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“Hi,” Payton said, trying to tap into her old acting skills, trying to put up a shield of confidence, anything to hide the fact that she hadn’t been this nervous since she’d sat down in Madison’s office for an interview a year ago.
“Isn’t it funny how big this city is, and yet you still always manage to find a familiar face.”
Payton wasn’t about to disagree with her, because while it wasn’t true for her, it was absolutely true for someone like Madison. Someone who knew so many people from so many different walks of life.
Payton had never found much information about her online. She had tried to search for her when she applied for the job, but any information Payton could find was all in relation to Madison and Jack’s company. Their charity work. The occasional article about how they managed to save someone’s reputation.
Beyond what Payton saw at the office, she didn’t really know that much about Madison, and that somehow made her even more attractive.
“Buying an apartment?” Payton asked instead, because isn’t that why everyone was here? Well, except for Ashley and her.
“No. But Jack did.” She brought her glass of champagne to her lips and took a sip. Payton couldn’t resist stealing a glance at her long fingers, taking note of the manicured yet short nails and the nearly black polish on them. “I don’t think I’ll ever leave Chelsea.”
Payton shifted her focus back to Madison’s eyes, although that was just as dangerous. It might keep her mind out of the gutter, but it was so easy to get lost in those deep greens and flecks of golden brown when Payton wasn’t trying to remember every detail of what Madison was saying and quickly typing up a to-do list on her phone.
Now, she could just admire.
“What about you?” Madison asked. “What brings you here tonight?”
Payton appreciated the carefully worded question. Obviously, she was not here to buy, but Madison didn’t outright say it, nor did she assume that Payton wasn’t here to do just that. She simply asked a question, and now that Payton thought about it, she wasn’t sure that Madison had ever asked her anything that wasn’t work related.
“See the dark-haired woman in the white dress? That’s my housemate, Ashley. Her boyfriend, Brian, is one of the real estate agents selling the apartments. And I’m here to keep her company, because he’s busy trying to close deals, and while she wants to be supportive and be here for him, she also knew she’d hardly see him tonight. So, that’s why I’m here,” Payton finished, aware that she’d rambled on unnecessarily.
Payton couldn’t decipher the look on Madison’s face. It was almost like she was studying her, but that didn’t really make sense when, again, they spent so much time together. And Madison knew a hell of a lot more about Payton than she did about her boss just from her resume alone.
Madison knew Payton grew up about two hours away, in upstate New York. She knew that Payton had a love for acting, for theater, for old movies. She knew her entire, varied work history. She knew where she went to college and what she’d studied.
Payton wished she knew just one thing about Madison. Something personal. Something that might surprise her. Like in her spare time she went to art galleries or that she knew every Mexican restaurant in town because that was her favorite cuisine. Payton knew nothing like that. And it should have worried her how much she wanted to.
“I’m not surprised,” Madison said. “You seem like you’d be a good friend to have. Loyal.”
Payton searched Madison’s eyes. Was that a compliment?
Madison looked like she was about to say something else, but Jack appeared out of nowhere. He said hello to Payton before telling Madison that he had someone he wanted to introduce her to, and that was the end of their conversation.
Ashley winked at her from across the room, and Payton didn’t know what to think as she spent the rest of the night trying not to look for Madison and wondering how exactly she was going to go to work tomorrow and pretend that she hadn’t seen this version of Madison Dunne.
4
Rarely did Madison have days that dragged on like this, because she loved what she did. And because she could see the difference she made in a client’s life, she never dreaded going into the office.
She pushed back her black leather office chair and stood to shake her client’s hand across the desk, a woman in her thirties trying to put her past career and husband behind her. They’d spent the last two hours going over a plan that Madison was confident she could execute in the next six months, carefully reestablishing this woman’s online presence in the coming months to create a new image.
Once the door shut behind her, Madison sank back into her chair and let out a long exhale.
Today was the first day in a long time that she was struggling to push through. Maybe it was the four glasses of champagne she’d had last night. It might have something to do with the ticking clock and the wedding invitation that was poking out from her top drawer. She really needed to figure out what she was going to do about that.
A light knock on her door kept her from dwelling on that problem, at least for the time being. “Yes,” she called, knowing it was either Jack or Payton. Nobody else bothered her without making an appointment.
Payton’s bright blue eyes met hers. “Hi. You’ve got a meeting with Nina in ten minutes.”
Why didn’t she look rough this morning? When Madison had slipped away around ten, Payton and her friend were at the bar doing shots.
Madison nodded, motioning for her to come in, and Payton closed the door behind her, taking her usual seat across from Madison. “I need you to call Elena. See if she has any availability in the next month. Tell her I need to look better than I ever have.” She waved off Payton who had looked up from her phone, her thumbs flying across the screen as she took notes. “She’ll know what I mean.”
Madison hadn’t gone dress shopping in years. She’d found a stylist who understood her, and she had no intention of ever letting her out of her sight.
Because if she was going to this wedding, she needed to look amazing.
