Things Money Can't Buy

Chapter 7

~*~

I hadn't seen or heard from Jason at all since he hired his new assistant. It had been a few days now, which was a bit unsettling. For a while, seeing him every day was my normal. Now, it was starting to become a new normal just going into work, sitting at my desk, and getting my work done without being pestered by the CEO of the company.

By coincidence, I finally ran into Jason in the lobby this morning. He was walking towards the elevator, which was where I was headed, too. Surprisingly, he looked tired and a bit cranky.

"Hi, Mr. Bennett," I said, hesitating for a moment.

I know he heard me because we briefly made eye contact before he turned away. His expression looked annoyed, and he just completely ignored my greeting. When he realized I was about to go up the elevator with him, he turned away from the elevator and headed towards the Starbucks instead.

My heart sank.

We hadn't ended on bad terms. He found a new assistant, and I hadn't seen him at all once Natalie started working for him. I thought we had some fun times together, but now he just completely ignored me and walked away.

From working with him for a week, it was obvious that he had mood swings. Maybe he was just having a bad day and it had nothing to do with me. Why would he be upset with me, anyway? 

Before he offered Natalie the position, he had asked me again if I changed my mind about being his assistant. I told him no. He looked annoyed, but that was the last time I'd spoken to him. It was also the only reason I could come up with for him possibly being annoyed with me. The real question was: why would he be so upset at me for not taking a job offer for something I hadn't even applied for?

Immediately, I got to work to distract myself from those thoughts.

~*~

Maddie and I planned to get food together that day during our lunch breaks, so we met up at noon. The moment she saw me, her eyes narrowed. It was funny how Maddie could always read me like a book. 

Cracking her knuckles, she asked, "Who do I need to beat up?"

I sighed. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but it was Jason."

"Sexy CEO Jason?" Maddie gasped.

"I saw him this morning in the lobby. He looked angry and just ignored me and walked the other way."

"Jerk." She shook her head dramatically. "Some guys are such drama queens."

"I know."

"I've got something to cheer you up--there's a party tomorrow that one of my friends is throwing. You should come, and maybe we can find you a hot guy." She wiggled her eyebrows.

I laughed. I really did love her for always finding ways to cheer me up. "I appreciate the offer, but you know I'm not really into parties."

It was true. Even in college, while the majority of my friends were going out to parties, staying home and relaxing was my ideal night. I'm more of an introvert, so going to a party has never been exciting to me. Occasionally, a friend would force me out, but it was definitely a rare occurrence. 

Maddie pouted. "I know, but it's been three years since you've had a boyfriend. I want you to find someone."

I chuckled. "I'll be fine. You've got to find someone, too."

"That's why I'm going to the party," Maddie said. "Maybe there's a guy there that likes big girls."

Maddie was gorgeous and confident for the most part, but she was sometimes still self-conscious about her weight because she was a thicker girl.