She glanced at the bill and let out a gasp. “I haven’t ever seen one of these before.”
“Me either. He must have made a mistake.”
“Right, but I’m not holding on to that kind of money.” She picked up her phone and told Easton I was there over the intercom.
“Tell her to come in,” he said.
She smiled and nodded towards the door. “Go ahead.”
I let out a breath and then strode to his office, knocking lightly on the door. I opened it and then walked inside. “Hi, can I talk to you for a second?”
He glanced up from his desk, a smile on his face. The amazing view of the city from the floor-to-ceiling window behind him drew my attention momentarily. He cleared his throat. “Hey. What’s up?” He didn’t seem to be in a bad mood right now. That was good news.
I walked over to his desk and set the bill down in front of him. “You gave us five hundred dollars by mistake.”
He didn’t even glance at the money but kept his eyes on me. “It wasn’t a mistake. Why didn’t you use it?”
“We couldn’t....”
He leaned his forearms on the desk, a crease forming at his brow. “Was it too much?”
I laughed incredulously. “Unless you plan on bestowing that to all your employees, they might see it as favoritism.”
He winced and leaned back in his seat, folding his arms across his chest. “You’re right. I didn’t consider that at the time. I just…panicked.”
“Why?”
He ran his hand along his jaw, appearing to think of an explanation. “It doesn’t matter. Thank you for returning the money. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”
“You didn’t. I just didn’t want to take advantage of the situation. That’s all.”
He lifted an eyebrow as if not understanding. “What situation?”
“You and Lila. You were…you know.”
“No, I don’t know. Please enlighten me.”
“She…” My face heated, and I desperately wanted to leave, but I had his full attention and there was no getting out of this. “She mentioned the two of you mended fences. Bruce and I thought you handed us money to get rid of us so you could be alone with her.”
“Lila and I aren’t back together. She showed up unannounced, and I set her straight. Told her we’re done and not to return to my workplace.”
“Oh…I see.” So much relief flooded through me that I let out a breath and placed a hand over my heart before I thought better of it. “Looks like we misunderstood.”
“You did.”
“Well, it’s none of my business, anyway.” I walked to the door.
“Maya.”
I stopped and turned to glance at him. “Yeah?”
He leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes never leaving mine, a lazy smile turning up the corners of his lips as if something had just occurred to him. “When I said I panicked, it had nothing to do with Lila. I was jealous that you and Bruce were going to lunch together. I thought if I paid for your meals, you’d think about me instead of him.”
His statement was so bold that it took me off guard, and I swallowed hard, not sure whether to believe him or not. “You were jealous?”
“Yes.” He didn’t even flinch.
We both just stared at each other, and my face felt like it was on fire. Worse than that, it seemed as if all the oxygen had been sucked out of the room, and I couldn’t catch my breath. “I…I don’t know what to say.”
He sat up straight, resting his arms on the desk, the smile on his handsome face fading slightly. “I’m not asking you to say anything.” He shrugged as if it didn’t matter. “Doesn’t change our situation. We’re only friends, and that’s all we’ll ever be.”
I had no idea how to decipher that. Figuring out Easton was like trying to piece together a puzzle when several of the pieces were missing. “Okay…”
“Don’t overthink it, Maya. Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“No problem. I won’t give it another thought.” I put my hand on the doorknob and was about to turn it when he spoke up.
“By the way, I haven’t forgotten about your appointment tomorrow. Stop by my office when it’s time to leave. I’ll drive.”
I nodded and walked out, my heart thrumming in my chest, my face hotter than hot. I didn’t understand. He was jealous. He didn’t want me to think about Bruce, but nothing was changing. What was that supposed to mean? He had feelings for me but didn’t plan on doing anything about it? So confusing.
Verity glanced up at me as I walked out and then picked up her phone to dial a number. She put the phone down and did a double take. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine.” I sped past her and down the hall until I came to the restroom, my heart pounding in my chest. Once inside, I burst into one of the stalls and sat on the toilet seat, needing a moment to pull myself together before I returned to my office.
This thing with Easton was crazy. What had I gotten myself into?
Whatever happened, I couldn’t share this information with Charlotte. She would take it and run with it, and I’d never gain control of the situation after that.
After my heart rate slowed down, a smile spread across my face. Easton felt something for me. He hadn’t said that exactly, but he’d implied it when he told me he was jealous. What all of it meant, I had no idea, but the fluttering in my stomach confirmed that I liked it.
My head dropped in my hands, and I let out a breath. I was in so much trouble.
Chapter 14
Easton
Why did I tell her I was jealous? Was I insane? Groaning, I put my head down on the desk and knocked it a few times for good measure. Why did I say that? It felt like the right thing to do at the time, but now it seemed…idiotic.
Way to go, Easton. You just made your newest employee extremely uncomfortable.
I’d smooth it over tomorrow. Tell her I didn’t mean to make it sound as if… What did I mean exactly?
We had a friendship, but did I want more? For a few seconds, I stared out the side window and allowed myself to picture what it would be like to have a relationship with Maya. Warmth flooded through me at the thought of us together, and my heart swelled.
Verity’s voice sounded through the intercom. “Easton, you have a call on line one.”
I pushed those thoughts to the furthest part of my mind and pressed the button to speak to her. “Thank you.” I picked up line one. “Hello?”
“Hi, Easton, this is Darren Finley. Sorry it took me so long to get back to you.”
I perked up, glad he was finally calling about that training consultation. “Oh, hey, Darren. Not a problem. Good to hear from you.”
“I wanted to let you know I can see you tomorrow to go over the training regimen. I know it’s short notice but—”
“Tomorrow isn’t good. Do you have anything else available?” I would have to fly to Texas to see him, and I needed to return in time to take Maya to her appointment.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not free any other day. I just found out that I have to return to work the day after tomorrow, and I can’t take more time off.”
My stomach clenched, and I leaned forward, tapping my fingers on my desk. “What about a Saturday or Sunday?”
“Both days are full for the next month. I’ve already scheduled four-hour appointments with other people, and the rest of the day needs to remain free for my family.”
I needed this consultation with him. From all the research I’d done, he was the best in the field, and he was very familiar with the Warrior Obstacle Challenge. Ranking well in that race meant everything to me. I had to do it for Dad. “Look, I’ll pay you whatever you ask. Just make room for me in your schedule.”
He cleared his throat as if uncomfortable with my suggestion. “As tempting as that is, I can’t cancel someone else’s appointment. People are counting on me, and I have my reputation to consider.”
“Maybe you don
’t know who I am, but I’ll compensate you well if you—”
“Easton, I know exactly who you are. I looked you up.” There was silence for several moments as he waited for that to register. “I would love the extra money, believe me, but I have too much integrity to bump someone else off the list just because you can pay more. I called as a courtesy to let you know I’m free tomorrow, but if you can’t make it…”
“I’ll come. Can we get an early start? I have to be back at my office by three.”
“Sure, not a problem.”
I ironed out the details with him and then made another call, chartering a plane to Texas. I would be cutting it close, but I’d make it in time to go with Maya to her appointment. I just had to keep track of the time.
That evening, I downloaded SermonAudio, the app Maya had suggested, and then looked through the list of speakers. There were a lot, and I didn’t recognize anyone’s name, not that I expected to. Maya had mentioned she enjoyed studying Romans eight, so I found that chapter and noticed there were sermons for every single verse. I decided to pick one later and listen to it when I was on the plane.
I opened my Bible and read the full chapter, stopping at verse twenty-six. Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
I stared at the page for a long time before sighing and putting my Bible down. It was true, I didn’t know what to pray for, and if I did, I wasn’t sure I would have the guts to follow through. I knew my status before the Lord wasn’t right, but I didn’t know how to correct it or get past those feelings of uneasiness. God, show me how to please you. I don’t know how.
I bit down on my bottom lip, not wanting to face the truth about myself. Enough of this. It was time to move on to something else. But even as I willed myself to think on other things, I felt a tugging at my heart, so strong I couldn’t ignore it, but so gentle, it seemed as if the One doing the tugging was more patient than anyone I’d ever encountered.
He wasn’t done with me yet. Thank goodness for that.
***
The next day I rose early and took a chartered plane to Texas to meet with Darren Finley. As Darren had been a top competitor in the Warrior Obstacle Challenge, he was one of the few strength and conditioning coaches I trusted to advise me. We could have done a video chat, but this race was too important to me to exert a half-hearted effort, and I owed it to Dad to give this thing my all. We had to talk in person. That was all there was to it.
After I landed, I took a rental car to his house since he had a mini obstacle course set up in his backyard. He’d previously told me that was the best place for him to instruct me, and I trusted his judgment. I knocked on his front door and stepped back.
The door swung open. “Hey, Easton. Glad you made it.”
“Me too. I’m excited to get started.”
I’d dressed in gray sweats with a matching gray hoodie, and he wore similar attire, but he had dark circles under his eyes and looked exhausted.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Yeah.” He smiled sheepishly and ran his hand over his face. “Babies are hard work.”
“I bet.” I had no experience with that, but I imagined it was difficult.
He gestured for me to follow him into the house, and it appeared as if a tornado had come through and tossed everything up in the air before it all fell to the ground in a heap.
“Please forgive the mess,” he said. “The last few days have been challenging.”
“No problem.” Seeing family life in action confirmed that I wasn’t ready for that, not that I’d ever thought I was, though the idea had crossed my mind lately. Maya had something to do with that, but I had to check those thoughts before they spiraled out of control. I wasn’t capable of a committed relationship and nothing had changed.
Darren gave me a bottle of water and then led me out the back door to his backyard. “I know you want to return to L.A. by three, so let’s get started. I’ll run through everything as quickly as I can, but we’ll slow down for the important things. Stop me if you have any questions.”
“I will. Sounds good.”
We did a few stretches to warm up and then he went over several of the obstacles I would encounter, such as the rope climb, a hurdle jump, and a thing called the bars that looked like a jungle gym and was similar to the multi-rig in the Spartan race.
He then explained how to navigate the bars, which required a great deal of grip strength and the ability to grab on to rings hanging from a steel post. The bars were extended off the ground and were a lot like swinging on the monkey bars on a playground, but the grownup version was much harder.
I had to make it from one end to the other, but stalled out in the middle and let go, falling to the ground. “Ugh, that was hard.”
“Are you right-handed or left?” Darren asked.
“Right.”
“Okay. Use your left arm to grab the next ring since it’s the weaker arm. You need the stronger one to hold your weight.” He demonstrated what that looked like and then motioned for me to try again.
We spent about forty minutes on that as I struggled to make it across without stalling in the middle, but I finally got the hang of it. My arms were burning once we finished, and I knew I’d be sore later.
After that, we practiced jumping over the hurdles, and then he showed me techniques for climbing up the rope.
The time passed quickly, and before I knew it, several hours had gone by. We took a quick break to grab a bite to eat and to discuss other preparations I would need to take into account. He spoke with me about the gear I had to purchase, including the right shoes with cleats to grip the terrain, a GPS watch to track my distance, a hydration pack to carry water, and compression socks and running pants. I took copious notes and typed everything he said on my iPad.
We returned to his home, and he went over conditioning exercises I needed to do in addition to jogging six days a week. I was familiar with a few since I’d kept to a strict workout regimen before I’d started training for the race. I already knew how to do burpees, squats, and lunges, but I’d never done bear crawls before. A bear crawl was just as it sounded. I had to drop to my hands and feet and crawl across the yard without touching my knees to the ground. A few of the obstacles required crawling through mud, and that specific exercise would prepare me for that. He also suggested purchasing a pullup bar to train for the bars.
Towards the end of the session, we sat on his porch and talked about his experiences. He shared what he wished he’d known during his first race, and I took it all in, not wanting to miss a thing. I lost track of the time, and when I glanced at my watch, I stood suddenly, my eyes widening. “I have to leave if I’m going to make it back for my other appointment.”
“Sure, no problem,” he said, standing. “It was a pleasure to work with you. Good luck and let me know how it goes. You can call anytime if you have questions.” He shook my hand and gave me another bottle of water for the road.
Driving to the airport, a sense of urgency pulsed through my veins. I had to get back to take Maya to her appointment, and I didn’t want to be late. I’d given her my word, and the last thing I wanted was to fall short on that.
A siren sounded behind me, and I glanced in my rearview mirror and saw red and blue lights flashing. A cop. I let out a frustrated breath and pulled over to the side of the road, inwardly kicking myself for not paying attention to my speed. I’d been driving faster than normal in an attempt to get to the airport, but that decision would cost me. Someone had warned me not to speed in Texas, and I should have paid attention. Guess that saying was true. Don’t mess with Texas.
The officer ran my driver’s license and registration and then gave me a ticket. Exactly twelve minutes later, I was off, but I had to slow down so I wouldn’t get pulled over again.
On the flight home, I listened to a sermon on the app Maya told me about, but I was too antsy
to pay much attention. One thing struck me though. The speaker said nothing could separate us from the love of God. Sometimes it didn’t feel that way, but then again, I hadn’t exactly sought His love.
I kept checking my watch, worried I wouldn’t make it to the office in time to take Maya to the appointment. I wanted to be there for her. To earn her respect.
If I failed, she wouldn’t think much of me, and her opinion of my character was already on shaky ground. The thought of failing in her eyes made my chest tighten. Made me feel like throwing up. I couldn’t let her down.
I shifted in my seat and glanced out the window. All I saw were clouds and blue sky and tiny buildings down below. I was on one of those VIP planes that had a shower and all the amenities, so I decided to take advantage of it. I found the restroom and cleaned myself up and then changed into a suit before the plane landed. Once the wheels finally touched the ground, I berated myself for talking with Darren too long at the end. If I had excused myself sooner, I wouldn’t be cutting it this close.
My driver, Ralph, was waiting for me at the airport, and I scrambled into the vehicle once the car pulled up. We headed back to the office, and when he stopped at the front entrance, I jumped out of the car. I raced inside the building, glancing at my watch for the thousandth time. It was a quarter after three. My heart pounded against my ribs on the elevator ride up, and I strode down the hallway with one thing on my mind. Maya. I’d asked her to wait for me outside my office, but she wasn’t anywhere in sight.
I stopped at my secretary’s desk. “Verity, have you seen—”
“You just missed her.” She tried to hide her scowl but wasn’t successful. “She said she couldn’t wait any longer.”
“No!” Groaning, I ran a hand through my hair and glanced around as if that would accomplish something. “I don’t know the location. I was counting on her to tell me on the way over.”
Verity handed me a slip of paper with a sympathetic smile. “I wrote all that down for you. If you leave now, you might catch her.”
Blind Date with my Billionaire Boss (Blind Date Disasters Book 5) Page 12
