Chapter 8

"Maddie, Mr. Gildon would like to speak for you." Kara Spraggins, who had come with me, held out the phone. I had underestimated Chris' persistence. In this situation, I had no choice but to take the phone. I spoke very formally. "Mr. Gildon, what can I do for you?" "Maddie." Chris' hoarse voice was filled with guilt. "Why did you leave so early today? I came home but couldn't give you a lift." Realizing he wasn't talking about work, I walked a bit further away. "I went out for breakfast." "I'm sorry. I couldn't leave last night. That's why I didn't come home." My heart grew cold, a sarcastic smirk on my lips. "Why couldn't you leave?" When he didn't answer me, I held my breath and gave him an out. "Couldn't find a nurse?" He said hesitantly, "Yes." I didn't say anything more. Chris continued, "Maddie, when will you be done? I'll come pick you up, and we can have lunch together." We hadn't had lunch together in a long time. According to what Yerick said last night, Chris had been spending his time with Jewel. Was he suddenly asking me out of guilt for leaving me halfway last night, or did he suddenly have a conscience? I didn't know, and I didn't want to tire my brain cells guessing. I replied indifferently, "I'm not sure. It might not even be finished by noon. Besides, don't you have something to do every day at noon now?" "Maddie." Chris must have caught my sarcasm. He called out my name sternly, only to pause for two seconds before he said, "Don't overthink it." He left me in bed when we were in the middle of doing it last night. What else could I be overthinking about? Not wanting to discuss personal matters during working hours, I told him, "I'm busy right now. I'm hanging up if there's nothing else." He didn't say anything, so I hung up the phone. Today's fieldwork included discussions between partners and on-site inspections. After finishing the discussions by ten, Kara and I headed to the site. This was a construction project for an amusement park. I was responsible for overseeing all the projects. Now, 80% of it was complete. I had to check on-site to see if there were any discrepancies between the finished work and the design drawings. Although the chances of problems were slim since the partners followed the drawings closely, it was still a necessary procedure for me to inspect. After making my rounds, my feet were swollen, and my toes were aching. I found a place to sit and rest. Kara must have noticed something was off. "Maddie, are you now feeling well?" "Yeah, my feet hurt/" I admitted. If I weren't on site, I would have taken off my shoes to give my feet a good rest. "Oh." Kara looked at my face. "Maddie, do you feel unwell anywhere else?" Seeing me pause, Kara pointed at her face. "Maddie, your complexion doesn't look good." It would be weirder if I looked well after barely sleeping last night. Besides, no matter how well a woman put on makeup, it was no use if she was in a bad mood. "It's probably because I'm getting my period soon." I gave her a random excuse and took out my phone, pretending to handle some messages. Kara was a chatty girl. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to keep up the pretense if she kept asking questions. Suddenly, a shadow fell over me. Thinking it was Kara, I didn't pay much attention until I felt warmth on my ankle and saw familiar hands. Chris had taken off my shoes, placed my foot on his knee, and started massaging it. "Are your shoes not fitting properly?" he asked. I didn't say anything; my throat felt tight. He looked up at me. "Are you still mad?" he asked softly. "No," I replied, trying to pull my foot back. However, Chris didn't let go as he continued to massage my foot. "It won't happen again," he quietly promised. Chris was dressed in a navy blue suit with a white shirt. The custom cufflinks on his shirt sparkled in the sunlight, much like the man himself. He massaged my left foot and then moved on to my right, paying no attention to the people walking by. Some girls passing by showed envious looks, whispering about finally seeing a real-life version of a handsome guy who doted on his girlfriend. I admit, I was touched. The resentment from last night melted away as he massaged my feet. "Maddie, you're so lucky!" Kara mouthed to me from a distance. Chris had gone to such lengths. If I kept holding onto last night's incident, it would make me seem petty, as if I were overly eager for what had happened. "What do you want for lunch?" Chris asked me. "Anything," I replied, not really having an appetite even though I was feeling a bit better. "Let's get grilled fish. They also have pan-seared foie gras; it's really good," Chris suggested while helping me into the car. As I reached for the seatbelt, he leaned in, his soapy scent wafting past my nose, making my breath hitch. Sensing my reaction, he smiled, buckled my seatbelt for me, and then kissed my cheek lightly as he straightened up. "Maddie, you look just as shy as you did when we were little." I couldn't answer him. Even though the kiss was fleeting, it lifted my spirits completely. I always felt so pathetic—Chris just had to be a little nicer to me, and I'd be over the moon. Thinking of Jewel, I asked, "How is Jewel doing?" He replied, "She's fine. She's already been discharged." When I didn't say anything further, Chris glanced at me and asked, "Why are you so quiet?" "I don't know what to say," I answered honestly. As I said it, his words about how we knew each other too well echoed in my ears. Indeed, Chris and I were too familiar with each other. We knew everything about one another. We knew each other so well to the point where there wasn't much left to say between us. Chris took me to the restaurant, where the waiter led us to a table by the window with a bouquet of white roses I loved. It was then I realized he had made a reservation in advance. The grilled fish and foie gras were served, along with my favorite dessert. It was clear he had put thought into this meal. The delicious food, the beautiful flowers, and Chris' long, elegant hands; I took photos and posted them on my social media. My colleagues from the office immediately liked the post, and Kara replied with a pouting emoji and a comment saying, "Should've brought me alone!" Before we came here, Chris had told Kara to handle lunch on her own and submit the receipt for reimbursement later. Lisa saw the post too but didn't like it. Instead, she sent me a private message. "Looks like he's making an effort to make up for his mistake. Not bad. Plus, I checked with the night nurse yesterday; he was just in the room with Jewel. Nothing happened." I quietly read her text. "Stop looking at your phone and eat," Chris reminded me as he cut the foie gras and placed it in front of me. I picked up my fork and was about to take a bite when a familiar figure entered my line of sight. Jewel, who also saw me, glided over with a smile. "Ms. Crown." Then she turned to Chris. "Chris, you're here too." Seriously, would it make sense for someone else who wasn't my fiancé to be sitting in front of me? "What a coincidence, Ms. Massey. What brings you here?" I asked directly. "I visited Ian's grave. I happened to pass by when I smelled the foie gras from here and got a craving," Jewel replied, her voice as soft and delicate as her appearance. "You're by yourself?" Chris asked. "Yes! If you don't mind, can I join you?" Jewel asked as she placed her coat on the chair next to Chris.