Following his lead, we head out of his office until he almost trips over something on his way out, causing me to slam into his back.
“Jesus,” he mumbles as he stops short. “I’m sorry, Crystal. I wasn’t expecting anyone to be here and I almost trampled you.”
“Sorry, Mr. Brooks,” she replies. I can’t see her around Sebastian’s body blocking the doorway. “I was just coming to relay a message to Ms. Miller.”
Me? We thought everyone left, including Crystal. What message could she have for me?
“She’s right here,” he says, stepping to the side. Crystal’s demeanor is off in the same way it was before in my office, and she stares at me oddly before speaking.
“The courier just called to confirm the delivery of the package to Thorndale Enterprises.”
My conversation with Mr. Shaker seems like eons ago rather than an hour ago. “Thank you so much for staying to confirm that for me, Crystal. I feel terrible I didn’t let you know you could have left after you handed it over. I’m so sorry.”
She gives me another curt nod. “You’re welcome.”
“You should get home before the snow gets worse, Crystal. Thanks so much for always going the extra mile,” Sebastian adds.
She’s all smiles as her attention turns to Sebastian. “Not a problem, Mr. Brooks. Have a great night.”
We watch as she heads down the hall toward where her desk is.
“I thought everyone had left,” Sebastian says as he guides me down the hall with a hand at the small of my back. I can tell he doesn’t even realize he’s doing it, but damn that contact warms my soul a little more.
“Me too.”
The rest of the walk back to my office is quiet, but Sebastian’s hand remains on my back, and that’s enough for me at the moment.
“I’ll see you Monday, Devin,” Sebastian says as we reach my office. I want to beg him to tell me he’ll find a way for us to bridge this gap between us starting now, but I know we can’t and that would be incredibly selfish of me.
Thankfully Crystal makes her way down the hall after us, stopping me from saying anything stupid. Sebastian drops his hand from my back as Crystal gets closer, breaking the spell between us as she passes by.
It looks as if he wants to say something, but he just shakes it off and heads toward the elevator behind Crystal.
Knowing I’ve gotten more from Sebastian than I thought I would when I woke up this morning, I head into my office and begin gathering my things.
The small seed of hope from earlier is picking up momentum and starting to grow into something more like anticipation. I have no idea how I’m going to prove my love to him, but I will. I have the utmost confidence in myself. How can I not? I love him, and from what I can make of things, he loves me too. Actions speak louder than words, and Sebastian’s scream exactly how he feels about me.
“Knock, knock,” Madison calls from my doorway. She’s ready to leave with her hat, coat, and scarf all in place to brave the snow. “You ready to get out of here? I’m sure you’re as ready for a glass of wine as I am, so I’ll cut right to the chase and let you know both of our phones and offices are clear. Not a single bug or camera found.”
I chuckle, and for the moment, it feels good. I don’t think I’ve smiled as much this entire week. “I am so ready to get out of here,” I agree. “Only I think I’m probably in need of the entire bottle. Maybe that and being able to breathe just a little will let me get a good night’s sleep tonight.”
She smiles at me while I put on my coat. “We’re going to fix this, Devin. You and Sebastian will fix things.”
“I know.” I nod, wrapping my scarf around my neck. “But I don’t think I’ll feel anything other than worried until that time comes.”
“I get it,” she says before looking down at her phone. “My uber is here. I don’t want to make him wait too long or he’ll cancel my ride.”
I shake my head with a laugh. “You should just hire a car service. I’m going to put that on my CCO priority list when this is all done.” I make sure I have everything and leave my office, closing the door behind us. “My last three companies had a company fleet with drivers on standby.”
“I’m just glad to hear you talk about staying.” She nudges me with her elbow. “I’m thrilled to have you here and with Sebastian. I don’t know if I ever got the chance to tell you how happy I am to see the two of you happy together. Well, outside of all this crap. You’ve been good for Midtown and for Sebastian.”
It’s hard to let her words make me feel giddy. Sebastian and I are not on solid ground. We have some work to do before things between us are good again. I’m just happy he’s willing to try to get back to where we were. That’s all I can ask for at the moment.
We head down the elevator to the empty lobby. This place is dead for six on Friday. I don’t know how I missed the threat of such a storm.
“How much snow are we supposed to be getting?” I ask as we exit the building onto Madison Ave.
Madison doesn’t try to hide her amusement or her sympathy. “You really have been out of it this week, huh? They are predicting anywhere from six inches to a foot. They aren’t really sure. These weathermen never get it right anymore.”
