“I meant what I said, Maggie,” Jason began as he reached across the table and took one of her hands in his. “I want a chance to prove to you that you’re more important to me than work.”
She smiled at him but it didn’t quite meet her eyes. “Jason, I don’t expect you to change who you are. I fell in love with the man that you are.” The words came out before she could stop them and by the look of surprise on Jason’s face, she knew that it was too late to take them back. That didn’t stop her from trying, though. “What I mean is…I respect your work ethic and…”
“I’m in love with you, too,” he interrupted and then cursed his lack of finesse. This was so not the way that he planned on telling Maggie how he felt but now that it was out, and the look of joy on her face at his words told him that she didn’t care about finesse.
There was so much that Maggie wanted to say but their waiter appeared to take their orders. She was so flustered and could barely read the words on the menu because tears of joy had welled up in her eyes. “You order for us,” she simply said to Jason and then delicately wiped at the tears threatening to fall.
When they were alone again, Jason leaned across the table and caressed her cheek. “I want a future with you, Maggie; I wasn’t sure how you felt about me, especially after our conversation Friday night. I promise you, things are going to be different from here on out.”
His words thrilled her and if there was one thing that she knew about Jason, he did his best to be a man of his word. Maggie knew that she could trust him and that their issues with the relationship could probably just be attributed to poor timing. After all, Montgomery’s was in a time of major transition and she would be foolish to think that something of that magnitude wasn’t going to impact Jason’s life.
“I want us to go back to New York,” he began. “I want us to take a real vacation where we can relax. I was thinking maybe a long weekend at the Four Seasons; what do you think?”
Maggie remembered the amazing room and the spa bathroom and how at the time she had fantasized about sharing it all with him. “I think that sounds perfect! Let’s do it!”
Jason found himself to be thrilled that they were on the same page and that he could finally see a future for himself beyond working late nights and going home alone. If anyone had told him that he’d fall in love with his assistant six months ago, he would have told them they were crazy. As much as he hated the comparison, knowing how Lucas and Emma had made it work, he was confident that he and Maggie had just as big of future ahead of them and that nothing was going to get in his way.
****
A week and a half later Jason was sitting at his desk smiling. Reservations were made for his and Maggie’s weekend and Jason had planned it to be the most romantic getaway ever. They would leave right from work on Friday; take the private plane up to New York where a limo would take them to the Four Seasons. He had dinner reservations made for them right in the hotel because he knew that once they got there, it would be late and he wanted to make the most of their time in the room.
On Saturday they would go out and explore and shop and he made plans for them to take that carriage ride through Central Park where he was going to ask Maggie to marry him. He thought that he might be moving too fast but now that he knew what he wanted for his future, he was anxious to put it in motion.
Mac walked in and rolled his eyes at the sappy look on Jason’s face. “All right, we get it, you’re in love,” he said dramatically before sitting down in a chair facing his brother. “Geez, I don’t know who is more sickening, you or Lucas!”
“Please, you’re just jealous. And Lucas hasn’t been sickening for a while,” Jason replied, keeping his tone light because nothing was going to bring him down, not when his future with Maggie was right within his reach.
“You mean he hasn’t been in here yet?” Mac asked.
“I didn’t even know Lucas was in the office today. What’s going on?”
Mac waved him off. “I’ll let him tell you.”
As if on cue, Lucas walked in and Mac was right, his sappy grin was worse than Jason’s. “Emma’s pregnant,” he said as he came to a stop in Jason’s office. Jason stood and came around to hug his brother and congratulate him.
“That is great news! How is she feeling?”
“So far, so good. We realize that could all change at any time and morning sickness could set in, but for right now everything is great.”
The brothers stood and laughed and did their best to rib Lucas on how much his life was going to change but Jason’s words were half-hearted at best. “What’s going on with you?” Lucas finally asked, suspicious at his brother’s lack of sarcasm at his expense.
“I’m going to ask Maggie to marry me,” he said, his chest puffed out with pride.
“Oh for crying out loud,” Mac grumbled. “Already?”
Lucas punched Mac in the arm. “I cannot wait for it to be your turn, Mac. You are going to fall harder than the rest of us and you can be sure that we’ll be right there, sitting on the sidelines, mocking you!”
“Do it and die,” Mac glared.
“Wait and see…” Lucas said before turning back to Jason. “So when are you doing it?”
Jason told them both of his plans for the upcoming weekend and Lucas wished him luck. “Listen, I’d love to stay and talk some more but we’re having dinner with mom and dad and I have to go and pick up Emma. Good luck, bro!”
Once he was gone and it was just Jason and Mac, Mac turned and closed the door and got serious.
“What’s going on?” Jason asked, concern lacing his tone.
“We were contacted by a major company who wants to do business with us,” he began cautiously. “If it all goes as I can see it going, this one company has the potential to bring in more business than all of the companies you just signed on.”
Jason collapsed into his seat. “Damn, that’s huge! Who are they? When do they want to meet?”
Mac stared down at him and watched as realization hit Jason. “I’m not going to like this, am I?” Jason asked.
“Brother, you don’t know the half of it.”
Chapter Twelve
Maggie was giddy for their weekend. She took off early on Friday so that she could go home and pack. Jason was going to pick her up at six and their flight was at seven. Ever since they had admitted their feelings to one another, Maggie had been floating on a cloud. She was afraid to let herself hope too much but she had a feeling that Jason might propose this weekend.
He hadn’t done anything outright to give her that impression but they were truly so in tune with one another that she just had a feeling that it was something he would plan. She wouldn’t be disappointed if he didn’t but she couldn’t help but wonder how he would actually do it. Would he be traditional and get down on one knee? Would it be someplace public? Would they be alone? Her heart raced at all of those scenarios because at the end of it all, she really wanted to be Mrs. Jason Montgomery.
Jason had been true to his word and he had cut back on the late nights at the office and they had been spending more time together and he had actually asked Maggie to move in with him. She had planned on giving him her answer this weekend and that answer was going to be yes! As much as she loved having her own place, the hassle of going between their homes and packing stuff for overnights was just getting to be a pain. Plus, she wanted to wake up with the man she loved every morning and not have to think about where they were going to be the next night.
She was throwing the last of her cosmetics into her luggage when Maggie realized that she had left her phone charger back at the office. While it would be easy to call Jason and just have him bring it, she knew that he had enough on his plate today to make sure that he left on time. Looking at her watch, she saw it was only two o’clock. The office was only ten minutes away and there were a few last minute errands she needed to run; one more stop wasn’t going to make a difference.
The drive over to the office was quick and
when Rose saw her, she faltered in her steps. “Maggie? We didn’t expect you back this afternoon.”
“Just forgot my phone charger,” she replied, smiling as she held it up. “What’s going on?”
“No, nothing,” Rose said, looking over her shoulder. “They’ve got a client in there and I need to get back. I hope you have a good weekend.” And then she was gone.
“Well that was odd,” Maggie said under her breath and then looked toward Jason’s office. His door was open but the lights were off so she figured he was in with either Mac or his father. Walking toward Mac’s office she noticed his was also dark and so she stopped at his assistant’s empty desk. That was odd, too. Maggie didn’t remember them having any appointments on the calendar and where was Diana? She rarely left her desk.
Looking around, Maggie took a glance at the open planner on her co-workers desk and gasped. “No,” she whispered. Walking briskly, she headed toward William Montgomery’s suite. When she approached Rose’s desk she stopped short. “Is Jason in there?” she asked sharply.
Rose couldn’t quite meet her eyes. “Maggie, don’t worry about what’s going on in there. You’re supposed to be getting ready for your weekend.”
Maggie arched her brows at Rose. How much did the other woman know about her relationship with Jason? They hadn’t been particularly secretive these last weeks but it still irked her a little to know that everyone was privy to their business. “I am more than ready for my weekend. Why wasn’t I informed about this meeting?”
Rose sighed. “It was a last minute thing and really, it’s nothing that you need to worry about.”
“Why don’t you let me be the judge of that?” Her voice came out louder than she had planned and suddenly Jason was stepping out of his father’s office.
“Maggie? What are you doing here? I thought you left early to go home and pack?”
“Why is everyone so concerned about my packing?” she asked. “I’m already packed and I forgot my phone charger here. I had some errands to run and I thought I’d just swing by and get it. I didn’t realize that I wasn’t allowed to come to my place of business. Care to tell me why that is?” She glared at him while waiting for an answer.
“No one said that you weren’t allowed here, Maggie, it was just that we all thought…”
“What? You thought that you could plan a business meeting with the one person who you know I would have a problem with? I cannot believe you, Jason! When is it ever going to be enough? You have more business than you can handle and you know my history with this particular client and yet you still invited him here to do business?” Her eyes welled with tears and she cursed herself for showing weakness.
Maggie knew she shouldn’t be surprised and yet she was. Montgomery’s was always going to come first but she didn’t think that it would hurt so much or that Jason would choose to do business with Martin Blake. Her heart actually hurt and when Jason went to reach for her hand she jerked away from him.
“You know, there are a lot of things that I can overlook. I understand your commitment to your family and to your business but I can’t work for someone, or live with someone, that I don’t trust. You knew my feelings on this and rather than talk to me, you snuck behind my back to meet with him.”
“Maggie,” Jason began but she cut him off.
“No, I’m done, Jason. You asked me for a second chance and I gave it; you asked me to trust you and I did. But this?” she waved toward the office. “This is something that I can’t overlook. I don’t doubt for a second that Martin made some outrageous offer to you and I can’t blame you for wanting the business. It’s just not something that I want any part of.”
“You don’t understand, Maggie,” Jason pleaded. “Let’s go to my office and I’ll…”
“Hey, Mags,” Martin Blake said as he strolled into the outer office. “Fancy seeing you here.” His gaze raked over her and Maggie felt violated all over again. “I had to do a little research to see who the big shot was you were working for and after talking to Alan down in Miami, he told me all about Montgomery’s. I figured, if Alan’s working with them, then we should too. It’ll be like old times, right, Mags?”
She wanted to vomit. Her lunch turned in her stomach and she couldn’t believe that Jason just stood there and let Martin even talk to her. She was just about to comment on it when Martin asked Rose where the men’s room was. Once he was out of earshot, she glared at Jason.
“Let’s go talk,” Jason said again.
“No,” she said adamantly. “I’m done talking. I quit.” She turned and walked away, her stride quickening to get to the elevator. Maggie expected Jason to come after her or to at least call her name. But he didn’t. When the elevator arrived in the lobby she expected him to come out through the door to the stairway to stop her. But he didn’t.
How could she have been so wrong about him? How could she have misunderstood all of the plans they had been making? By the time she reached her car, Maggie could barely see through the haze of tears. She had trusted Jason; she had put her trust in Jason and he had betrayed her all in the name of business.
She felt numb and hollow and didn’t know where to go or what to do. The thought of going home was unappealing because all of her luggage was packed and full of promises for a romantic weekend that was never going to happen. She was now without a job and had no idea where her life was going to go from here. So she put the car in gear and drove. She had no direction so she just hit the interstate and let the miles fill the void inside of her.
****
Jason was frantic. He wanted to run after Maggie and explain everything but he knew that her mind was made up and that there was nothing he was going to be able to say to make her see things for the way they really were. He couldn’t blame her; if he were in her shoes, he wouldn’t believe him either.
“Why didn’t you go after her?” his father said quietly behind him.
“She wasn’t going to listen.”
“You don’t know that, Jace. She didn’t know what was going on.”
“I know Maggie. I’ve screwed up too much and no matter what I said she wasn’t going to believe me.”
“I told you that you should have been up front with her. No good ever comes from lying, son.”
Jason turned and looked at his father. “What was I supposed to do? Admit that this slimy piece of crap contacted us and the only way I could ensure that he never, ever got near her again was to bring him here and confront him? Threaten him with financial ruin if he ever did to another woman what he did to Maggie? She wouldn’t agree with it!”
“All I’m saying is…”
“And then he came out here and started talking like we were honestly going to do business together! There was no way for me to tell her the truth with him blathering on like an idiot.”
“You should have gone after her and made her listen,” his father said patiently.
“To what end, Dad? She’s never going to trust me again and I can’t blame her. She was finally moving on with her life and the only times she’s had to face that bastard was because of me! The hurt in her eyes…” he said and his voice clogged with emotion, “I’ll never be able to forgive myself for being the one to put that look there.”
Just then, Martin walked back in and looked from William to Jason. “Ready to sign?” he asked and then walked back into William’s office with a confident swagger.
Jason glared after the man and then looked at his father. “Let’s finish this.”
****
Maggie drove for hours and eventually ended up back at home. She half expected to find Jason there but he wasn’t. Sluggishly she walked up to her door and let herself in. The silence was deafening. It was a little after eight and she sighed sadly at how they would have been landing in New York now and on their way to the hotel. She would never know what Jason had planned for the weekend; it would always be a ‘what if’ scenario in her mind.
Her body was weak and her mind was blank as she we
nt about unpacking her luggage and carefully putting things away. She looked at the sexy negligee she had bought at Victoria’s Secret and wanted to burn it. She’d never get to wear it; even if she lived to be one hundred and had dozens of lovers she would never allow herself to wear it because she had bought it with Jason in mind.
But Maggie was nothing if not practical and so she kept it securely wrapped in tissue and tucked into the back of her drawer. Out of sight, out of mind. When the last of her stuff was put away, she reached for her trusty file of take out menus and decided to order in. She had no appetite but knew that she needed to eat. No sense in making herself sick on top of having a broken heart. With her Chinese food ordered, Maggie changed into a pair of yoga pants and an oversized t-shirt and flipped on the TV to distract her until it arrived.
Thirty minutes later there was a knock on the door and she padded over to answer it. William Montgomery stood on the threshold with her take out bag in his hand. “Mr. Montgomery? What are you doing here?”
“May I come in?” he asked quietly. Maggie nodded and stepped aside. “I hope you don’t mind that I swooped in and shanghaied your delivery boy.” He took a whiff and smiled. “Is that Szechuan that I smell?”
“That’s fine,” she said shyly, taking the bag from his hands and walking to the kitchen to place it down. Now her appetite was completely gone. What in the world was she supposed to say to this man? Not only was he her boss…er, former boss, but he was the father of the man who had just destroyed her life. “Can I get you something to drink?” she asked, trying to keep her voice calm and steady.
“No. I’m fine. May I sit?”
Maggie inclined her head toward the living room and waited for him to take a seat on her sofa before sitting across from him on the matching love seat. “What can I do for you?” she asked carefully.
“Well, that was going to be my line,” he said with a soft chuckle. “I wanted to make sure that you were okay.”
She smiled sadly at him. “I’m not okay but I will be. Eventually.”
Trust in Me Page 13
