Snowbound with the CEO (7 page)

“Yes, sir.”

The way Rachel said those two words cut through Adrian. She wasn’t insolent. It was more that her voice was so flat. Impersonal. Where was the woman who loved to laugh and taunt him about his throwing arm?

Her posture was as rigid as her voice, and he realized she was putting on a more strict professional front than usual. The only reason he could see for that was the possibility she was trying to hide the same personal turmoil he was feeling.

“Rachel, can we talk?”

“I have a lot to get done today, unless it’s important.”

Hell yes, it was important. “I think it is. Maybe you could close the door.”

The mask slipped and she looked vulnerable for a moment. Like a woman who didn’t want to have a conversation she didn’t believe would end well. “Adrian, I can’t right now.”

At least she’d called him by his first name. That was a good start. “Please?”

It looked like she was wavering, but before she could answer, Del stepped up behind her. “Hey, Mr. Blackstone. Rachel. I listened to that voicemail again and, now that it’s quieter in the office, I think I heard the word
bastard
.”

“I just signed the contract two days ago,” Adrian said. “How could we have pissed somebody off already?”

“Maybe he’s calling Mr. Bouchard a bastard?” Del frowned. “Or maybe it was a wrong number.”

“Find a damn translator,” Adrian growled. “Don’t they make an app for that or something?”

“I’ll take care of this,” Rachel said, and she moved to follow Del through the door.

“Rachel, wait.”

“We need to know if there’s a problem in Tuscany,” she said. “I’m going to use my phone to record it and then walk down to that Italian place we get take-out from sometimes. The cook there speaks Italian.”

She was gone before he could make the point Del or Alex or anybody else in the office could walk a recording down to a restaurant. It frustrated him that she was clearly avoiding talking to him if she thought it might be non-work-related.

But then he remembered his plan. Two weeks with no staff to worry about. No people popping in and out of their offices and interrupting them with what may or may not be Italian curse words.

His phone buzzed and he hit the button without glancing at the screen. “Adrian Blackstone.”

“Adrian, it’s Diane. Are you picking me up tomorrow night or sending a car for me or should I meet you at the party?”

Oh
,
damn.
He’d been so wrapped up in thinking about Rachel, he’d forgotten all about Diane.

Chapter Six

Everything was perfect. Rachel looked around the upscale restaurant’s private banquet room, satisfied that every detail had been seen to. This was the third year the Blackstone Historical Renovations holiday party wasn’t held in the offices and, though it was a lot more work, she thought it was worth the time and expense to celebrate in such a gorgeous setting. Plus, Rachel didn’t have to wash the dishes herself when the party was over.

It also marked the beginning of the BHR’s annual holiday shutdown and she was looking forward to two weeks out of the office more than she ever had before. The tension made her head hurt, but there was no way she was going to have a conversation with Adrian about their personal life while in the office.

She missed him, though. She missed him personally—the Adrian she’d gotten to know in New Hampshire—but she also missed him professionally. Things had been awkward between them and, even though it was probably partly her fault, she wasn’t sure how much longer she could stand it.

“The appetizers are amazing,” Michelle said, holding up a small plate bearing a variety of hors d’oeuvres. “Have you had any?”

“I had a few in the kitchen. I have to agree about the amazing part.”

“I swear, this is the best job I’ve ever had.”

“Me, too,” Rachel agreed, but Michelle was already wandering away.

She milled around the room, making sure she spoke to everybody and introducing herself to anybody she didn’t know. Everybody was having a good time, but the crowd was starting to wonder in hushed whispers where their fearless leader was.

Rachel froze when Adrian finally walked into the room. The twisting in her stomach and weakness in her knees had nothing to do with how amazing the man looked in dress pants and a casual cream-colored sweater, though.

Diane Austin was on his arm. Looking as chic as always in a little black dress, with her dark hair falling in a sleek bob, the woman spotted her and smiled.

Rachel returned the smile out of sheer habit while her mind reeled. Adrian had brought a date to the office Christmas party. And he hadn’t even given her the simple courtesy of a heads-up.

“Merry Christmas, Rachel!” Diane was across the room and hugging her before Rachel could find an inconspicuous way to escape. “I’m sorry we’re late. A client called me with a crisis and I couldn’t not take her call.”

“Merry Christmas, Diane.”

When Rachel stepped back from the other woman’s embrace, she made sure her expression was nothing but warm and welcoming. They’d known each other since Rachel had joined Blackstone Historical Renovations because Diane and Adrian had been dating at the time.

“Everything looks great, Rachel,” Adrian said, and his eyes were warm when he smiled at her. “You’ve done a great job, as usual.”

“I delegated most of it to Alex this year, since I was...I was away.” Thinking of being snowed in with Adrian while Diane had her hand on his arm made her uncomfortable. “But if you’ll excuse me, I do want to check on something with the kitchen.”

As gracefully as she could, Rachel made her exit. Bypassing the kitchen, she went to the ladies room and locked herself in. Then the professional mask crumbled and she looked at her sad expression in the mirror.

Of course he hadn’t given her a heads-up that Diane was coming, she told herself. Diane was on the guest list, just as she was every year. Even after they’d stopped being involved romantically, Adrian and Diane had continued accompanying each other to social events.

Knowing that and having a logical explanation for them showing up together didn’t do a lot to ease the knot of pain in her chest, though. She couldn’t help but feel disrespected, and the question was whether or not Adrian had done it deliberately to send her a message. She didn’t want to believe he was capable of that, but she couldn’t be sure.

After a few minutes, she forced herself to suck it up and go back to the party. The last thing she wanted was for her coworkers to be asking her what was wrong while they were within earshot of Adrian and Diane. It would be too embarrassing.

Grabbing herself a plate and filling it with the appetizers that looked the most satisfying, if calorie-laden, Rachel set about mingling again. With some strategic socializing and moving through the crowd, she was able to avoid Adrian for a while. She knew it wouldn’t last long, but for now she was spared giving him the same fake smile she was giving everybody else.

Unlike them, he’d see right through it.

* * *

Adrian sipped his drink and made all the right small talk with his employees and their plus-ones, but in his mind he was thinking about Rachel. Again. Or maybe it was still. Either way, thinking about her constantly had become a habit he couldn’t break.

“I can’t believe you finally worked up the nerve to do it, and now you’re blowing it.”

Adrian looked at Diane over the rim of his glass, his brows drawn together. “The nerve to do what?”

“The nerve to do Rachel.” His expression must have given away his surprise, because she laughed at him. “I’m not blind or stupid, Adrian. The chemistry between you is so insane, I’m surprised your staff hasn’t picked up on it. Or they have and they’re smart enough to keep their mouths shut.”

“So how am I blowing it?”

“Well, bringing a date to the party wasn’t your smoothest move, Casanova.”

“You’re not a date. You’re...” The words petered out as what she’d said really sank in. “Dammit.”

When Diane gave him a sympathetic smile and shrugged, Adrian sighed. He’d assumed Rachel knew things between him and Diane were strictly platonic, but now he wondered if that’s why she’d disappeared for a while shortly after he arrived.

After the first Christmas party he’d thrown for his staff, he’d made it a point to bring Diane. When he was alone, his employees seemed to have a hard time relaxing around him. But when he had a woman with him, he seemed less like a boss and more like another guy having a good time. Sometimes he did the same for Diane. It was convenient when a plus-one was expected for an event.

“You could have called me and asked me not to come, Adrian. I not only would have understood, but I would have been happy for you.”

“It’s complicated.”

“Which is why you don’t have sex with people who work for you.”

When he glared at her, she shrugged. “It’s true and you know it. Especially when that person’s as indispensable to you as Rachel.”

“I have a plan. The offices are closed for two weeks, so we can talk away from everybody else and spend some time together here in Boston. Sort things out before we go into work again.”

“You should talk to her about me tonight. Don’t let that fester until you decide it’s time to act out that plan, okay?”

He knew she was right, but considering how cagey Rachel had been when it came to talking, he didn’t think it would be easy to get her alone here, surrounded by all the people whose opinions she valued.

“In the meantime,” Diane continued, “I’m going to go grab a fresh cocktail and visit with Del for a while.”

That got his attention. “Del?”

She shrugged. “I think it’s the glasses. He’s kind of cute, don’t you think?”

Adrian assumed that was a rhetorical question not requiring any kind of confirmation from him. He watched her walk away before scanning the crowd, looking for Rachel.

He spotted her standing near a long table of desserts, talking to Michelle and Dana. Though he could barely hear the sound over the music and chatter, he could see she was laughing and it made him ache.

He had to make everything okay with Rachel. He was too far gone to lose her now.

* * *

While watching Adrian in the corner with Diane, their heads close as they had a private conversation, Rachel couldn’t stem the sadness that washed over her.

There was no doubt in her mind—or in her heart—that nothing could ever be the same again. She loved Adrian Blackstone and there was no turning back from that. It had been easier when she was a little in love with him from a distance and could tell herself it was just an infatuation.

But the Mount Lafayette trip had been the tipping point and she was all in. That wasn’t something she could set aside when she walked through the main doors of the office every day and they couldn’t go on as they were. It wasn’t going to get better. Not anytime soon, anyway.

She couldn’t continue living in denial. It hurt too much and she couldn’t keep doing that to herself and she wouldn’t keep doing it to Adrian. By the way he’d tried to get her to talk to him a couple of times, he knew their relationship was off. The last thing she wanted to do was confess she’d fallen in love with him.

Though it was one of the hardest things she’d ever done, Rachel smiled her way through the rest of the Christmas party. Traditionally, Adrian left first and she didn’t think she drew an easy breath until she saw him leaving the banquet room with Diane.

It was another hour before everybody called it a night. The hugs and kisses and wishes for a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year were a joyous end to the night, but Rachel had a hard time embracing the spirit of the occasion. The only thing she felt was numb.

Once the last reveler was gone, Rachel thanked the restaurant staff and found her coat. It was bitterly cold outside now that it was fully dark, and she wished she’d called for a cab. She turned toward the bus stop and almost ran smack into Adrian.

It was too much. Maybe it was the two drinks she’d had or a sugar rush from the dessert table, but anger rose and burned off the sadness. “An ambush? Really?”

“Let me take you somewhere so we can talk.”

She shoved by him. “The only place I’m going is home. Good night.”

“Wait! Rachel, I want to talk to you for a minute.”

She stopped walking, but took a deep breath to steady herself before turning to face him. “It’s a little cold to have a conversation right now.”

“Two minutes. You’ve been avoiding me all week. I think you can give me two minutes.”

She watched the snowflakes falling lazily onto his dark hair and resisted the urge to wipe them away. “I’ve hardly been avoiding you. That would be awkward since I work for you.”

“That’s my point.” He shoved his hands in his coat pocket. “Things
are
awkward and I don’t want it to be like that.”

“I don’t, either. That’s why I’m leaving.”

He stared at her, and she wondered if he could hear her heart pounding in her chest. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do until the words came out of her mouth but, no matter how painful they were to say, she thought it was the right thing to do.

“What do you mean you’re leaving?”

“I’m going to find a new job. I can’t work at BHR anymore.”

He was shaking his head, as if he could make her take back the words with sheer will. “You don’t have to do this, Rachel. Please don’t. We can figure this out if you would just
talk
to me.”

“What happened between us was a mistake.” It hurt so badly to say that, and to watch the impact it had on Adrian. “And I was hoping it wouldn’t affect how I feel about this job, but it does.”

“It doesn’t have to. Look, I messed up. I wasn’t sure how to act in the office when we first got back, so I was too hands-off. And then I screwed up and brought Diane tonight. There’s nothing between us. There hasn’t been for years.”

“It’s not any one thing, Adrian. And the bottom line is this—I don’t want to work for you anymore.”

She knew she’d never forget the shock in his eyes. And she could almost feel his sense of betrayal. But she couldn’t take it back, even if she wanted to. Their relationship was irrevocably broken.

Without saying anything more, Rachel walked away and this time he didn’t try to stop her.

Miraculously, she didn’t cry during her journey home. Instead of soaking in a bubble bath and putting on her comfortable pajamas, as she usually did after the party, she dropped onto her couch. The scope of what she’d done was overwhelming and she barely had the energy to kick off her heels.

She’d ended any hope of ever having a relationship with the man she loved. And she’d quit the best job she’d probably ever have. Now she’d have to update her resume, trying to come up with a good interview excuse for why she’d leave a company with BHR’s reputation, and go hunting for a second-best job.

But first, she was going to have a good, long cry. Since the tears fell and the sobs shook her body, she didn’t have any choice but to ride out the heartbreak.