Surprised Ever After

Ch. 12: Evening Walk

Charlotte

The news about the second incident hit Ashton like a truck at full speed.

I've seen the grumbling CEO during my time working for him, and he was no fun to be around when he was like that, but this time, he makes me worried. The missing ship pushes him to the edge, and he has been shutting down for a few days now. He locks himself in his study room whenever he's home, only comes out to kiss me and Chloe goodnight before burying himself in his desk. Sometimes I hear his stern voice talking with someone on the phone, and I can tell it's not a friendly conversation.

After Jessie called him at the party, he went to the office room with his mother to talk. He was already pissed at that point, but Danielle was being Danielle. She wanted to talk to Ashton about an adjustment I knew nothing about — and I still don't know what it was about. Ashton said it wasn't important, and I dropped it. Plus, he had a bigger problem to handle.

Knowing Ashton, I prefer to leave him alone when he's like this. Inserting myself into his situation with his company isn't a smart thing to do, especially with his trip schedule. Mid-year is approaching, and it's always the worst time of the year in Remington & Knight. A nosey partner is the last thing he needs, but he knows I'm right here when he needs me.

"Still no updates from Ashton?" Chadrick's voice prompts me to tear my eyes from the monitor screen in front of me. He's standing at the marketing office door, leaning on the frame with his arms crossed over his chest. Instead of the cream suit he wore this morning, he's only in his black buttoned shirt with sleeves rolled up just below his elbows. His pale face is as white as the office wall against his messy, dark hair. He looks as if he just stood in the storm on the top of the mountain. He must have had a shitty day.

"Oh, hey." I take off my screen-protector glasses and lean back into my chair. "We would've heard it on the news if there were updates, wouldn't we?"

"Well, Ashton would hear it first for sure."

"Not that he's going to report to me in the next second. And the fact that he won't be home until Friday, I'd probably hear the detailed progress on the weekend. If there is any."

"He's not a talker on the phone, is he?"

"Nope. Not at all." My mind travels to the moment after I resigned from Remington Group and started my new job. We saw each other less and less, and phone talk became a new routine for us. He was never a real talker and is still not one. I smile at the thought.

"I see." Chadrick nods and glances back at the dim room and the empty desks, where the payroll people sit. "That's why you're still here this late. I was wondering about it."

"Chloe is staying at my sister's for a week. What's the difference between being here and home? Besides, the traffic is much better after dinnertime." I look at his handsome face. The never-ending smirk on his face has disappeared, replaced by exhaustion and tension. "What about you? Why did you stay back?"

"Just finished a conference call with our team in Asia. I don't understand a lot of things at this point, and Emily is..." he pauses, frowning at whatever is in his mind.

I chuckle. "Just say it already. I won't rat you out." When he looks up at the camera in the corner of the ceiling, I add, "It won't hear you with this distance."

He peers at it. "Better safe than sorry." Propping himself up, he slips his hands into his pockets. "Care to join me for an easy meal by the hotel restaurant? I'm not in the mood for anything big right now. You need to eat too, don't you?"

I turn my eyes to my screen, considering his offer, causing my tummy to rumble despite a bar of chocolate I munched fifteen minutes ago. I'm hungrier than I anticipated. "Food sounds like a good idea, but can we not go to the hotel restaurant?"