5. Madison

five

Madison

I 'm not sure what I expected after last night. Was I expecting we'd all go to brunch together—maybe share a beignet? We shared everything else, so why not that, too?

"Whoa, be careful. You might break that glass."

I look down at my hands at the glass I'm wiping down, making sure there aren't any water marks from the dishwasher, only to find I have it in a death grip in one hand while the other hand angrily scrubs at the nonexistent water spots.

Calm it down, Madison. You always knew a one-night stand isn't something you're built for .

Sure, it was amazing and fantastic, definitely the stuff that fantasies are made of, but look where it got me: waking up in bed alone with only the dull throb between my legs and ass cheeks as a reminder.

"Sorry, Mae," I say, setting the glass on the shelf.

"No need to apologize to me. I heard you had quite a night last night."

It's a good thing I already set the glass down, or I'm pretty sure I would have dropped it. How did Mae know about me, Caleb, and Owen? Did Jared tell her I left with two guys? Ugh, that rat bastard, I'm going to kill him or at least hurt him real bad.

"Yeah, it was unexpected." I try to keep my voice calm, but my heart is racing so fast I'm sure Mae will see right through my act.

"I know I'm just as surprised as you are. Last night, I attended the same business owners' event as Mr. Colby. He was supposed to be one of the keynote speakers, but halfway through the speakers' part of the evening, Mr. Colby left. And let me tell you, his date was fuming mad. She'd been parading him around like a prized pig at the county fair all night long." Just like me, Mae is from the Midwest, so she knows a thing or two about prized pigs. "I didn't know why he left in such a rush until someone told me he came in here and basically kidnapped his assistant, Katie.

Oh, thank god, she's talking about Katie and her boss. I wondered how soon the gossip would get back to Mae.

"I was interesting." I try not to sound relieved that she's talking about Katie's love life, not mine.

"Interesting? It's about time he claimed her, what with all the times he spends lurking in the shadows when she's her."

"What? Why didn't I ever see him?"

"Honey, a man in love will do some crazy shit for the woman he loves—it's best if you remember that."

"Um, okay."

"Now, enough about Katie and Mr. Colby. I have a special job for you. Corporate is sending the owners of one of their new franchises here for training for the next three weeks. They're starting today, and as my best employee, I want you to train them."

As distracted as I am today, I'm not sure I'm the best choice to train anyone. But I can't let Mae down. She took a chance on a na?ve girl from small-town Iowa—she said I reminded her of herself when she was younger. I can't repay her by blowing off two guys sent from corporate.

"Sounds good, Mae. When do I get to meet them?" Training may be the distraction I need to forget about Caleb and Owen.

"Here they come now." Mae nods to the front door, and, just like last night, two very tall, very sexy guys that I've seen naked come strolling in.

Fuck my life.