Courage in the Kiss (6 page)

Hadley wandered between the kitchen and the library, pacing herself. She put a new tray of appetisers in the oven then went to the library, to make sure everything looked okay, moving tables and chairs as she went.

The other servants were proving to be a great help, obeying her orders and happily chatting about the night’s events.

It was four o’clock when she carried the last tray through to the library. “Okay,” she said, looking around her, “I think that’s about it.” She wiped her hands on her jeans and flicked a strand of hair from her eyes. She nodded and smiled in satisfaction as she walked backward from the room, trying to get an overall effect of the décor as she went.

“Hey,” a voice called from behind her.

Hadley turned to see Maxx standing in the doorway, looking dapper, sophisticated, and gorgeous. But that frosty exterior lingered, with a sickening force.

He peeked around her into the library and nodded. “Looks like you’ve done a good job.”

“Don’t I always?” she retaliated, wondering when she’d ever not done her best for an event. She didn’t even care that Maxx looked away and ran a hand through his hair, as though just being around her made him uncomfortable. “You okay?” she asked, pretending not to notice how awkward things now were.

“I’m fine. It’s just hectic. We’ve got some really big clients coming tonight and I want everything to be perfect,” Maxx replied, unable to look at her.

She saw the look on his face and, no matter how much she shouldn’t and no matter how obvious it had been that he’d feel this way, it still felt as though her heart was being ripped out. He was trying to put distance between them again; trying to make out that their incredible kiss meant nothing.

“I’m sure it will be fine,” Hadley reassured him, against her better judgement. She looked at the room behind her and put her hands in her back pockets. “Everything will be just fine,” she said, almost in a whisper, as she gave him a weak smile and moved past him, making her way up the stairs.

‘
Swine…Swine…Swine,
’ she cursed in her head, as she walked into her room, glancing at the outfit sprawled over her bed. She took a second glance and smiled to herself. If Maxx wanted to play games, that was fine with her. She’d make a move that would shock him out of his boots.

“Let’s see how you deal with this,” she muttered to herself, refusing to let him get the better of her.

“Hadley, get your butt down here. Dad wants to show you off to the guests!” Micah shouted upstairs.

Hadley placed the last strand of hair into place and re-applied her lip gloss, as she made her way out of her room and downstairs. She stopped as she reached the landing, brushed down her dress, and touched her hair self-consciously, making sure she looked okay. She’d spent a hell of a time getting ready, trying to make sure everything was perfect, before she faced Maxx.

Maxx and Micah stood at the bottom of the stairs, staring at her from the hallway.

She felt incredible, in a floor length, red satin dress. It fitting her figure perfectly, showing off her curves and the thin straps accentuating her neckline. It was the only dress she owned that might turn his head, and she prayed to God that it worked. If it didn’t, she was out of ideas.

Hadley nervously reached up to where her hair had been tied into a high chignon that exposed her neck. There were a few strands strategically hanging down the sides of her face and little wisps hanging down the back of her neck, to soften the look. But she wasn’t sure whether it was working or not; he just kept staring at her with that same disinterest.

“You look…” Micah sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, as Maxx stood there with his hands in his pockets. “I’m just glad I hadn’t left yet,” he said, laughing at himself.

Hadley smiled and kissed his cheek, a silver necklace in her hand. “Well, thank you.” She accepted the compliment gratefully. “Where are you off to, anyway?” she asked, walking over to the mirror hanging on the wall beside the living room, her high heels clicking off the wooden floor.

“The movies. Rowan and Jess want to see some Vincent Price rerun and I’m taking Gracie,” Micah confessed with a slight blush. “I don’t know what we’ll see, yet. Then we’re going for pizza. I’ll be staying at Rowan’s for a few days, though, to avoid the clean up,” he added cheekily.

Hadley laughed, knowing exactly what that meant. He’d mentioned Gracie enough times that she knew this was a big event. Gracie was one of the prettiest girls in school, whom Micah had been tutoring for nearly six months. He’d mentioned that she might be as interested in him as he was in her, so Hadley hoped this was confirmation.

“In other words, we’re not to wait up,” she teased, turning to look at him. She saw him smile in embarrassment, as she held the necklace against her to see if it was needed.

Suddenly, Maxx stood behind her and took the necklace from her, sliding it into place.

Hadley held her hand against it and watched him through the mirror. He fastened it into place and held her shoulders for a moment. Either their proximity made him uncomfortable or he could sense her anticipation of more, because he turned away and stood by the front door.

She ignored the sadness and sense of shame that would normally envelope her. She turned to Micah with pleading eyes, begging him not to leave her alone with Maxx.

All he did was cross to her and whisper, “You’ll be fine. Just remember there will be plenty of guys here tonight, who would be only too happy to be in Maxx’s shoes right now,” he assured her with a hug, before lifting his jacket and leaving.

She gave him a short wave as he left. Before she could even think of what to say to Maxx, now that they were alone, a car pulled into the drive and a group of people stepped out.

Hadley held the door open and waited for them.

“You better wait inside.” Maxx held the door, as he ushered her further into the hall. “Wouldn’t want you getting cold.” He smiled enigmatically.

‘
Damn you,
’ she cursed him, as she did as he asked. She couldn’t make out what that smile meant, but her heart was doing somersaults from the continual moments of hope he gave her, only to follow them up with never ending let downs.

Hadley walked up to the reception room and checked everything was in order. She thought about Maxx and the way he had looked at her through the mirror. He looked incredible in a suit, as he always did, but tonight, he looked so suave and sexy that it made her heart melt.

She turned to greet the guests, and found everyone staring at her in surprise. They were probably wondering why one of the servants had joined the party, but she didn’t care anymore.

Emerson approached, in a suit of his own, and held her at arm’s length. “My God,” he said, with a sigh. “You look more like your mother every day,” he added warmly.

Hadley blushed and looked away, touching her necklace. It had been her mother’s, and she felt compelled to wear it as a symbol of her new found emotional maturity. Well, her
attempt
at finding emotional maturity.

She scolded herself for being weak-minded when it came to Maxx. He was her kryptonite, sunlight, and full moon. He was everything that made her the terrible, God awful, pathetic person she was.

She sighed and put on a polite smile for the guests, as Emerson stepped aside and introduced them. Most of the guests that had arrived together were couples. Jen and Marco owned their own investment company. Kathy, who was married to Lawrence, was the director of a large business. And then there was James; the only singleton of the group. He was Kathy’s best friend and lawyer and, unfortunately, making a beeline for Hadley.

James took Hadley’s arm and led her into the reception room. “You know, Maxx has never mentioned you before. I would have remembered you.” He smiled, as the others followed them into the hall.

“Well, I hardly expect he would,” Hadley admitted, touching his arm. “I’m not really part of the family.”

James raised his eyebrows and urged her on in her explanation.

“I don’t want to talk about myself, but if you insist.” She did an internal eye roll and thought about just how utterly perfect it was that someone else wanted to remind her that Maxx didn’t give two shits about her.

Hadley began talking and glanced back, as she heard the sound of more guests driving up. She wished she’d stayed with Maxx at the door. She didn’t like James or the way he was looking at her. She wanted to be with Maxx tonight and get the chance to talk about what had happened between them. She needed to know how he felt.

James busied himself looking for the bottle of white wine behind the bar, as Hadley looked around the room for Maxx. She finally saw him at the side of the growing crowd, a blonde woman flirting with him. He looked up at Hadley, almost automatically, and smiled.

Turning away from him, she swore under her breath. Great, the man she was with wanted nothing more than for her to be a silent piece of eye candy. The man she wanted to be with was flirting with someone else, just hours after kissing her so expertly that she’d turned to mush.

She meant nothing to any of them.

Hadley barely touched her drink, as she was admired by the men in the room. She spent the rest of the night talking and refusing dance proposals from her many admirers. She hoped it would make Maxx jealous, but it seemed pointless; he just stood there, the blonde never leaving his side.

Around seven o’clock, she excused herself from her present company and walked to the reception room door. “Excuse me,” she called over the talking.

Everyone turned her way, startled by the interruption.

“If you’d like to move into the library, there’s a buffet and I think Emerson would like to make a little announcement,” she informed them, leading the way to the library.

She waited until all the guests had made their way into the library, before returning to the reception room. She looked at the state of the room and sighed; it was a mess. There were abandoned glasses that she had to return to the bar, emptying any leftover contents into a white bucket. She’d expected it to be messy, but she hadn’t planned on smokers leaving their cigarette ends on the floor.

Taking the brush from behind the bar, she gave the room a quick sweep, getting rid of the cigarette ends. She was about to leave when she saw Maxx leaning on the door frame, hands in his pockets. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw him.

Moments like that, when he surprised her, she could almost forget that he hated her. That steel look in his eyes, that strong jaw and faint smile on his lips, gave her hope every time, until he opened his mouth to ruin it with awful words.

“You shouldn’t be doing that,” he said, smoothly. “You’ll ruin that dress of yours.” He smiled then, stunning her with how predatory and attractive he looked. Until he did what he always did; he ruined that image, by pushing himself from the door frame and returning to the library, leaving her alone and confused.

Hadley wanted to scream. She wished he’d stop sending her so many mixed signals, just long enough that she could get her head on straight.

She followed him back into the library, where a few of the guests stopped her to complement her on the food, and a few even asked where she’d bought it. She only smiled and made her way to Emerson.

“Dear girl, could you make the speech for me?” he asked, brushing down his suit, while sending the guests a nervous glance. “They have all taken to you superbly and I would just get flustered,” he reasoned.

“Of course.” Hadley smiled and agreed, since tonight was the nicest he’d been to her, since she refused his offer of being adopted.

A moment later, she moved over to the buffet wall, looked at the table nearby, now clear of dishes and trays, and smiled. She pulled the old, beaten chest to the edge of the table and used it as a step onto the table. Once standing on the table, the guests turned and looked at her, muttering to themselves.

“Hi again,” she greeted them, placing a strand of hair behind her ear. She noticed Maxx staring at her, as she started. “I’m guessing the reason we’re all here tonight is to congratulate the three companies present, the Walker, Hamilton, and Williams companies, on an amazing year. And if not, then we should.”

The crowd laughed and clapped, but Hadley looked at them seriously.

“Honestly, guys…it may not seem like it, but I actually know quite a lot about all three companies,” she confessed, though she knew that many of the guests were snobs, who wouldn’t believe a servant could know anything about their work. “I am very proud to say that I now know you on a personal basis. This year has been a difficult one, for all investment groups. Competition has been tough, and there’s been obstacle after obstacle, but…”

She smiled playfully and held her hands behind her back, noticing the look of admiration from Maxx, as everyone listened to her, eager to hear what she had to say. “You all made it here tonight, which just shows that no matter how tough the circumstances, nothing can stop a good company from rising to the top,” she continued.

The guests cheered and congratulated their companions, while Emerson approached. “Hadley.” He managed to catch her attention and whispered his real speech in her ear, as the guests talked amongst themselves.

She had to fight hard to push back her disappointment, but nodded and straightened. “Okay people. Serious announcement now.” Hadley laughed. Again, she had the full attention of the room. “Emerson has just informed me that I’m doing it all wrong…again.”

She put on her I-made-a-mistake look and smiled. “I’m told that we’re actually here to celebrate something only a select few know about,” she said, looking at the confused faces. “It seems that Emerson will be retiring this year,” she explained, unsurprised by the sounds of disappointment from the guests. “But…not to worry. He will be handing the company over to Maxx’s capable hands and will stay an active member of the board.”

She sighed and flicked a strand of hair from her eyes. “That’s all I’ve been asked to say, but I’d like to ask everyone to show Emerson our appreciation for everything he has done for us,” she continued, turning to look at Emerson.

The man had been the only father-figure she’d ever known and she knew how much he’d hate to retire. She fought back a tear, as the room erupted in applause that lasted so long that it felt it would never end.

Hadley watched Emerson trying not to cry, as his colleagues came up to express their gratitude. Climbing off the table, she retreated to the reception room and sat behind the bar, holding back the tears.