Page 34 of A Matter of Time
I walked away because I thought we had nothing left worth fighting for, but he knew otherwise, and he just let me go anyway.
Those were the questions I wanted answered in his office that morning, but, as usual with Cam, it had to be his way or no way at all. Since I didn’t want to talk last night, he didn’t want to talk now. It infuriated me.Heinfuriated me.
Even if he had grown into a ridiculously good-looking sex god.
With that frustrating thought in my head, I yanked the main door of the office open just as Jason’s assistant Marianne swiped her card on the other side, and she jumped back in alarm.
“Sorry,” I apologized abruptly. “I’m just heading out for coffee.”
Still blinking in surprise, she called out after me as I started down the hall. “Wait, Tonia, do you mind if I tag along? I kind of wanted to ask you about something.”
Every nerve in my body screamed that I wanted to be left alone, but I pushed down that response. Telling her I had really just been about to go and scream down an empty alleyway in frustration would make me sound a little crazy.
Marianne and I had spoken a few times since I’d started at Barnly Oil, but only in passing. If she wanted to talk to me, I should take advantage of the opportunity. My job there was to help and impress people, and I couldn’t let Cameron Bailey throw me off my game.
“Of course,” I told her, as though that had been my intention all along. “I’d love the company.”
Her face relaxed into a warm smile. “Wonderful. Let me just drop these files at my desk.”
She stepped into the office to do that, returning to me a minute later. Together, we took the elevator downstairs and exited the building, making small talk as we stepped into the morning sunshine. The air felt fresh and the sun warm on my skin as I did my best to put my frustration behind me.
“I hope it’s not out of line,” she said as we walked side-by-side down the sidewalk. “But there aren’t a lot of other women in the office for me to talk to, and you just seem so… together, you know?”
I had to stifle a laugh. If she only knew how not-together I felt at that moment, she’d feel pretty foolish for saying so.
“Is someone in the office giving you trouble?” I tried to guess. She had mentioned on my first day that the men were all more respectful than she’d expected, but after my own experience with Bradyn, I wouldn’t be shocked to find out something had happened.
She quickly shook her head. “No, nothing like that. It’s just… I think I’m falling for someone, and I don’t know what to do. Is that really wrong? How bad is it?”
“Someone in the office, you mean?” It felt like she meant that, but I didn’t want to jump to any conclusions.
Her nod let me know I had it absolutely right. “Sometimes, I think he likes me too, but he hasn’t said anything.”
Thinking back to my lunch with Jason on Monday, I had to grimace. “Well, it can be tricky, and the last thing you want to do is put yourself out there if they don’t feel the same, and then you still have to work together every day.”
Marianne nodded again, more emphatically. “That’s exactly what I’m afraid of. What should I do?”
We arrived at the coffee shop and went in to place our orders, giving me time to think over my response. There was no blanket answer for that kind of situation, and I could hardly claim to be an expert on relationships, especially workplace ones, but I would do my best to give her some things to think about at least.
“Well, the chances are that if heisinterested, he’s not going to make a move in the office,” I told her as we sat down at a nearby table. After all, I never would have said anything to Jason at the office; I’d waited until we were out for lunch before I brought it up. “Is there any way you could spend time with him outside of work?”
Her eyes lit up as she took a sip from her take-out coffee cup, leaving a perfect red lip imprint on the cardboard rim. “Actually, a whole bunch of people are going out for drinks after work tomorrow, and I’m pretty sure he’ll be there. I wasn’t sure if I should go since I’m just an assistant.”
“You definitely should go,” I assured her. “Leaving aside any possible flirtation that might take place, you have every right to be there. You’re just as much a part of this company as anyone else, even the CEO.”
Her cheeks flushed as she looked down at her coffee cup, and suddenly, I put it all together.
“Wait, is it Jason that we’re talking about?”
Her eyes snapped up to me in dismay. “Oh my gosh, am I that obvious?”
“No, not at all,” I assured her, only lying a little bit as my mind raced. Cam had said Jason was interested in someone in the office; could he have been talking about Marianne? It seemed possible, but unlike Cam, I had no intention of opening my mouth without being certain of it.
What I could do, however, was give her a little nudge in the right direction.
“He definitely seems like he wants to foster an inclusive working environment, so I’m sure he’d be more than happy if you went. Don’t try too hard, just have a good time on your own, and if he wants to seek you out, he will.”
She nodded as she thought that over before giving me a hopeful smile. “Would you come along too? I’d feel better if you were there to make sure I don’t do anything stupid.”
