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Chapter Nine
“Has anyone seen my sanity?” Maggie asked the next Friday morning as she accepted one of the frozen drinks Barb had brought in. “I lost it somewhere.” She stabbed a straw through the lid and took a grateful sip. Cold caffeine laced with chocolate hit her system, providing a much needed jolt. Not sleeping well for almost two weeks had caught up with her, leaving her mentally and emotionally weak. She’d worked dozens of extra hours, trying to stay busy and hoping David would finally speak to her.
“Did you look in the break room?” Barb asked. “Maybe it’s in that box of pastries. That’s where I found mine.”
“Pastries?” Gloria asked. She’d refused one of the milk-based drinks, but her tone went up an octave at the mention of sweets. “Any maple doughnuts?”
“I don’t know. I saw something with sprinkles, though.”
Gloria walked away.
“Will you bring me a petit four?” Barb called. “It will be my second,” she admitted to Maggie. “They’re so small, I figure I can eat about eight and only equal one piece of cake. Right?”
“I don’t judge.”
The front door opened and David walked in.
Breath vaporised in Maggie’s lungs. How was it possible for him to devastate her more every day?
His tailored navy blue suit emphasised the breadth of his shoulders and the colour of his eyes. His hair was getting longer, more rakish. He smelt shower-fresh, with a layer of masculine prowess.
“Morning, ladies.”
“I’ve got an extra chocolate caramel upside down latte, if you want it,” Barb said.
“I’ll just stick with coffee. Thanks,” he said.
Was Maggie the only one who felt the sizzling charge in the atmosphere?
He nodded and moved past her. She caught a glimpse of his supple leather belt and an erotic chill danced down her spine.
“Does he seem different to you?” Barb asked.
“In what way?”
“I don’t know, more distant.” Barb accepted the tiny pastry Gloria carried in. “I was just asking Mags if she thinks David seems different,” she said, including Gloria in the conversation.
“He’s always polite,” Gloria said. “In a frosty kind of way. He’s never given me the time of day. But I get what you mean. He spends more time in his office with the door closed than he ever has.”
At least Gloria was no longer making snide comments about his work habits. It would take a while for her to come around, but it was a start.
“See what I mean?” Barb asked.
Gloria sank her teeth into an éclair. “Damn, this is good.”
“I’m sure he’s fine,” Maggie said.
“We’re all being nicer and more respectful, like you told us to, but he seems to have become more remote. Maybe you could ask him if there’s something wrong,” Barb suggested.
“Me?” Maggie asked, horrified.
“He talks to you more than the rest of us.”
“Not true.” Not anymore.
“It’s true,” Gloria disagreed. “You work more closely with him than anyone does.”
“Find out, Mags.”
She nodded since she couldn’t out-and-out lie.
“I need to check my email,” Gloria said as she licked cream from her finger and headed for her office.
“You didn’t tell her the filling is dairy,” Barb said.
“You tell her,” Maggie replied. “If you want me to talk to David, you have to deal with her. Only fair.”
“I guess both of us are keeping our mouths shut then?” Barb said with a grin, reaching for her treat.
She had a meeting with David to show him revisions to the new company’s logo. Even though he’d approved the eagle previously, she’d had one of the lines removed so that the talons appeared fiercer. It complemented the more streamlined lettering of the company name.
“I like it.” He signed his initials to the bottom of the page. “We’re still keeping it under wraps?”
“Of course.” It amazed her how natural it would have been to add the word Sir. Not just natural, but right.
He slid the paper across the conference room table towards her. “I miss you, Maggie.”
