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He had to lose Maggie, or risk losing his job.
If she had enough votes—it could happen. He could lose his rightful position as head of Gale Incorporated. And all because…what? He hadn’t picked a socialite to marry. Because he made a mistake years ago, while he’d still been in college?
No. There had to be more to the story. Some reason that people besides his mother were prepared to kick him out. What was he missing?
“Everything okay over here?” Maggie asked, stopping in front of him. She cocked her head. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Not a ghost, exactly.” He said, still staring at his mother. She stared right back at him, looking way too pleased with herself. “It’s nothing.”
Now wasn’t the time to talk to her about this. He needed to think. To figure out his next move. If it came down to his job or her…he’d be forced to make a choice. But first he wanted to understand why.
“It obviously isn’t nothing. You’re upset.” Maggie followed his line of sight. “What did she say to you?”
“Just the usual.” He squared his shoulders and got his shit together. He was showing his mother that she’d gotten to him, and he couldn’t afford to do that right now. Holding his hand out for hers, he asked, “Ready to go in?”
“Ah, there it is again,” she said softly, without moving.
“There what is?”
“The beast.” She bit the corner of her lip. “You don’t have to talk to me if you don’t want to, and I won’t pressure you to tell me what she said, but it’s okay to be upset. You can let me see it. Let me in.”
His heart twisted, and he stepped closer to her. Smoothing her hair out of her face, he shook his head. “You said you couldn’t read me.”
“I guess I’m a little better at it.” She rested her hands on his chest and stared up at him, her gray eyes matching the stormy sky above them. “Tell me the truth. Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” He covered her hands with his and squeezed. “I’ll be fine.”
“Still want to go in?”
He glanced over her head. His mother watched them closely, her shrewd stare not wavering in the slightest. She was even better than he was at hiding his emotions. If he left now, she’d see that she’d rattled him. He refused to give her that satisfaction.
“Yes. Let’s go see the show. I’ve heard it’s excellent.”
She nodded once, not pressuring for more. As they headed for the doors, she asked, “Want me to go say ‘whore’ to her, so you c
an watch her faint from the vulgar language from her son’s even more vulgar fiancée?”
He blinked down at her. The mental image of Andrew flailing at his mother’s side, fanning her cheeks like a good little son, and everyone else running around like chickens with their heads chopped off, played out in his mind. “I—” He chuckled and then broke into laughter fully, cutting off midsentence. And there was no stopping it once it started.
When he tried, he only laughed harder.
Jesus, what was wrong with him?
When the ostentatious woman in front of him shot him an incredulous look, he clutched his stomach and kept going even though it hurt, and he couldn’t stop. Nothing short of a punch to the face would make him, and even then, he probably wouldn’t quit.
By the time he’d regained control, Maggie had joined him, her musical laughter mixing with his. His mother no longer looked quite so unaffected. She seemed pissed.
“Darling,” he said, swiping his hands across his face. “You’re killing me.”
She smiled, her face lighting up. “It worked.”
“What worked?”
“I made you laugh.” She blew her bangs out of her face with a short puff of breath. “That’s all I wanted.”
“You.” He yanked her into his arms and pulled her into his arms. She gasped, resting her hands on his chest. “You’re amazing. You know that, right?”
She shrugged and scrunched her nose up adorably. “I may have heard that a few times last night…”
