“What is she talking about?” Maddy turns to me, her voice wavering. “Because I’mreallyconfused right now, and I don’t think this has anything to do with the reports.”
“Actually, what I’m referring to relates to his calendar,” Marissa gives an icy smile. “Which days are you penciled in to be bent over his desk? Tuesdays and Thursdays? Those are the days he always preferred it with me.”
That does it. Maddy’s face goes a ghostly shade of pale.
I push back from my chair and jump to my feet. “Maddy…”
She stares at me, her lips barely moving as words tumble out. “You slept with…her?”
“Many times,” Marissa answers before I can. “In thisveryoffice.”
“No, we didn’t,” I explode. But it’s too late.
Maddy spins on her heels and bolts from my office, disappearing somewhere down the hall before I can even comprehend whether there was any fucking truth in Marissa’s words.
I shove my chair back into position, tucked under my desk, and then head for the door to chase after Maddy. Marissa steps in front of me, though, placing a hand on my chest. I instantly step back as if she burned me, and she gives me a cruelly sympathetic look.
“You need to give her some time to process that.”
“There’s nothing to process,” I growl. “You meantnothingto me.”
Marissa steps back, tilting her head at me. “You know, a couple of months ago, that would’ve broken my heart. But now? I just feel sorry for Maddy. Because don’t you think she deserves to know that you were fucking me? Right before her? I only feel that it’s fair. I mean, we allworktogether.”
As much as Ihateit, Marissa is right.
I should’ve told Maddy about what happened…
She shouldn’t have heard it this way.
Chapter 31
Caleb
Dinner tonight with Maddy’s friend, Riley. That’ll be fun.
And a little stressful. Maddy warned me that Riley isn’t so sure about the dynamic between the four of us, and I have to admit, it’s complicated. I don’t blame her for being concerned about her best friend.
I stare at the computer screen, attempting to read the proposal response from one of the investors, when I get distracted by a noise.
It’s not a knock. It’s more like a thud—a soft tap. I glance up to see the source, and catch sight of Maddy standing in the doorway, arms wrapped around herself, chin tucked in, eyes glassy and red.
My stomach drops through the floor. Immediately, I’m out from behind my desk, moving to her. “Hey, Maddy. What’s going?—”
“Fucking Marissa.” She interrupts and pushes past me, straight to the leather chair that sits across from my desk. She collapses into it, hands coming up to cover her mouth.
I shut the door and turn the lock, unsure of what the hell is happening right now. I want to ask her what’s going on, but she looks too upset to answer.
I make my way to her and kneel down in front of her, trying to get her to look at me. “What’s going on, baby? Did something happen?”
Her lower lip quivers, and she avoids my gaze. “Sorry, I just…” Her voice trails off and then grows sharp. “Yeah. Something happened.”
“What was it?” I reach out and place my hand on her knee, desperate to give her some sort of comfort.
She flinches at the contact, and I instantly feel guilty. I pull my hand away, but she grabs it and places it back. “It’s probably nothing.”
“Come on, Maddy. What happened?” I press, needing her to open up and let me in.
She shakes her head, tears spilling down her cheeks. I sit with her quietly and let her cry. She obviously needs to just get it out. I’ve always found that if you just hold space long enough, the words eventually bubble up on their own.
