Chapter 45. One step
Jackson Johnson
I went over Lilly's words again and again. "From here to China..." I smiled like a fool at my workplace, feeling electricity run under my skin. The excitement of her "yes" to a real date had me thrilled. Just her and me.
I knew Oliver wouldn't stop trying to fight for Lilly. Despite the disappointment he caused her, he would keep using any means to win her back...
"He has an open ticket..." That confirmed he'd be in the city for a while.
"Knock, knock..." I heard Maxima's voice. My smile vanished, and I squinted. I motioned for her to come in. "Everything okay?"
"Yes, all good." I pointed to the chair across from my desk. "Take a seat." She closed the door behind her and walked slowly. From her expression, I could tell she was wondering what was going on.
"You seem tense." She sat down and crossed one leg over the other.
"No, not at all. I'm calm."
"Oh, that's good." She cleared her throat. "Did you go out for lunch?"
"Yes. And you? Where did you have lunch?" I asked, knowing the answer. Richard had informed me when I arrived at the company with Lilly.
"I, well," she frowned, "just out with a friend."
"Oh, that's nice. Although it's quite strange that you've been having lunch with your... friend a lot lately." She raised an eyebrow, and from her reaction and smile, she knew I knew.
"What's wrong with your mother and I having lunch together occasionally?"
"Occasionally?" I sounded ironic. "You've had lunch together all last week and this week. Even my father has joined you. What are you plotting now? The fact that you two are meeting makes me think you're planning something."
"How could you think that? We're just two friends. With my recent breakup, she's been inviting me to meet up. Even her friend, the therapist with the black hair, remember her?" I nodded. "She brought her along and tried to set up an appointment for me. She thinks I haven't handled the breakup well." Now I felt bad. I had forgotten about her breakup. And there I was, imagining things that weren't true.
"I'm sorry, I had forgotten about your breakup."
"See? That's why I've been having lunch with your mother. But that's all, she gives me advice and girl talk, which I won't share with you."
"I know, I'm sorry again. I thought you were plotting something."
"Plotting something? More blind dates? According to your mother, she's no longer interested in finding you a date." I raised an eyebrow, intrigued by that part. I leaned back in my chair and looked at her with narrowed eyes.
"She's not going to find me dates anymore?" She raised her perfect eyebrow again.
"No."
"Perfect." I couldn't help but smile. She was surprised.
"I don't think you need your mother to find you a date anymore." My smile faded, and hers appeared.
"It seems you know something I don't." I tried not to show my annoyance.
"I was just saying that you can choose who to go out with." She smiled more.
"Well, I'll just say this." Her smile slowly disappeared as she saw my serious tone. "I won't tolerate anyone meddling in my private life or putting ideas in others' heads that I base my decisions on status or that because I was born into wealth, I won't..." I stopped myself, realizing I had gone too far. "Anyway, it's just a saying." She opened her eyes a bit wider.
"Sounds good, and are you saying this for any particular reason?" I pressed my lips together.
"Georgina Vans." She raised an eyebrow.
"I haven't seen her since your mother's birthday party."
"And I hope not to see her again. I'm not interested in her." I emphasized.
"But you're interested in another woman, right?" I frowned.
"That's a private matter, Maxima."
"Oh, I didn't mean to cross that line..."
"It's fine." I let out a sigh. "Shall we change the subject?" She nodded quickly.
I finished making some important calls with clients who always requested to speak directly with me when planning to acquire new property in the city. I was already thinking about my next move. The first was asking Lilly out on a date. Then, setting a date for that. A smile appeared on my lips as I thought about my plans. For the rest, I needed to talk to my father or Jacob for advice. I was determined not to tell anyone. I wanted everything to be perfect. What would happen next? I didn't know. But what I was sure of was that I wanted to explore it with her...
With Lilly Bradley.