who enjoys their role. For whatever reason, that aids in reducing some of my anxiousness. Mr. Townsend can’t be all that bad if this woman, who works directly with him, enjoys her work.
The Christmas music playing in the background, yet again, reminds me that the holiday season is upon us. It looks like Townsend Industries doesn’t believe in waiting until after Thanksgiving to decorate for Christmas.
I follow the long procession of men, taking up the rear.
“Aaron, great to see you again,” Jase greets farther down the hallway.
Glancing up, I peer around one of Cypress’ lawyers to see a tall man with dark hair and piercing eyes. The scowl on his face nearly stops me from going any farther. Only when I see that he reaches out to shake Jase’s hand in a somewhat friendly gesture, do I force my feet to keep moving.
He can’t hurt you, Jackie.
I have to remind myself that this man isn’t my father. He’s a businessman.
“Aaron, please meet Cypress’ newest acquisition, Jackie Hinkerson. I spoke to you about her the last time we met. Jackie is Cypress' new Director of Programs.”
I hold out my hand to shake as Aaron Townsend eyes me up and down. Not in that creepy, lascivious way, but assessingly. As if he could discern my talents or skills from a look.
He extends his hand for a firm handshake.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Townsend.”
He nods but doesn’t say anything. Instead, he juts his head in the direction of the boardroom where we’re meeting.
“Mark, great to see you,” Jase says as he enters the room.
At first, his body obscures my view, but when he steps aside, I nearly topple over when I’m met with a set of light hazel eyes.
I can’t breathe as the walls surrounding us feel as if they’re caving in on me. I try to tell my body to move. A flicker of common sense in the recesses of my mind attempts to remind me that I’m at work, but I can’t stop staring at Mark.
The bitter way his jaw clenches and his eyes narrow tells me that he remembers exactly who I am.
And what I did to him.
Chapter 3
What the hell is she doing here? In this fucking office. In my office. Granted, this isn’t my office. I don’t have an office, but fuck semantics. This is my job. Why is Jackie Hinkerson standing in the boardroom where our meeting is about to take place?
“Mark, I told Suzette that we were bringing our newest hire today. Meet Jackie Hinkerson,” Jase introduces, utterly oblivious to the fact that the air in the room shifted as soon as he stepped aside, and our gazes collided.
I don’t say anything, specifically because my jaw firmly clenches as I peer up at the girl I once knew—the girl with mocha skin, dark brown eyes, and a smile that could light up a room.
The girl who left me broken and battered in a hospital room.
The girl that has become a fully grown woman.
“Let’s get the meeting started. We have a lot to cover,” Aaron declares as he moves past me.
I don’t look at him, but I feel his gaze on me. And unlike Jase, my boss is astute at recognizing when something monumental has shifted in the room, even when no words are spoken.
For her part, Jackie hasn’t said anything either. Her mouth fell open as soon as Jase stepped aside. Her attempts to close it and introduce herself were futile.
I cut my gaze at her one final time before spinning my chair to head to the table and take my place toward the front. Aaron stands at the front—his usual position—as the others take their seats.
“Jackie, sit here,” Jase says.
I glance over to see him directing her to the seat closest to me. I shoot her a look that could melt metal, and she pauses, her face flinching, but she glances over at Jase, who’s still expectantly gesturing her over to the chair.
I glare at her as she moves forward and gingerly pulls out the high-back leather chair to take her seat. If I could move my body farther away from her without being so damned obvious, I’d do it.
“Jase, did you bring the reports that we discussed?” Aaron questions, launching right into the meeting.
Jase nods and shows him the reports.
“Fine. Let’s get started.”
That’s my cue to pass around the meeting’s agenda that I created, along with the report that I made with Aaron about Townsend’s expectations if we were to move forward with this