The Billionaire's Widow

21

Paige’s POV

“Aren’t you going to work tomorrow?”

Jason’s voice startled me. I jumped, hand to my chest.

“God, you scared me,” I said, exhaling as he dropped onto the couch beside me.

“Sorry.” He gave me a half-smile. “But really, why are you still up? It’s past midnight.”

“I can’t sleep,” I said honestly, eyes fixed on nothing in particular. “My mind won’t shut up.”

“Hmm…” he studied me. “Let me guess. A girl.”

I scoffed lightly. “What makes you say that?”

“Paige, come on. I’ve known you forever. That look on your face? Classic you when there’s a girl involved.”

I shook my head with a laugh. “I don’t even know what I’m feeling, Jason. It’s… complicated.”

“Try me.”

I hesitated for a second, then gave in. “Okay. There’s this woman I like—”

“You like her?” He raised an eyebrow. “You were gonna say ‘think’ but corrected yourself. That’s progress.”

I laughed under my breath. “Yeah… I like her. A lot more than I should, probably. I just don’t think she feels the same.”

“Why? She taken? Or straight?”

“I thought she was straight,” I said slowly. “But then we kissed. And she kissed me back.”

Jason’s eyebrows shot up. “You kissed?! Paige! That’s not nothing.”

“I know. But it could’ve just been a moment. A confusing one. I don’t want to assume anything.”

“You’re overthinking it,” he said with a smirk.

“I can’t help it, Jay. What if she regrets it? What if she was just caught up in emotions?”

Jason rolled his eyes. “Even if she was, she still kissed you back. She didn’t pull away. That says a lot.”

I sank deeper into the couch. “I don’t want to get my hopes up.”

“Paige. You’re up, past midnight, spiraling about this. If you truly believed it meant nothing, you’d be asleep right now.”

I looked at him, not denying it.

“How often do you see her?” he asked.

“Almost every day.”

He tilted his head, narrowing his eyes. “Wait… do you work with her?”

“She, um… she works at AC too,” I lied.

Jason didn’t press. “Alright then. Tomorrow, go to work and act normal. Don’t bring up the kiss. Don’t be awkward. Just be your usual calm self.”

“Pretend like nothing happened?” I asked doubtfully.

“It’s the best way to see how she really feels. If she’s into you, she won’t be able to ignore it for long.”

“And if she does ignore it?”

“Then at least you’ll know. But give her space. Let her come to terms with it.”

I groaned, rubbing my temples. “This is harder than it sounds.”

“Yeah, love usually is.” He stood up. “Now, go to bed. And try not to be late again—unless you want your sexy boss to fire you.”

I threw a pillow at him as he laughed and left. I trudged to my room and fell on the bed, heart heavy.

How was I supposed to see her tomorrow and act like I wasn’t falling for her?

The morning was grey and cold. The kind of weather that mirrored my mood perfectly. I made it to the office early and buried myself in work to stay distracted.

At 9 a.m., the elevator chimed.

I didn’t need to look up. I knew it was her.

“Good morning, Hailey,” I said, standing.

She met my eyes for a second. “Morning,” she replied softly, then walked into her office.

I followed, clutching my tablet like it might keep me grounded.

“You have a meeting in twenty minutes with Mr. Jackson from Light Inc.,” I said, my voice steady. “Then, a meeting at DC with the hotel owner, and a 3 p.m. appointment for the twins at the pediatrician.”

She stayed quiet for a moment, then nodded. “Thank you. Can you send me the Light Inc. file?”

“I already did.”

Her eyes met mine again. Her expression was unreadable.

“Is there anything else you need?” I asked.

She hesitated. “No. I’ll let you know if I think of anything. You can go.”

I gave a polite nod and turned quickly, practically speed-walking to my desk.

It wasn’t even mid-morning, and I already wanted to scream.

Pretending that kiss didn’t happen was torture.

What was worse? A part of me hoped it would happen again.

And that made everything ten times more complicated.

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