I hoped he would be able to turn that into a career that made us all proud. I wanted to give my son every opportunity to thrive and succeed since my journey hadn’t been as easy. As much as it would hurt my pride, I’d apologize to Michael so we could all move on with our professional lives.