Page 84 of Tempting the Player
But the anger didn’t hang around long, and she really shouldn’t have been surprised that she was going to work using a ton of concealer under her swollen eyes.
Her heart was broken, just ahead of schedule.
She turned her computer on and listlessly started checking her e-mails. Fifteen minutes later, Madison bounded into the office with a smile so huge Bridget had to wonder if she won the lottery over the break.
Or if Chase had proposed to her.
But Madison’s smile faded the moment she saw Bridget. “Oh no, what has happened?”
Bridget wasn’t sure if she should tell Madison now that she and Chad were broken up. The last thing she wanted to do was ruin his contract, so she opted for a lie. “I’m not feeling well.”
Madison stopped in front of her desk, a look of sympathy crossing her face. “You look like crap.”
“Thanks,” she muttered.
“But you need to feel better before the third because guess what?” Of course Madison didn’t wait for Bridget to guess. Not that she ever did. “Director Bernstein changed his mind. He wants you at the Gala.”
“What?” Bridget turned away from her computer. “But he didn’t want me—”
“I know, because of Chad, but he’s even okay if Chad comes.” Madison rocked back on her heels, happy as can be while Bridget’s heart cracked a little more. “At first I thought someone pulled the stick out of his ass, but then he shared even bigger news, which is why he’s in such a great mood.”
“What?” Viagra no longer posed heart attack risks?
Madison slapped her hands down on Bridget’s desk, rattling every item on it. “There was a generous donation that came in after Christmas.”
Despite her craptastic mood, hope swelled. “How generous?”
“Generous as in we have met our goal for the year!”
Bridget shot to her feet. “Are you serious?”
“Yes!” Madison jumped. “The department has their funding for the year, and there are still some donations expected to be made at the Gala!”
Rushing around the desk, Bridget joined Madison in the jumping and squealing celebration. Her mood most definitely approved upon hearing the good news, which helped get her through the day. There were only a few times the stuff with Chad overshadowed the good, but she kept telling herself at least she didn’t have to worry about finding a new job for another year.
It was when she returned home that evening and set Pepsi’s dinner on the table, she almost broke down again.
Tears never solved anything, but she wanted to cave to them. Right now, she had so much to look forward to, but it had lost a little of its luster.
A knock on her door had her heart stopping. Was it Chad? She’d called and texted him several times, wanting a chance to explain, to talk, to do something, but he hadn’t responded.
She rushed through the living room, catching her toe in the threadbare carpet, nearly face-planting into the floor. Catching herself at the last minute, she threw open the door. “Cha…oh, it’s you.”
Miss Gore arched a brow. “Nice to see you, too.”
Well, if she hadn’t felt like crawling into a hole before, now she did. “What do you want?”
“We need to talk.” She pushed her way into Bridget’s apartment. For someone so small, she was definitely strong. Turning around, Miss Gore placed her purse on the coffee table and folded her arms. “Can you tell me why I just got off the phone with a really pissy Chad, who just explained to me that the whole thing was off, ahead of schedule, and will not tell me why?”
Bridget’s shoulders slumped. “It’s over.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What do you mean? We weren’t planning to break things off—”
“There isn’t any ‘we’ in this! And I don’t care if this messes up everything for you!” She stepped back, taking a deep breath. “Look, I want Chad to keep his contract and for everything to work out for him, but it’s over.”
Miss Gore watched her a moment and then sat down. “What happened?”
“Why do you think something happened?”
