Taking a Chance (7 page)

Maddie hailed a cab and checked her BlackBerry for what felt like the millionth time that morning. When the cab pulled up to her office building, she stepped out and walked into the Starbucks next door. Most mornings she picked up a tea or decaf coffee, but today she got her favorite coffee drink, a skim Caramel Macchiato. Today was a caffeine day. On her way out of the Starbucks, she ran into one of the girls from her company. Maddie smiled and fell in step with her on the way to the office building.

“So, Sara, are things still going strong with Mike?”

The women stepped into the elevator and each hit the button for their floor. They stepped to one side as a few more people got in.

“Things are good with Mike. He cooked dinner for us on Saturday night and we stayed in. It was nice to slow down for a night. I still can’t believe he made the effort to cook for me. I always do it and it felt good to be spoiled.”

A sudden look of embarrassment crossed Sara’s face as she finished her sentence, and she paused awkwardly; everyone at the office knew Maddie had called off her wedding.

But Maddie responded swiftly to put her at ease. “That’s great. He sounds like a good guy. You need to make sure you hold on to the ones that spoil you!” she smiled.

“Yeah, he’s great, who knows, maybe he’s the one. This is my floor,” said Sara as the elevator slowed to a stop at the twenty-second floor.

“Okay, see you later. It’s always great to run into you.” Maddie smiled. “Take care of that man of yours. Don’t let him get away.”

As the elevator doors closed, Maddie went back to her BlackBerry and started responding to an email from her boss. She smiled to herself—no matter how early she started, John was already going. The elevator reached the forty-second floor and Maddie got out. She enjoyed being high up in the building and lately she had caught herself gazing out her office windows watching the city move below. Maddie knew the reason she had such a great office was because her boss had pushed for it. He took care of Maddie, but she knew it was because he also wanted to ensure she was near his office.

“Morning,” she said to anyone within earshot. Only a few people were in the office. One of her administrative assistants was at her desk and it was even early for her.

“Good morning, Maddie. I know what you’re thinking, but I had to come in early because I need to leave at five on the dot today. I have a friend in town this week. I told him I’d meet him at his hotel as soon as he gets in to the city.”

“That’s fine, Sheri. If you need to leave earlier, it’s no problem.”

Maddie could always count on Sheri. She was not only her favorite but also the most reliable of her assistants. Simply put, Sheri was sweet and Maddie half expected her to speak with a southern drawl each time she opened her mouth.

Sheri was petite with curves in all the right places. Her curly red hair was always styled and she wore flawlessly applied make-up. Not too heavy but always fully done. Her outfits were coordinated down to the very last piece of jewelry, and she looked freshly pressed even at the end of the day. She was naïve at times, giving others the benefit of the doubt on her first interaction, but God help the people who dared cross her. Fierce when she needed to be, Sheri was one hundred percent loyal to those close to her and she worked hard for Maddie.

“Thanks, you’re the best boss.”

“Right, you just say that because of the other people here you compare me to. Either way, I guess it’s nice to hear.”

Sheri laughed. “You know that’s not true. You really are great.”

Maddie sighed as she dropped into her chair. She picked up an empty paper cup that had been left on her desk. As she turned to toss it in the garbage, she smiled to herself as her eyes scanned the many trinkets in her office. Many of the businesses she had worked with gave her items including bobble heads, stress relievers and pads of paper with their company logos, pictures and other unique items including an engraved horseshoe, which made her laugh every time she looked at it.

She booted up her laptop, slid her workbag under her desk and dropped her purse into the bottom drawer. She shrugged her suit jacket off and hung it on the back of her chair. Today was going to be busy with conference calls starting at ten, so she wanted to get started right away. Her boss stepped into her office and sat down in one of the leather chairs in front of her desk. They reviewed the upcoming day.

“Everything okay, Maddie?” asked John.

“I’m fine. Just focused on today to make sure I’m prepared for the new clients coming on board.” Maddie managed a smile, but she knew it looked forced.

“I’m in my office if you need anything. Otherwise, I’ll see you in the conference room just before ten.”

Maddie hid her feelings well, but somehow her boss always knew when she was holding back. Maddie had been promoted up the chain until she now sat in the position directly below John, so they had worked together for four years. She was lucky to have a boss like him. He had helped her grow along the way and supported her decisions and work. He cared about Maddie’s growth in the company and personal matters too. He never meddled in her life or asked too many questions, but Maddie knew he was always there if needed.

Maddie called Sheri into her office.

“I have a lot of materials to be printed for today’s conference calls; do you have time to get them done? If not, can you have Janice or Tracy help you?”

“Sure, not a problem. I’ll have Tracy help if I get behind,” said Sheri.

“Great. I put most of the materials together already, so I just need them printed and maybe a little bit of touch up. Just let me know if you have any questions.”

“Will do,” Sheri chirped as she practically skipped out of Maddie’s office.

Something was up with Sheri and Maddie hoped she wasn’t afraid to tell her. She had noticed people holding back lately around her or apologizing when they shared good news. Maddie did not want people treating her as if she was fragile and might break by hearing other people’s happy news.

The day flew by as most of the calls had few issues. John seemed pleased, which always made Maddie breathe easier. Although he was one of the easiest senior executives to get along with and he had a great sense of humor, he was all business when they were dealing with clients. They both had an excellent work ethic and strived for perfection. She would not have survived as long without John as her boss.

Maddie had a few things to follow up on, but she had plenty of time to get them resolved before they became major problems. Near the end of the day, Sheri came into her office.

“Do you need anything else? If not, I’m outta here.”

“I’m good. By the way, you seem to be extra happy today. Is something up?”

“I guess.” Sheri smiled as she shrugged. “The friend coming in is a guy I’ve been dating for a short while. We met a couple months ago and have been doing the long distance thing. He lives in Wisconsin, but he has a work function in the city tomorrow and then he’s staying in the city this weekend.”

Sheri’s cheeks flushed. She hadn’t mentioned a guy before today. She talked about her family, friends and plans she had going on, but she never spoke of a love interest.

“That’s great, Sheri. Why haven’t you mentioned him?”

“I don’t know, the timing, um…just didn’t seem right. Besides, I don’t want to speak too soon. Although, I have to say this guy is different from anyone else I’ve dated. We just click and the only thing that makes me nervous is it’s moving pretty fast.”

“That’s great! I don’t want to assume anything, but if you’re not talking about him because you’re worried about me, please stop. I want to hear about your dating life, and I promise you I would be more hurt if you didn’t talk about him. I’ve never seen this side of you, so I think you need to see where it goes. Are you going out for dinner tonight?”

“We’re meeting at Dec, for appetizers and cocktails and not sure where we’re going from there.”

“Does he have a name and what time does his meeting start tomorrow?”

“Yes.” Sheri laughed. “Adam. And I’m not sure.”

“As long as you’re caught up on everything, why don’t you come in late tomorrow?”

“That’s okay. I’ll be in on time.”

“Nope. I don’t want you in here before his meeting starts. Take the time to enjoy life. The weather should be beautiful tomorrow, so take advantage of it before winter is here. Go to breakfast and show him the city.”

Sheri smiled. “Okay, if you’re sure it’s fine.”

“I insist. Now, get out of here.”

Maddie hated that people around her were adjusting their lives to be sure it didn’t affect her. She felt guilty, but at the same time she was touched that people were concerned about her. She imagined it was difficult for people to believe her wedding had been called off only two months before the date. She and George had been together for almost four years and everyone in her professional life knew her as part of a couple. Maddie had taken the last ten months of her life to make every detail perfect. Even she could not believe it was over.

M
addie still wished the night before had been a nightmare. Although she had enjoyed the time she spent with Todd, the incident with George was too much for her to comprehend. She had to put it behind her for now, so she could focus on the weekend. A few of the girls were staying at her place that night. Friday and Saturday night they were all going to cram into Maddie’s place. She had not seen many of the girls since her wedding had been called off and was hoping it did not have to be a topic of conversation.

The girls were taking the train from the airport, so she just had to get home in time to let them in. Maddie knew Molly would not be happy until she got details about last night, so she was glad to have her arrive before everyone else. Molly came bouncing into Maddie’s place.

“So, how was last night?”

“Well, you are not going to believe this. George showed up again! Can you believe this guy? How the hell did he know I was going to be at that event? It’s starting to get weird. I mean, can it really be just a coincidence? This is a big city and I was at an event for doctors last night!” Maddie could hear her voice starting to rise, and she tried to get ahold of her emotions.

“I don’t understand how that’s possible.” Molly placed her hand on Maddie’s. “What did he do?”

“He was so mad and started yelling at me on the dance floor in front of Todd. I’m sure other people nearby heard the entire thing. I ran for the exit as fast as I could, so it wouldn’t ruin Todd’s event. I didn’t know what else to do.”

“I’m so sorry he did that to you.”

“What I really can’t figure out is how the hell he knew Todd was Lola’s doctor. How would he know that?”

“I don’t know. Does he still talk to your brother or Lola?”

“I can’t imagine Scott allowing that. I think it’s safe to say he hates the guy.”

Her doorman rang up to her apartment.

“Hi, Sid. Are the girls here?”

“No. You have a delivery. Do you want me to send the delivery boy up?”

“What kind of delivery? I didn’t order anything.”

“Um, there are flowers being delivered.”

Maddie looked at Molly and shrugged. “Sure, send him up.”

Molly raised an eyebrow. “Flowers?”

When Maddie opened the door, she recognized the pink roses. A smile spread across her face. She signed for the roses and took them from the delivery boy. As she closed the door, Molly was right beside her.

“They’re from Todd.”

“How do you know? You haven’t even opened the card.”

“I recognize the flowers from last night. He had them in the limo when he picked me up, but we left in a hurry, so we didn’t take the limo home.”

Maddie opened the card.

I hope these put a smile on your face. I haven’t stopped thinking about you since I left. Wish I was with you right now. Todd

Maddie smiled and walked to the kitchen to put the flowers in a vase. Molly was tagging along right on her heels.

“So …”

“Well…I like him. We didn’t have a chance to get to know a ton about each other, but we definitely had an immediate attraction. When I’m with him, I feel like he is focused on me. I don’t know, it just feels refreshing. However, I don’t know if he will even want to go out again now that he knows I was engaged and almost married.”

“Based on the fact he sent you flowers after you told him, I don’t think he cares.”

“Maybe you’re right. Can we just not talk about it for the rest of the weekend? I would feel better if this was between you and me and no one else.”

“You got it. No talking about it until Sunday.” Molly smiled.

The rest of the crew arrived about thirty minutes later. Many of the girls had gone to college with Amanda, Rachel and Maddie. Although Molly had attended a different college, she had clicked with everyone and had always been part of the group.

Shannon was the first to say something. “Maddie, we’re all here for a fun weekend, but we all hope you’re doing all right and want you to know we’re here for you no matter what. You let us know if you need anything, anything at all.”

“Thanks, girls, I know you are. But, you’re right, let’s focus on Amanda this weekend and make it a great weekend for her.”

Amanda arrived a few minutes later. The girls had planned a low-key evening for that night as they had two more nights out in the city. They were staying in, ordering pizza, drinking wine and watching some romantic comedies—well, at least playing them in the background.

Maddie had her phone nearby and it vibrated as a text came in.

They had never talked about when he was leaving and her heart sank a little as she realized he was heading back to Milwaukee. She had no idea when she might see him again. She excused herself, telling the girls a messenger was downstairs and she had to run down to sign a contract for work.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, she saw Todd standing near the entrance, head down reading something on his phone. When he glanced up at the sound of the elevator, the smile that spread across his face warmed her.