I couldn’t screw this up. Colin’s reputation was on the line.
Pressing the heels of my hands into my eyes, I drew in a deep breath. It was time to focus and get this right. It was time to get ready and present myself with a business-forward front. Colin and Murphy, Inc. were making headlines with what they were attempting to do, and there were likely to be just as many reporters there wanting to dish dirt him. Wanting to slash his name in the media. Maybe someone sent by that Beddingfield little fuck that got me fired the first time.
Time to be an adult again.
I cleaned myself up and pieced together a professional outfit before I grabbed my things and left. Forty five minutes later I was backstage, and I saw Rohan and Colin talking. People with cameras and microphones were gathered in the corner, their eyes like vultures as they mentally circled around the important people backstage. I already had people eyeing me because of the Murphy, Inc. ID tag draped around my neck, and I readied myself for the taking. The more I could field away from Colin, the more I would be able to manage.
This was what I was ready for.
This was what I had been born to do.
“There you are, Abby.”
I turned around and saw Maggie walking up to me before she embraced me tightly. I looked over and saw Colin grinning at me just before Ted walked up to him. I wrapped my arms around Maggie before the press briefing began, and the two of us listened so we would know every step the media was allowed to take.
But every once in a while, I caught Colin stealing a glance at me, and it would pull a smile from me in return.
“What the hell was that?” Maggie asked.
“What was what?”
“That dopey little smile?” she asked. “Who were you looking at?”
Maggie turned her head to survey the room and Colin whipped his attention back towards Ted.
“I thought I saw someone else I knew, but I don’t think it was them,” I said.
“Uh huh,” she said, as she eyed me closely. “Okay.”
The press briefing continued and I committed every single word to memory. I was going to be watching these people like a hawk, just to make sure they stayed in their lane. The last thing Colin needed after the stress he was under at work was being bombarded by press vultures, especially if they were after dirt or attempting to blindside him.
There was a pause in the briefing and I looked over at Colin, connecting my eyes with him before he winked at me.
I was sure of it this time. He definitely winked at me.
“Are you smiling at Colin?” Maggie asked.
“What? No. Why the hell would I do that?” I asked.
“Because he keeps looking over here, and I think you’re looking over at him.”
“I’m sure you’re just seeing things,” I said.
“Hardly. That man is eyeing you. Look.”
She nudged me and I looked back over at Colin, blushing as I did so.
“Oh boy, I know that blush,” Maggie said. “What’s going on between you two?”
“Nothing,” I said. “Nothing’s going on.”
“Those looks aren’t nothing. Come on, out with it. You can tell me. Shit like this always happens at the conferences.”
“Wait, it does?” I asked. “I mean—what shit?”
“You know. People discover one another at these conferences in their downtime. People from the L.A. headquarters meet up with people from the Minnesota headquarters and get to know one another all the time. You wouldn’t believe the stories Ted has told me,” she said.
“Ted tells you those types of things?” I asked.
“Ted tells me everything. The man’s lonely as hell and I love the juicy gossip.”
“I swear you are his wife,” I said, giggling.
“And I you and Colin have something brewing.”
“We do not. And if we did, I couldn’t risk it. I want to work my way up in this company. Not suck my way up,” I said.
“There isn’t a damn soul who would think that. If anything, they’d pat you on the back for finally breaking the hard shell of the man. He’s intolerable sometimes. He really needs to get laid, now that I think about it. You could help us all.”
I suppressed my grin as much as I could as Colin and Ted walked out onto the stage. They were grabbing a quick sound check and I was relieved we were no longer in each other’s peripheral. Our cover was about to be blown and the press meeting still wasn’t over yet. I’d missed a third of it because Maggie couldn’t keep her damn mouth shut.
“I’m gonna figure it out, you know,” she said.
“Figure out what?”
“What’s going on between you two,” she said.
“Maggie, there’s nothing going on,” I said. “I’m serious.”
“Uh huh. That’s what you say. It’s Valentine’s Day weekend. Anything can happen, you know.”
“We’re in the middle of a conference in Wichita, Kansas. How fucking romantic,” I said.
“Are there any other questions?” the briefer asked.
Shit, I’d missed the rest of the damn meeting because of Maggie and her snooping little nose.
“Good. Keep to your assigned places, and enjoy the conference,” the briefer said.
Then, like magnets, the media reporters all turned towards me as Maggie leaned into my ear with a grin creeping across her cheeks.
“Good luck,” she said, giggling.
And in a flash, Maggie left my side and I was faced with dozens of reporters heading for me to see how close they could get to the
