Ella pouted and I smiled. “I’m planning on calling him after the week is out. The day after the ball. Once I don’t have the stress of an event on me, I think I’ll be calmer. That’s a good time to do it.”

A slow smile spread across her red lips. “You know he loves you, right?”

My insides flipped about. “I don’t know about that. I know he likes me, but love? No, I don’t think so.”

She rolled her eyes and stood. “I’m not even going to bother arguing with you.” She asked, “You want a ride to the bar tonight?”

Friday night drinks had become a new thing for me, but I was liking it so far. I’d met a whole new department of Addison Limited, and they were pretty cool people. Not to mention the fact Nicholas had been in attendance.

I grinned. “Sure. You going to be my date tonight?”

She snorted and chuckled. “Oh, baby. You couldn’t afford me.”

My face twisted in mock-pain and I clutched at my chest. “Whoa, ouch. I’m gonna need some aloe for that burn.”

I turned to my computer when a wild idea took hold of me. I stood suddenly, needing a word with my boss.

The bar was full with people to the point of not being able to take a step without turning and apologizing to the person whose foot you’d just stepped on.

I returned from ordering drinks, careful to give myself enough room between people so as not to spill. It felt like a feat when I arrived at the booth without spilling a single drop. Ella looked down at her drink in awe. “Were you a barmaid in a past life?”

I took my straw into my mouth, nodding. “Yep. One of those busty Bavarian wenches who can hold eight steins at once. Although, my boobs probably drank more than the patrons did.” I shrugged. “Guess that’s why they kept me on as long as they did.”

Nicholas snickered along with Pip. Dave from marketing tipped his head back and roared with laughter, while Francine from accounting snorted. Ella smacked my arm, astounded at my dirty, dry wit. “Ha!”

The conversation came easily, and although Dave liked to flirt with me, I’d made it clear it wasn’t going to happen. He was harmless, in my opinion.

His brown eyes crinkled in the corners as he ran a hand through his sandy blonde hair. “Mia, when are we getting married?”

I feigned thought. “I don’t know. I think I’m free in October, three years from now.”

He winked, his smile spreading. “For you, I’ll wait.”

I rolled my eyes and sipped at my drink, smiling all the while. I turned to Nicholas and asked him how he was doing. He sipped his beer and leaned forward, closer, so he wouldn’t have to yell his response. As soon as he opened his mouth to answer, he caught sight of something over my shoulder and pulled back, disbelief written all over his face.

Peeking over my shoulder, I caught sight of her. I slid out of the booth and made my way through the crowd to meet her. She looked around anxiously until she caught sight of me. She sighed. “I thought I was too late.”

I smiled at Addison, who looked completely different than I’d ever seen her. She wore light blue jeans, ripped at the knee, a cream-colored tank, with white chic slip-ons. She wore no make-up, and her blonde hair was down, looking soft and freshly washed. A contrast to how she wore herself for work. “No, we’re just over here. C’mon down. What are you drinking?”

She ran a hand through her hair. “Something fruity, I think. How about a fluffy duck?”

We went to the bar and I put Addison’s drink on my tab. Once she had the frou-frou cocktail in her dainty hands, we made our way over to the booth. That was when she spotted Nicholas. She paused mid-step. “Oh. I didn’t know Nicholas would be here.” She swallowed hard. “Crap. This is awkward. I think I should leave.”

But Nicholas had yet to take his eyes off Addison, and he was looking at her differently, inquisitively. I watched him watching her, and decided for her. “No, he’s fine. Sit down. Take a load off.”

Ella, Pip, Dave, and Francine watched me bring over Addison in plain confusion. Nicholas continued to search her face, as if he was seeing her for the first time. I explained myself. “Hey, I invited Addison. I hope you don’t mind.” I said this pointedly, in a way that said, ‘If you have an issue with this, shove it wear the sun don’t shine, because she is staying’.

Nick was the first to speak. “Addison.”

Her smile faltered. Her voice trembled. “Nicholas, hi.” She looked around the booth and I knew she felt out of place. “Hello.”

He watched her so closely that I felt her squirm beside me. I was extremely grateful when he jerked his chin to the booth seat. “Sit. We’re just talking about the Maginty deal and what we can do to improve their outdated Christmas dinners.”

We all watched in complete silence, holding our breaths as to how she would react. Addison stood there a moment before breathing deeply then exhaling slowly. I took a seat in the booth and she sat beside me. Then she started, “Well, the first thing we can do is try to persuade them to update their logo. I think they’ve had the very same one for about fifty years.”

Nick’s eyes smiled. “I was just saying that.”

Addison blinked down at her hands. “Oh, sorry.”

Nick shook his head. “Don’t be sorry. What else?”

She sipped her fluffy duck. “I thought maybe Ella and Mia could find a new and exciting venue. They’ve always had it at the same venue. The problem is that the venue is about as dated as the company is. Ella and Mia work well together.” She smiled at me then at Ella. “It’s remarkable.” She grinned at him and said without thinking, “Sort of like how we work together.”

Nicholas immediately stiffened. The booth went silent and he downed his beer in one long gulp. “Goodnight all. Thanks for the nightcap.”

He stood and walked toward the exit. Addison lowered her head and hissed quietly, “Shit.” Then she stood and followed him out, leaving her drink at the table and the rest of us watching her back as she walked away, completely perplexed.

I took in the expressions of the rest of the guys. “Well,” I started. “That was fun.”

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Addison

“Nick,” I called as I followed him. “Nick, wait.”

He turned to me, avoiding my eyes, scratching at the sexy scruff at his neck. “Yes, Addison? Something you need?” His cold eyes met mine. “Maybe my family home? More alimony? Perhaps the car I just bought to replace the ones you claimed you needed?”

Yikes. I probably deserved that.

When Nicholas had told me he’d cheated on me, I was more than hurt. I was completely heartbroken. The only thing I wanted for a long while was for him to feel how I had felt when he told me about it. I wanted to watch him suffer, because I was suffering.

I still was.

My throat thickened. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He eyed me hard and smirked. Lifting a hand, he uttered a bored, “Goodnight Addison,” then started to walk away. Again.

I needed to talk to him. There was no time like the present. Taking a deep breath, I rushed out, “I want to sell my half of the company.”

He stopped walking and his back went rigid. It took a few minutes for what I’d said to sink in, and then he turned to face me, his eyes narrowing. “I don’t know what you’re playing at…”

I shook my head slowly. “No games. I want out. I want to sell it to you. Cheap.”

He took a single step closer. “Why?”

I looked to the ground. “We had a great idea when we started this business, Nick. I loved this company. It was my baby.” I paused a moment before I admitted my weakness. My voice faltered. “But it changed me, and I don’t like the person I’ve become.”

The harsh angles of his face softened. “Addison…”

My eyes closed tightly and I begged, “No, don’t say anything. Please. Let me finish.” I held my eyes shut as I confessed my truth. My heart raced. “I love this business, and it’ll be hard to let go.” Here goes nothing. “But it couldn’t be harder than losing the person I love the most.”