Work Wife

All Business

My phone stays nestled in my hand all evening but Chase or Logan never calls me back. Or even shoot me a text. I answered Logan when he checked in on me, the least he can do is tell me they are fine. 

I want to want to talk to Chase and I want to talk to Logan and my mind is so consumed by the fallout that I can't focus on anything else. I tried cleaning my house, listening to loud pop music and watching mindless cooking shows on Netflix but my mind refuses to shut up. I need to know what happened after Mexico and no one is telling me more than what Eloise told me. I'm almost waiting for a scathing text from Ainslee but that whole group chat is silent as well. I checked all of the girls' Instagrams and Snapchats not caring that they can see me snooping, but besides a quick snap of Kaitlyn and Maddie on the plane home together, there are no clues as to what was happening. I slept with Logan and have been friends with Chase for three years. The very least either of them could do is send me a quick text. 

I also never called Emma and I couldn't figure out what was making me so reluctant to fill her in on what happened. I couldn't decide if I just didn't want to go over it all again or if she'd judge me for how I left things. If I was judging myself. Maybe I should have patched things up with Logan before I jumped on the plane. I haven't had an instant spark like that in my whole life and I just walked away from it. I could tell my whole heart was ready to fall and I just snatched the opportunity away by jumping to conclusions. Our last kiss could have been a quick peck and the thought destroys me. 

I manage to fall asleep around midnight and even though I took the day off work, I decide to go into the office. I don't know how secure my position is at the moment, but I can't sit around my house all day in agony. At least reviewing contracts and booking vendors will force my mind off those two men today. 

Kate is stunned to see me walk through the office doors and I know half of our team is still in Mexico. The office is quiet and I can tell she wasn't expecting me in when I see her wide eyes and her client's mood board sprawled out all over the conference room. 

"Stella!" She gasps when she spots me through the glass paneling. She moves down the long table and meets me at the doorway. "I didn't think y'all were back until tomorrow." My eyes glance at her mess and then back to her, "Have you talked to Eloise?" 

Kate nods, her brunette ponytail bounces as she answers, "She said the wedding was off and it was up to us to keep office gossip to a minimum when the team returns." 

"Well, that will be easy to do because I have nothing to share. I have no details as to what happened and that little tidbit can be spread around the office." She licks her lips and casts her eyes down. I won't gossip with Kate about anything, but I will schedule a tete-a-tete with Eloise first thing tomorrow morning. I point to Kate's foam board and ask, "That looks like Alice in Wonderland to me." I am dropping all conversation about Chase's wedding and she quickly gets the hint. She takes a step back, allowing me to step into the conference room as she says, "Mary Barker, the one who is doing that author convention down here swapped themes. She wants it heavily decorated and I am supposed to provide a menu that goes along with it." 

"Have you found vendors that have decor for this?" I ask as my eyes sweep across the inspo board and this could get expensive. Mary Barker is another spender who has no healthy budget to back it. 

Kate shakes her head, "Not really. I was working on the menu just now. Things are adding up though and I have a call scheduled with her on Wednesday to go over initial plans." 

"I'll drop my stuff in my office and we can collaborate on this. I once had a Christmas event that was Nutcracker themed, that vendor may have some decor we can use." 

She eagerly nods and I am glad I have a project I can jump into. This is why I came to work today. To focus on something tangible. 

I drop my purse under my desk and fire up my computer. I was checking emails in Mexico so I am glad I don't have a mound to sift through. I notice Chase has not replied to any of the ones he was CC'd on but he does have his out-of-office set. 

I pull up old contracts from Christmas time to check who that decor vendor was and I am halfway through November signatures when my phone buzzes. My eyes dart to my phone and my hand snatches it up when I see Chase's name illuminating my screen. I open his text and read, I know we have much to discuss, but I wanted to verify that you were still planning on coming into the office tomorrow. I wasn't sure if you were still dealing with your family emergency and if we needed coverage.

I sigh. Once again Chase is business first, everything else in the world second. 

I quickly type back, I am in the office today and I can cover the next two weeks if you're still going to take those vacation days. 

I hold my phone with my eyes glued to the message screen while his typing bubbles appear. I wait for a response but suddenly the bubbles disappear and my heart drops. No response? 

I drop my phone on my desk annoyed. That was our conversation after everything!? Coverage for the office?!

I slide my phone into my desk drawer and push it back into place with some force. I stride to the kitchen to pour myself a large iced coffee before heading back into the conference room. Chase's CU Boulder mug is hanging on a hook with the rest of the glassware and I give it a flick to make it sway. I try and shake off my frustration with Chase when Kate eyes me coming in. I am sure I am not hiding my frustration as well as I think I am. As usual, my face betrays me and I am unable to feign a smile. 

"Do you want a run down?" She nervously asks while hovering next to the colorful images and I nod as I drop into the large leather office chair. Kate starts pointing things out and detailing what her plans are and I am trying my best to listen. I nod when I am supposed to but don't offer much feedback. My foot is rapidly bobbing under the conference table and my thumbnail is digging into my finger. Instead of brainstorming tea options and finger sandwich flavors, I am mentally rereading Chase's text over and over again. God, it really is all fucking business with him. The office has a boss in it while he's gone, that's all that matters. 

I feel like he's going to grate my nerves when he gets back and all this pent-up animosity is going to spill over into our work relationship. I am almost certain that I need to work on my resume when I get home today. I don't know if I can leave this all outside anymore. I have too many feelings about him that I have shoved down and I am not sure if I can continue to do so for the sake of my career. Loving him was one thing, hating him will be another. 

Kate hands me a mock-up of the menu sheet to see if I approve of her font choices and while I am holding her typed sheet she slides her laptop out to show me the e-vite the client liked. My eyes are running down the whimsical fonts when I hear a knock on the glass door. Kate and I both flick our gazes to the noise and anxiety spreads like hellfire over me when I see Chase standing on the other side. 

What the actual hell? 

"Can I borrow you, Stella?" He asks and it's weird to see him here in the office dressed in gym shorts and a t-shirt. I know he lives about ten minutes from the office so it's possible he ran or biked here. I nod and Kate doesn't say anything as I cross the space. 

He holds the glass door open for me as I walk through it and he nods toward his office, "Can we talk in my office?" I nod but no sound comes out of my mouth. I have felt a lot of things when my eyes have met Chase's around this office, but this is the first time I have felt such reluctance. I pass by him and I can immediately tell my feelings for him have changed. There isn't the usual lust and fawning that overtakes me when I am around him. I'm also not dressed in anything blue. 

Something about us is different and I wonder if he feels it too.