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I laugh along with them, grateful for their unwavering support. This whole situation with Max is scary and uncertain, but knowing I have my girls to back me up means everything. "Thank you, guys. You have no idea how much this means to me."
"Anytime, love. But now, no more man talk. Let's talk about something fun, like baby names!" Grace exclaims, pulling out a notebook and pen from her bag.
We all laugh and spend the rest of the evening eating pizza and chocolates and brainstorming names for Maddie's baby boy.
As I lie in bed later that night, I think about Max and the possibility of something more between us. The fear is still there, but so is the hope.I'll talk to Max on Monday, clear the air and tell him how I feel.
For the first time since Max told me his secret, I fall asleep with a smile on my face.
* * *
But Max isn'tthere when I arrive at work on Monday. When he hasn't put in an appearance by late morning, I head for Gerald's office.
"Have you heard from Max? He hasn't come in today."
Gerald quickly places the tablet he's holding face down on his desk. "Why do you want to know? Missing your boyfriend, Eva?"
Good God, a five-year-old has more maturity than this man. How he ended up as store manager, I'll never know. What would he say if he knew Max was his boss? I can't wait to see his face when he finds out. Something tells me Gerald won't be here for much longer once Max reveals his identity.
"No, Gerald. Just concerned for the welfare of a colleague," I reply patiently.
"If you must know, I've assigned him to Homewares this week. He's spent long enough in Clothing."
I release a breath at hearing he's okay. I'll head up to Homewares during my lunch break and ask if we can go somewhere after work to talk.
But when lunchtime rolls around and I head up to the third floor, there's no sign of Max. Julia, the staff member working with him, tells me he's gone out for lunch. Frustrated, I head back down to my floor, intending to catch up with him during my next break.
Sadly, I end up sacrificing my break to deal with a disgruntled customer who comes in demanding to see Gerald. When I explain he's already left for the day, the man becomes irritable and informs me that he's come to collect a designer watch and that Gerald is personally overseeing his purchase. If a special item has been ordered for customer collection, it's recorded on the computer system, but when I check the customer's details, I'm unable to find anything. I eventually placate the man with a promise to personally look into the matter and call him tomorrow, offering him a ten percent discount on a future purchase as a token of goodwill.
The rest of the afternoon is chaotic as one of my colleagues goes home sick, leaving us short-staffed. As closing time approaches, I'm frustrated I still haven't managed to catch up with Max. I'm also a little peeved he hasn't tried to find me, which is unreasonable considering I'm the one who's spent the last week giving him the cold shoulder and refusing to talk. I need to put things right with him, but first, I have to get to the bottom of the missing item.
By the time I've checked the main stockroom, the majority of staff have left for the night, and the usual bustle of the day is replaced with an almost eerie silence. I make my way back to Gerald's office, wondering if he's stored the customer's watch there for safekeeping. I feel a little guilty searching through his drawers, but pause when I come across the key to the storeroom I saw him leaving the other day.
I frown as a thought occurs to me. What was Gerald doing in an empty storeroom?
Grabbing the key, I head to the other side of the building, turning down the narrow hallway at the end until I reach the relevant door. Unlocking it, I step inside, fumbling for the light switch on the wall. My eyes widen as the fluorescent light flickers on to reveal stack upon stack of boxes.
"Empty, my arse," I mutter, moving further into the room. There must be over a hundred boxes in here.
"Eva?"
I shriek at the sound of my name and spin on my heel. In true Eva fashion, I lose my balance and tumble backwards into a stack of boxes ...
Chapter9
Max
My plans totalk to Eva on Monday seem doomed from the start when Gerald informs me he's moved me to Homewares on the third floor. The store manager seems to take great pleasure in telling me I won't be working with Eva for the rest of the week, which only makes me more determined to get rid of the narcissistic arsehole as soon as possible.
Then, instead of spending my lunch break talking to Eva, I end up dealing with an emergency atCaramel y Chocolatwhen Jess calls me to say the oven isn't working. I manage to get hold of a technician to fix it, but he can't come until tomorrow. In the meantime, I instruct the staff to put up a sign telling customers we have a limited choice of pastries but that they can enjoy a twenty-five percent discount once we're back up and running.
I'm late returning to work, which doesn't please Julia, the sales assistant I'm working with. Like Eva, she's committed to her job and does the work of two people.
It's the end of the day before I know it, and I immediately head off in search of Eva before she leaves. I don't want to wait until tomorrow to see her. I need to see her tonight. I need to hold her in my arms and tell her how I feel.
I've decided my time undercover is over. Eva is more important than nailing Gerald to the wall, and I won't sacrifice my chance to be with her. Gerald will dig his own grave one way or another, and I'll be waiting when he does. In the meantime, I have what I need to implement new policies and procedures that will positively impact Sutherland's. I won't be taking credit for them, though. That will fall to Eva and the other staff members who've shown their loyalty and dedication to the business.
I nod and smile at a few staff members as I make my way to the first floor where Eva usually works, but she's nowhere to be found. Have I missed her? No, Eva doesn't duck out early. She's always the first to arrive and the last to leave.
