Chapter 7

CHAPTER

SEVEN

NOW

The rest of the day was a blur as Maddie tried to keep up with her obligations, which included breakfast with Josh and a few board members and a shopping trip with several "spouses" from upper management.

Maddie was still shaken from everything that had happened this morning. Plus, she couldn't stop thinking about that text she'd received.

Had the man who'd died sent it to her? Had he been the one she was supposed to meet? It was the only thing that made sense.

And who exactly was the man? Did he have a family mourning him right now?

She did her best to hide the tremble still raking through her body as she went about the day.

Maddie had become quite good at acting like the person Josh wanted her to be. There were certain expectations that came with dating a man in his position. Maddie considered herself a blue-collar woman. She hadn't grown up with the need to impress people—which was one reason she'd become a social worker. But now that her job had changed, being presentable was required.

She was, however, looking forward to tonight's dinner, looking forward to hanging out with people who were "ordinary" instead of rising superstars of the corporate world.

Most of the people she'd met through Josh were skilled at climbing the career ladder. They put on the right facade in order to get the promotions and accolades they wanted. They schmoozed and befriended the right people by keeping up appearances.

In other words, they knew how to play the game.

Maddie had never been one to be fake.

Adrienne, Brody, Bree, and Fowler seemed more like her kind of people.

The kind she'd grown up around.

At six o'clock, she met Josh in the hallway so they could walk to dinner together at the restaurant.

He gave her an approving glance. "You look beautiful."

She ran her hand down the knee-length, coral-colored sheath dress. The pale color showed off her tan skin and dark hair.

"Thank you. You don't look too bad yourself." She grinned.

Josh did look striking in his black slacks and pale pink T-shirt. Looks were never one of his weaknesses—though he often mentioned how much his ears bothered him. He thought they stuck out too much. They'd never bothered Maddie, however.

He took her hand, and they started toward the lobby.

Before they reached it, he paused and tugged her to a stop.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"I wanted to let you know that I found out a few hours ago that the man who died in the ocean worked for Benchmark," he leaned close as he told her, his voice low.

That man had been with the company?

How tragic, she mused. How very, very tragic.

"His name was Jared Kline," Josh continued. "He was Darla Bowman's executive assistant. She personally paid his way because she needed his assistance with part of the presentation she's doing. Usually assistants don't come."

Darla Bowman was the Assistant Director of Development. Maddie had never cared for the woman, and Darla had made it clear she didn't care for Maddie either.

It might have something to do with the fact Darla used to date Josh—right before he dated Maddie, actually. Maddie wasn't sure what had happened between the two of them. She'd never asked.

She only knew that Josh had said several times that it was a bad idea to mix work and pleasure. His eyes always darkened when he said the words as if he had personal experience.

Even though Josh and Darla were cordial to each other, Maddie could always feel the tension simmering between them when they were in the same space.

"I'm sorry to hear he worked for Benchmark," Maddie finally said. "I know this is a big loss for you all."

"It is, indeed."

She thought again about that text she'd received.

I know something you need to know. Someone is out to get you. I need to explain in person and not through text. Meet me at 5:30 a.m. on the beach. Tell no one—trust no one. Delete this message.

Knowing what she did now, should she mention the text to Josh?

No, Maddie decided. He had enough on his mind. Another part of her wanted to hold tightly to her secret until she had more information.

Just then, Josh's phone buzzed, and he glanced at the screen.

His gaze darkened.

"Everything okay?" Maddie resisted the urge to look over his shoulder at the screen to see for herself.

He nodded, but his eyes remained dark. "It's fine. Just some work stuff."

He slipped his phone back into his pocket.

But Maddie didn't believe him. He'd been preoccupied with something lately, and he wasn't opening up to her.

She was certain her fiancé had some type of secret.

That fact left her feeling unsettled.