3. Maddox

THREE

Utley.

Hearing that name is like getting hit in the chest with a pair of electric paddles.

Ms. Utley.

It can't be.

I stare at the profile of the woman sitting across the table from me.

It can't fucking be.

But…

The hair color.

The slope of her nose.

I lean forward in my chair.

I narrow my eyes.

There they are. The tiny dots across her cheek. The freckles. The ones that don't just dust her face but also her chest, dipping between her breasts.

A weird sort of adrenaline pumps through my veins as I reach for the stack of résumés ahead of me.

I have to flip through the sheets, skipping past the ones I never bothered to look at.

Then I find it, and my fingers still.

Because there, at the top of the page, in bold font, is her name.

The name.

Hannah Utley.

The girl who gave me a taste of comfort.

The one who would blush as she teased me.

The girl who made me feel like I could take on the world.

The one who spent the night locked in the library with me, crying my name.

The girl who disappeared.

The one I never saw again.

Never heard from after that night.

Not a single fucking word.

"Yep, did that too," she tells my colleague.

Dana says something, and Hannah looks at her, but she's careful not to look at me.

Her posture is perfect. Her facial expressions are even, almost relaxed. But I can see it in her hands.

The tension.

The anxiety.

She's not unaffected, not unaware of who I am.

And if I'd been paying attention when she walked in, I could've seen her reaction to finding me here.

I drum my fingers on the table as Dana speaks, but Hannah continues to ignore me.

Was she surprised by my presence?

Did she startle when she walked in? Or did it not kick in until Dana introduced me?

Or did she know before she even stepped foot in this room?

We kept everything about the purchase quiet until this week, not wanting to cause an unnecessary stir. And not wanting to draw the attention of anyone else until the deal was already done. But she's had the last few days to do her research. So maybe she already knew.

Maybe she walked in prepared to see me.

Maybe she put that fucking outfit on just for me. Maybe she wore that formfitting shirt just to show me what I can't have. Put on that suit to look like the fuck me librarian I still dream about.

My jaw tenses.

"What college did you go to, Miss Utley?" I cut into the conversation, putting emphasis on "Miss" since that's what Peter called her.

I can feel the two people on my side of the table turn to look at me. Probably wondering why I'm asking about something that can be answered by reading her résumé. But I keep my attention forward, on Hannah. Because this question is personal.

She's slow to look my way. Hesitant.

But she finally does. And when our eyes connect, I feel the floor tilt beneath me.

Her eyes are the same. Those golden irises full of all the emotion she tries to keep off her face.

Her throat moves on a swallow.

Then, for the first time in fifteen years, Hannah Utley speaks to me. "I got my degree from Winona State, sir."

Sir.

The corner of my mouth twitches.

"Did you go there all four years?" I goad her.

Hannah lifts her chin the smallest amount. "No, I did my first two years at community college. Then I finished my degree with online classes."

"Why?"

Dana clears her throat next to me, but I keep my gaze on Hannah.

She glances away before replying. "My work schedule changed."

Her tone is clipped. Almost angry.

Peter makes a sound of understanding. "Admirable that you stuck with it."

Hannah turns to Peter. Not just turning her head but shifting her whole body, giving me her shoulder. "Thank you. It was a lot at times but worth it."

I can see a sliver of the smile she gives him. And it makes me want to fire Peter.

"Well," Dana sighs. "We don't need to keep you any longer. Thank you so much for coming up and talking to us." She looks to me, then Peter. "Either of you have any more questions?"

"Nope," Peter answers first, and I can practically hear his smile.

I have a thousand questions for Hannah.

Why did you run away from me?

Why did you drop out of HOP U to do online classes?

Why are you looking at me like I'm the one who ghosted you?

And most importantly, is it really Miss Utley?

Instead of voicing any of them, I shake my head.

Dana nods. "Alright, well, unless you have any questions for us, you're free to head back downstairs."

Hannah pushes her chair back and stands. But before she turns away, she pauses. "Um, just… Can you tell me how long before you decide?"

"Decide what?" Dana asks.

Hannah glances at me, then looks back at my CEO. "If I get to keep my job?"

Something invisible hits me in the center of my chest.

Her hands are clutched in front of her stomach. And just like when they were on the table, her knuckles are white with tension. She's squeezing her fingers so hard it must hurt.

Is this why she's acting so tense? Did she think I would fire her? Dismiss her from her position as punishment for walking out of my life fifteen years ago?

"Oh," Dana laughs. "You have nothing to worry about. We're happy to have you on the team."

Hannah darts her eyes to me again. Waiting for… what? For me to say just kidding?

I furrow my brow.

Why is she acting like I'm the villain?

"Thank you." She smiles at us as a group. And it almost convinces me she's not a heartbeat away from breaking down.

She spins on her heels and strides out of the room. Those black pants cling to her ass like they're getting paid to do it.

When she disappears out the doorway, I push back from the table.

"We have one more, Maddox," Dana says.

Something inside me slams against my rib cage at the thought of letting Hannah walk away from me again.

"I'll be right back." I stand. "Bathroom."

I say it like a toddler who just learned how to use the toilet, but it doesn't stop me from making my way around the table and out the door.

Hannah isn't in the hall outside the conference room, so I pick up my stride toward the front of the office. She can't be on the elevator already.

But when the front lobby comes into view, and I don't see her anywhere, I slow.

She's gone.