Chapter 13: Chapter Thirteen

Not a day in the forum went by without some kind of end-of-the-world, lightning-speed-or-everything-is-over event. Ainsley hadn’t expected working for Silver Delgado to be a walk in the park, but it wasn’t her boss who kept the underlying panic-mode going. Upper management managed to remain calm and collected no matter what was going on.

The rest of the organization reminded her of worker ants in perpetual motion. She’d seen interns running down the hall to deliver messages. The people in marketing spoke so fast she wasn’t sure how anyone could understand a word they said. Behind closed doors meetings became shouting matches.

Hiding in Silver’s office most of the day kept Ainsley sane, but she still prayed things would level out when the season began. The possibility of the team being moved might have something to do with the urgency, but she tried not to think about that too much. Crazy as it could be, after just a few days, she loved her job. She didn’t want to think about having to find a new one in less than a year.

Arms loaded with Silver’s mail and the schedule she’d printed out last night, Ainsley hurried down the hall, dodging a junior executive who worked for Becky. The young Korean man, Jung Kwang-soo, who was soft-spoken and seemed to be the only person Becky trusted to relay messages to the upper management during a crisis, had been thrown a party yesterday when he’d gained his Canadian citizenship. For a precious thirty minutes, everyone had taken a break to celebrate with him.

Then his phone had gone off with one of the many notifications he got when the players posted something online and the party had ended with an abrupt sense of dread. From the look of him, he hadn’t slept.

Hopefully, he’d gone home. At least for a few hours.

“Have you seen Becky? She’s not in her office and Mr. Keane wanted updates pronto and she has to bring them to him—” Jung took a deep breath, groaning as his phone went off. “Please don’t let this be another reporte—Hello? Yes, of course. We will be sending out the press release shortly. We’ll get back to you about interviews… My pleasure. Feel free to email me the request.” He pressed his eyes shut as he clicked off the call. “I need this day to end. I’m supposed to finish early so I can pick my sister up after her first day of school.”

Ainsley nodded, glancing at the file in his hand. “I can drop that off with him if you’d like. Silver needs her mail, but his office is on the way.”

“Really? Oh god, that would help so much.” He handed her the file, gritting his teeth as his phone went off again. “I owe you. Seriously, I expect you to collect one day. I’m excellent with transcribing and writing diplomatic emails.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” She grinned as he rushed off, speaking on the phone in a relaxed tone she couldn’t manage sitting at her desk with a latte. Of course, Silver’s phone was constantly going off and she sometimes jumped from one call to the next without a chance to suck in air. She was pretty sure Silver had told her to get the mail to give her a breather.

But she’d better get back before Silver tried to do everything herself, got frazzled, and cursed out an investor. Again.

One floor up, she slowed in front of Keane’s door, biting her bottom lip as she stared at the gleaming dark wood. They’d only spoken in passing over the past few days, but her strict ‘don’t go there, girl’ didn’t stop her pulse from stuttering anytime he’d glanced over at her and smiled. Or when she heard his voice, deep and rich, with a lulling quality that had her leaning forward, as though it was fireplace warmth on a freezing winter night, soothing the cold away after being out in a storm. His voice was also the storm, a comforting sound surrounding her, powerful, yet somehow keeping all the stress and noise of her busy life at bay.

Or maybe it had been too long since she’d taken Sawyer on a ski trip. A few years at least. She missed getting away from it all and she’d been saving up to bring him again this winter. That was what was on her mind. Distracting her. A getaway with her son. Not the totally out-of-bounds boss she knew better than to fantasize about.

And she was being silly. She could deliver a file to Keane without acting like a schoolgirl with a crush. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward and knocked softly on his door.

Nothing.

Then a rough, broken sound that tugged at her heart. She opened the door slowly, swallowing hard as she spotted Keane, hands braced on the edge of his desk, back to her, shoulders bowed.

She should probably leave. She didn’t know him well enough to comfort him, but she couldn’t just walk away either.

Shutting the door behind her, she crossed the room. “Mr. Keane, are you all right?”

He went still, then glanced over at her, not bothering to wipe the tears from his face, though he did force a smile. “Ms. Lalonde, I’m sorry I didn’t hear you come in.” He took a deep breath, straightened, then pulled the kerchief from his suit pocket and dried his cheeks. “I shouldn’t be here today, but my daughters shooed me out of the house this morning. Madison, the youngest of the twins, wanted one last normal day before her surgery and said it wouldn’t feel right if I stayed home worrying.”

Her heart ached for him. She hadn’t heard anything about his daughter being ill, but she could imagine how hard it would be to have to come to work and pretend like everything was normal. She’d had trouble doing that after Sawyer got stitches. Several times.

This seemed much more serious. “She sounds like a strong young woman. But as parents we can’t help worry.”

“Very true.” Keane rolled his shoulders. “I just got off the phone with her doctor. He was explaining what she’ll need to do to prepare for surgery and her chances for a full recovery. They’re high, but not perfect.”

“Anything less than perfect must be terrifying.”

He inclined his head. “Yes. But her chances of living past her teens without it are even worse. My baby has been through too much. I wish I could shield her from going through more.”

“And you could let yourself feel how much that hurts because she’s not here, needing your strength.” She gave him a small smile as he nodded. “Admirable, but don’t try to hold in too much. Our kids have a way of knowing we’re human.”

Letting out an abrupt laugh, Keane smiled back at her. “Isn’t that the truth? Madison is very observant, so I can’t hide much from her. She knows I trust the doctors. That I did everything in my power to get her the best care.”

“And your other daughter?”

“Mackenzie is…” His lips quirked and he shook his head. “She seems to think I should have all the answers. The ones she thinks are right. She butts heads with me at every turn, and has a fierce temper, much like her mother did. She’s…a force to be reckoned with and I’m damn proud of her. Even though she could test the patience of a saint.”

Ainsley loved the way Keane talked about his daughters. “You’re an amazing father, Mr. Keane.”

“Thank you, I like to believe I am too. Mostly by admitting I am completely outnumbered and pretending I know what I’m doing.” He chuckled, then reached out, hesitating as she met his eyes, then touching her forearm when she didn’t pull away. Her skin tingled and she had to fight to keep her expression neutral as he continued. “I thought I needed to be alone, but I’m grateful you came in. Talking about this with another adult helps.”

“You should do it more often.” Her cheeks heated as his brow rose in amusement. She hadn’t meant to criticize how disconnected he was from the rest of the staff. Of course he was. His position demanded it. He’d made an appearance at Jung’s party, given the young man a Tim Horton’s gift card, then made a graceful exit so the lower management wouldn’t feel too intimidated to celebrate. It was to be expected.

And was probably very lonely.

Stop. Do your job. No feeling sorry for the boss. He doesn’t need your pity.

She’d already crossed that line. Saw him as a man, rather than a superior.

She cleared her throat. “Jung asked me to drop off this file—I assume it has something to do with Ian White’s social media blunder?”

“It does indeed. I trust Becky to handle it, but I must reply to some of the shareholders personally, so I need to be fully informed.” He took the file she held out to him. “I respect that you’re on top of everything, even though this isn’t in your job description. With some of Silver’s own missteps online, I’m sure she sympathizes with Mr. White.”

“She does. But she took Becky’s advice and didn’t respond to the outrage. I’ve been posting mundane updates for her. A few pictures of Amia because her fans love baby pics.” She smiled as she thought of the quiet moments when she’d gone through approved pictures from Silver to schedule. Then the brief appearance of the general manager, Dean Richter, who had several more photos for her to consider.

None of the photos he’d sent included him. Silver was officially married to Landon which meant, in public, everything showed him and Silver as a normal, happy couple. The relationship of the trio wasn’t exactly a secret, but it wasn’t open fodder for the gossip magazines either. The family kept a careful balance of their public and private lives.

It seemed to work for them, but she didn’t envy their need to manage the spotlight.

“Silver gets more attention than some of the players.” Keane held her gaze for a moment, then stepped around his desk, seeming to intentionally break the spell, which she was grateful for. “You’re concerned. Not a typical reaction from a PA who’s worked with someone for only a few days.”

“Maybe not, but I expect I got this job because I understand what someone like Silver needs.”

“I suspect you’re right.” He let out a quiet sigh. “I should get back to work, and I’m clearly keeping you from yours.” He returned to his desk and picked up the file. “It’s rare for me to discuss personal matters with anyone here. Or anything at all, as you pointed out. Keeping my distance avoids overfamiliarity. And I share your need to keep things professional. I apologize for crossing that boundary.”

“Don’t be. I’m happy I could help.”

“You did. I hope we can speak again soon, Ms. Lalonde.” He hesitated, as though he wanted to say more, than shook his head. “Have a pleasant weekend. Thank you again.”

“It was my pleasure. I’ll keep Madison in my thoughts.” She smiled at him, then quickly slipped out of his office. She had a feeling he’d considered asking her to spend more time with him, but they’d already gotten too comfortable, simply speaking about his daughters in his office.

Something as simple as going out for coffee would be dangerous. Start her on the same path she’d been on before. This rich, powerful man still represented everything that had destroyed her life once. She wanted to offer support as he faced the most difficult thing for any parent—something he shouldn’t have to face alone—but there was no way to do that and keep her distance.

Thankfully, he’d recognized her boundaries. Respected them. Hadn’t asked her for more than she’d already given.

But she couldn’t deny that part of her wished he had.