A / N
Pure, unadulterated #Marcy fluff. But you know me. Enjoy it while it lasts.
x Noelle
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the one with shameless #marcy fluff
FRIDAY AFTERNOON FOUNDÂ me back at Hale & Co. again. I'd come here on impulse, but I reasoned to myself that if Miles could show up at Sereinn whenever he liked, then so could I at Hale & Co.
I still felt a twinge of regret when I thought about the last time we'd met. If it had been anyone else but Brielle who'd interrupted us, I would've thrown my shoe at them. I'd contented myself with a glare in her direction. Miles, on the other hand, had left so abruptly that I needed to make sure everything was fine between us.
The elevator doors opened again and, as I'd done several times before, I flicked a cursory glance at it. This time, however, my gaze landed on a familiar face. Dressed in his usual suit jacket, Miles also wore his black-framed glassesâan accessory I knew he needed but hadn't seen on him in a long time. I never knew anyone who could pull off the brainy-is-the-new-sexy look better than he did and I felt my breath catch as I looked at him.
You're way in over your head.
Then again, hadn't I always been this way around him?
His eyes widened when he saw me. "Darcy? What...what're you doing here?"
"Hi again." I smiled brightly at him and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. "I just wanted to make sure you're okay, I guess."
He frowned. "Why wouldn't I be okay?"
"It's just that you left really suddenly the other day. I had to hang the star on the tree by myself, and I really wanted us to do that together. Brielle even threatened to fire me because I stood on the counter to do that, but I hadn't any choice after you left."
One eyebrow arched as he regarded me. "So you wanted me for my height?"
Was he teasing me? I could hardly tell. "Of course not! I just wanted to make sure that you didn't think that I regretted having you there, or anything," I trailed off and bit my lip. "Quite the opposite, in fact. I'm sorry you had to leave. I didn't even get to say a proper goodbye."
He nodded again. "It's fine."
His simple apology made me feel a little foolish. It was just like me to get worked up over something that probably wasn't even a big deal to him. "Oh, alright then... That's good. I'm just going to go now, you probably have a lot of work to do."
I turned to go, trying to fight the pinch of disappointment. I didn't know what I'd been expectingâperhaps the relaxed version of him I'd seen the other day; instead of the cold one I saw now.
His voice stopped me before I could leave. "Evers."
I spun around, only to find him watching me. His features were guarded; a slight frown on his face.
"Do you... Now that you're here, do you want to have a look around Hale & Co.?"
My eyes lit. "Really? It wouldn't be inappropriate, will it? What with me being from a rival company and all."
"Probably best not to mention that. Come on."
I bit back a stupidly wide grin and followed him. This was more than I'd ever expected, and I'd be damned if I wasted such a golden opportunity. As we took the elevator up, I looked around and tried not to seem too much like an over-eager girl hanging onto his every word.
And these words were few and sparse in between. Where before I'd bustled through Sereinn with all the enthusiasm in the world, Miles behaved the exact opposite. He strode through Hale & Co. with an authoritative but unassuming airâone that didn't turn heads but kept employees stepping neatly out of his way.
We went through floors two to four and, after noticing that I lagged behind, he slowed his pace to match mine. "Finance, logistics and those over there are meeting rooms for our clients," he told me, as he pointed to each place with perfunctory purpose. He didn't seem to have any particular attachment to the company; or to any of the employees, for that matter.
"Do these people not know that you're the boss?" I blurted at last, as we headed down the elevator from the lower management floor.
"Only some of them do," he said.
"And you...don't want them to know?"
He nodded. "There's no reason for them to if they aren't working in senior management. Nate is the face of Hale & Co. Quite frankly, if I could, I'd give up co-CEO ownership of this company."
I blinked. "Really? Why?"
"I never wanted to be the boss. Nate and I came up with this venture, but I never thought it'd grow to the size it is now. I would've been contented to be a co-founder, or an advisor on the board, but Nate needed someone to help him stabilize the company. I'm just holding fort until things settle down."
"And when it does? What's your next move, then?"
He shrugged. "I don't know, but I'll figure it out. I usually do. I figured this out after I dropped out of Riverton, and I'm certain I can find something else."
I smiled at his conviction. The Miles who had once been shy and hesitant was now bold and sure about what he wanted. I'd be lying if I said that wasn't attractive as hell.
As we headed through the lobby, I remembered something that my parents had once taught me. "You need to find your passion," I said. "Once you find it and make it your job, you'll love everything about it. It's like me with the beachâI love it, and I've always worked near it. " I studied him curiously. "What're you passionate about?"
His gaze held mine for a second, before he looked away. "I don't know. When I was growing up, one of my dad's mottos was 'if it's not worth any money, it's not worth doing'. I studied psychology because it pushed my dad's boundaries as far as he would let it. And then I started Hale & Co. shortly after, and I don't think I've had much time for myself since."
I shot a sideway glance at him. There were still the cafeteria and recreation room that he wanted to show me, but I was too caught up to take much notice of my surroundings. I wanted to comfort or reassure him, but I hadn't a clue how to go about it.
Think. How could I encourage him to discover his passion, while not making it seem like the only passion I wanted him to have was to kiss (and possibly shag) me senseless against this wall?
I huffed and refocused my attention on the tour. The recreation room had to be the best part of Hale & Co., I decided. Luxurious coffee machines, a wide-screen television airing a live football game, and an actual pool table. I let out a delighted laugh and made a beeline for the nearest bean bag chair. Had these chairs been a coincidence, or had he remembered that I adored these chairs?
"I love this room!" I declared, beaming at him. "I keep telling Brielle to keep our TV on the football channel, but she insists on the news."
"She's not wrong. Tourists might need to watch the news in case of any emergency."
"Yes, but it's football," I insisted, as if that were the answer to everything.
"Right, you are a fan of that." The previous amusement in his voice had faded, only to be replaced by a coldness that made me shiver.
I wished I could take my words back. Not only had his brother, Hale, been a football playerâso were every one of the boys who had bullied him before. If it had been a football smashed into my face, a varsity jacket around my eyes as I got tossed into the trash, or beefy boys shoving me into a locker with football equipment, I knew I'd hate everything about that sport too.
Suddenly, the recreation room didn't seem so entertaining anymore. I followed Miles back to the lobby, all the while wracking my brains for something to say.
Finally, I steeled my nervous and turned back to him. "Perhaps this is a long shot but... My parents are hosting their annual New Years' Eve party at the beach. It's the same one you went to beforeâ"
"I remember," he cut in.
I met his gaze squarely. "Right. If you're not too busy, and if you don't have anywhere else you'd rather be, maybe... maybe you'd like to go with me?"
Each second that ticked by seemed to last an eternity. Miles studied me, his eyes roving my features as though trying to decide whether I was sincere, before he let out a quiet breath.
"Alright."
A smile leapt across my face. "Okay, great! I'll text you the details," I breathed. "Thanks for the tour. You did a great job with the rec room. The bean bag chairs were a nice touch, by the way."
He averted his gaze from me and cleared his throat. "Thanks."
"I'll see you on New Years' Eve, then?"
"Until then."
I beamed at him and waved a quick goodbye. I felt his gaze on me as I left, and it took everything in me not to look back.