Andrew walked in a few minutes later, frazzled and jittery. “Oh, you’re here.”
“Yes, my appointment took a little longer than I had hoped, sorry.”
“No problem.” He looked at his phone.
She wanted to place a hand on top of his and return to the moment they shared yesterday. Instead, she stood frozen in the middle of the office.
He looked up at her. “Something wrong?”
“I’m sorry about yesterday.” She searched for a reaction to know if he tossed and turned last night about it like she had.
All he tossed was his phone on the desk. “For what?”
For... almost kissing him. Taking Dan’s call. What was she thinking? The moment had clearly passed. Or he was ignoring it. Two can play that game.
“Nothing. Do you want to go over the schedule for tomorrow and the rest of the week?” She still needed to wrap up all the loose ends for the fashion show. It’d crept up so fast and she was getting nervous.
“Sure.” He patted his desk looking for something and brought one hand to his hair, which had a mussed-up quality about it.
A shock crashed through her. Had he been with a woman?
In response to how she’d made him feel?
He had every right to be with someone. A harsh reality set in, making her shiver as if a hairy spider crawled up her arm. If she continued to work there, she had to accept Andrew would date someone eventually. Those potential someones were all over the place, lined up and waiting. Ugh.
She’d have to watch him be all gooey with another woman.
“What is it?” Andrew asked, noticing what must have been a strange look on her face.
“Um, nothing.” She wore her best crooked smile. “Are you all right? You seem a little...off.”
“I just had lunch with my mother.”
His mother. Oh, thank goodness. The idea he had a little lunch date with his mom warmed her.
“That’s so nice.”
He shook his head in frustration. “I love the woman, but she makes me crazy.”
Having her own family butt into her life on a near constant basis, Gwen could empathize. “My dad makes me a little nuts, too. At least you’re a man.” When Andrew abandoned his futzing and watched her with curious flat lips, she clarified, “I’m sure your mom doesn’t hover over you, always thinking something bad is going to happen to you.”
“Oh, I would expect a father to be like that.” He swiped a notepad and dragged his chair across the room to her desk. “And mothers hover. In other ways, you know what that’s like, I’m sure.”
She cleared her throat, hating to correct him this way. “My mom passed away right after I graduated high school.”
His eyes were full of regret glancing at the photos on her desk. “Gwen, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”
She shrugged. “How could you know?”
He released a sharp breath. “I still feel terrible. I feel like I bit your head off when you first mentioned Cate.”
“Andrew, that’s different.” She took a seat at her desk. “My mom died a long time ago. Your wife passed away recently. Plus, it was your wife. The person you’re supposed to be the most...intimate with.”
“Yes, but I think losing a parent is different. I mean, I’ll eventually get another wife.” He rolled his eyes, turning red. “Okay, that came out wrong. What I mean is—”
“Of course, you’ll eventually find someone else. You’re a young man.” She snuck another look at the sea of faces peeking at them above their monitors. “It’s not like you won’t have any takers.”
He caught her looking that way. “I certainly can’t date anyone out there.”
“Out there?” Gwen jammed her thumb at the entire marketing floor.
He released a slow breath. “They all work for me.”
“Yes. That would be messy. Right?”
“Yeah, and illegal...right?”
“Are you asking me or agreeing with me?”
He released a low chuckle. “I get that people at work hook up. But if I were to put my job at risk, it would be for a person I just couldn’t stay away from. No matter what.” Andrew studied her for a moment.
Imagining this man going all in to take a risk on someone choked the breath out of her. More and more she wanted to be that someone. Except she couldn’t be with Andrew. They had an awkward brief history and now worked closely together. Surely, he hadn’t meant her.
“Anyway...” She opened her laptop, knowing it was best to start speaking about work. “I sent that image to the art department. They worked up a draft program. I’ll print it out.” She stood to run off to the copy room.
Andrew’s hand closed around her wrist, freezing her in place. “Gwen...is everything all right with you?”
“Yes, of course,” she squeaked out shivering at his touch.
“Your husband isn’t bothering you or anything, is he?” Andrew asked with a tight jaw.
“No. And he won’t be my husband for long. He just called yesterday asking for the signed divorce papers.”
“Oh.”
“The only reason I haven’t signed them is because I’ve been so caught up with the new job and...and with you.” She absorbed the eyes fixed on her. “And the show, of course.”
“Right.” His gaze shifted to the doorway.
“Is this yours?” Thalia stood there with the program Gwen had printed.
She took it. “Yes, thanks.”
Yesterday had happened so organically, it was futile to force her and Andrew back to that place.
She handed the program to him and leaned over his shoulder while he looked at it.
“This looks amazing, Gwen.”
“Hold on, mister. Wait till you see what else I can do.” She winked and sauntered out of the office.
CHAPTER TEN
wen stood in one of the Prada bathroom stalls with her head against the partition. She needed Gquiet while she ran the checklist for L.A. in her head. The airport limo for everyone going to the fashion show would be there in an hour.
Her peaceful thoughts, however, got rudely interrupted when two women started gabbing by the sinks.
“Don’t do it, Charlize,” one of the voices warned.
“Why? He’s single.”
“That’s only because his wife died.”
Gwen’s ears perked up. They were talking about Andrew and the gabbing just got interesting.
Bye-bye checklist.
“She died like, five years ago,” Charlize whined.
Gwen shook her head at the wildly inaccurate timeline.
“Besides, I heard even before his wife, he only dated models,” the unknown voice said. “I’m sure that’s who he’ll end up with again. You know, once you go model you don’t go back.”
“I can pass for a model.”
“You’re barely five feet tall, Charlize.”
Ah ha! Gwen placed Charlize. Ironically, she shared the name with a tall gorgeous actress, only this Charlize was a little troll. That troll worked for Andrew, and she had the power to stomp in their office and kick Gwen out. She swallowed, worrying Charlize might draw Andrew into some childish, but dangerous game.