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I lifted my head, exhaling. “He’s kinda cute.”
“Kinda? Jesus, girl. You need to get your eyes checked. He’s hunkilicious.”
“That’s not even a word.”
“It is now.” Maggie laughed, tilting her head then glancing over the top edge of my laptop. “Seriously, what are you doing?”
“Possibly looking for a new job.”
“You have a great job. In fact, you make three times the amount of money I do. What are you complaining about?”
By all rights, she was correct. I was paid well with full benefits, including a nice little parking spot close to the building. But I was bored to death. I was considered one of the top employees in the company, the perks including a club membership and use of a private jet whenever I needed. However, it had come with a price and one I wasn’t willing to suffer with emotionally any longer. “I just want some excitement in my life, a chance to do something entirely different.”
“So, go have a one-night stand. That’s what you need. A hot stud muffin in your bed.” Maggie burst into laughter. She knew I wasn’t that kind of girl, but she enjoyed teasing the hell out of me. “You’re serious. You’re going to leave a seventy thousand dollar a year job now?”
“You know what? I am. There are some things you don’t know about the firm, Maggie.” And she didn’t. I’d purposely kept my professional life out of our conversations.
“That sounds ominous.”
She had no idea.
“Look. I really want to consider doing something racy or at least uncomplicated for a portion of the time. Maybe I just need a breath of fresh air.”
“Well, okay. Although I wish you’d tell me the real reason. What are you finding on the great Careerbuilder?”
I bit my lip then took another sip of my iced tea. “Nothing spectacular, at least not in Indianapolis.” I’d worked for the same firm for almost five years, helping to make the married owners millionaires. It had been at the cost of my sanity, something that continued to irritate the hell out of me.
She laughed, shaking her head. “Then try another state. What the heck? Go all out there if you’re serious.” She returned her attention to the front window, giving me a smile. The woman was carefree and happy.
If only I could feel that way.
She had a point though. Getting out of town, or even the state might do me some good. Especially after… No. I refused to think about anything negative today. There was no point in doing so. I took a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds. I’d almost lost a good portion of myself. It was time to take back the reins.
You can do this.
I shifted my criteria, searching a few additional states including California. Go big or go home. Right?
I felt Maggie’s hand on my arm and lifted my head. There was such concern in her eyes.
“Can I ask you a question?” She almost whispered the words, which surprised the hell out of me. She was the boisterous one, a girl with a take-no-shit kind of attitude.
“Of course. What’s up?”
“Are you doing this to get away, I mean from Scott?”
Exhaling, I took a few seconds before answering. I’d told her only a little about the man, even less about what had occurred between us at a festive party. The dark, stormy night was something I’d tried very hard to forget. My God, Scott was the owner’s son, the man destined to take over the company. He was also a prick, a user who’d set his sights on me. I’d never been able to keep any secrets from her. “Maybe a little.”
She nodded, a look of anger crossing her face. “You should have told someone.”
“You don’t know what happened.”
“I can guess. I’m not stupid. You were a shell of yourself for almost two weeks after that company party. If you’d confided in me that night, I would have kicked the shit out of him.” Maggie gave me a serious look.
Shrugging, I scrolled through another page. “That was the past.”
“Which is why you’re leaving your hometown. As I said, you should have called the police. The humiliation alone might have kept him from doing that to another woman.”
“As if the police would have done anything.” The Johnsons were a prominent family in Indianapolis, their wealth and influence making certain their shit didn’t stink.
