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She wandered into the living area and left her suitcase beside the coffee table. Madison appeared in the archway just as Payton had finished looking around, and Payton had no idea how she could be this put together after a long flight like that.
Payton was just about to go freshen up, and she had to hope that she didn’t look as ragged as she felt. She hadn’t actually managed to sleep on the flight like Madison had.
“How do you feel about going out and finding somewhere to get breakfast?” Madison asked.
“Yeah. Just give me five minutes to freshen up.”
“Okay. I have a phone call to make, so take your time.”
Payton lifted her suitcase onto the coffee table and unzipped it, taking out a pair of army green shorts and a black top. The weather forecast today was sunny and highs of about eighty.
She brought her clothes with her into the bathroom along with her toiletry bag and did the best she could in ten minutes, letting her hair down, adding a little life to the loose waves from her bun, and putting on fresh makeup.
Madison was just ending her call when she came out of the bathroom, and Payton’s chest constricted when Madison did a double take.
Was she dressed too casually? Was there a meeting today that Payton wasn’t aware of? Should she not be wearing shorts? All these thoughts were running through her head, and she couldn’t stop herself from asking Madison if everything was okay.
“Yeah,” Madison said with a quick shake of her head as she went through her own suitcase that was open on the bed. “Just uh… Yeah, give me a minute to get changed too.”
Payton wanted to ask her what was really bothering her. Maybe it had nothing to do with her, and it was something from that phone call? It was just weird the way Madison had looked at her. She’d stopped what she was doing. It was like she’d been frozen in place for a few seconds.
Payton shook off that feeling.
The week would probably be full of moments like that. Moments where she didn’t know if she’d crossed a line. Moments where she forgot that they were going to be equals for the week, and that Payton needed to not look like her assistant.
16
Madison had been distracted since they left the hotel, letting Payton take the lead in finding a place to eat. Even throughout breakfast, she couldn’t stop feeling guilty.
Now, they were walking through Hyde Park on their way back to the hotel. The sun’s rays were warm against her skin, and the grass was dotted with people stretched out on blankets, enjoying the sun.
Madison spent the whole morning thinking about it, and she still didn’t know what had happened with her when Payton had come out of the bathroom.
Madison had stopped in her tracks, momentarily forgetting what she was doing, and she knew she’d been caught staring because Payton had looked at her with concerned eyes. And then Payton even had to ask her if everything was okay.
And four hours later, Madison still wasn’t okay. She’d seen Payton in a dress, so it wasn’t that Madison had just been thrown by the fact that Payton wasn’t wearing business casual. Was it the shorts?
How could seeing Payton in shorts have stirred up something inside of her that seeing her assistant in a dress hadn’t? It didn’t make sense.
So, Madison had looked for any other reason for that reaction, but there really only was one. In that moment, when Payton had emerged from the bathroom, with her hair down and light makeup that made her blue eyes even more vibrant, Madison had been attracted to her.
But it was just a moment, so it was okay.
Hiding behind her shades, Madison glanced at Payton as they walked. Their hands had brushed accidentally a few times, so now there was a safe two or three feet between them as they followed the wide path.
Yes, Madison could safely say that right now, she wasn’t attracted to Payton. That had just been a blip. A strange moment when Madison hadn’t expected to see her tanned legs or her beachy blond waves.
Nothing to worry about.
Payton turned, and thankfully, Madison’s shades were hiding her eyes. “Have you been to London before?”
“Seven or eight times over the years,” Madison said as they continued to walk, moving to the right of the path as a group of cyclists rang their bells from somewhere behind them, whizzing past them a second later. “But it was always business. A conference or to meet with a client.”
“How did you even start the company? I still can’t believe it sometimes. How many people end up needing that kind of help.”
Madison drew a deep breath. “Well, I met Jack in law school, and we both kind of dreaded going out and trying to find the right firm, the one where we could work our way up the ladder and make partner before we went gray. It’s such a long and uphill career path. There are no shortcuts. And we were both miserable before we’d even been accepted to any of the firms we applied to.”
“So, you never practiced law?”
