Mixing Business With Pleasure (Love Conquers All Book 2) (8 page)

Tiffany’s mouth dropped and she saw that Matt’s expression wasn’t much different.  “You’re giving us a leave; for how long?”  Tiffany was thankful Matt asked the question; she was afraid if she spoke she would start crying.

Andy looked at the other board members, and then turned back to Tiffany and Matt.  “We’re not sure.  We thought about asking the other co-workers their thoughts and going from there.  We will be sure to let you know as soon as we figure something out.”

“I’m not following, Mr. Harowitz.  How can you possibly not take the blackmailing into consideration?”

“Mr. Oswalt, we are taking it into consideration.  It’s just that it’s your word against his.  If I’m being honest, it comes across as someone reaching for straws.  You felt you were backed into a corner and had to find some reason to get out of your predicament.  There’s no way of knowing if Ms. Jenkins did, or didn’t want to go out with Mr. Faraway.”

Tiffany couldn’t believe
they would question whether she wanted to be with Bruce or not.  “I understand you have to do what you have to do; but who’s going to take over?”  Tiffany asked quietly as she brushed a tear away from her cheek.

“Sabrina is going to come in and run the agency until we can settle this matter.”

“I have a million dollar campaign going on right now.  I don’t know how they’ll feel about giving it to someone that doesn’t know their vision.”

“We will allow both of you to stay here today and tie up any loose ends.  Just think of this as a vacation.”

Tiffany shook her head, she didn’t want a vacation.  “What if I was to quit?”

Tiffany turned to Matt; she couldn’t believe he was being serious.  “Well…” Andy looked at the other members and they just shrugged.  “That does kind of put a different spin on things.”

“Forget it; I’m not going to let him give up his job for me.  It’s out of the question.”

She could see out of the corner of her eye that he was glaring at her.  It was the only way; she wouldn’t be able to live with herself knowing that she caused him to leave.  “I have to say; if this is any consolation to both of you.  When we first got the call, I wasn’t going to do anything about it.  I figured it was just another case of revenge.  There wasn’t anything to the story.  However, after getting this last call and finding out that you both were with each other late into the night
…I figured we couldn’t take the chance.”

Tiffany stared at him.  “I’m sorry I’m not following.  I know you said you can’t tell me when you got the call, but…”  She paused for a moment as her heart raced.  “Didn’t you just find out about it this weekend?”

Andy looked between Tiffany and Matt as he slowly shook his head.  “No, which is why we found it interesting that you are saying Ms. Jenkins was blackmailed on Friday night.  We were called much earlier than that.  I’m sorry for the inconvenience this has caused you, but really this is the best way to go about it.  Ms. Jenkins, please leave a note in detail about what you need Sabrina to do.  I will also be around regularly to talk to other people that might have some insight.  You will be hearing from me as soon as I can get some answers.  Good day!” 

When the foursome left Tiffany glanced over at Matt, “Matt…”

“I’m going to kill him,” he replied quickly.  She reached out to grab his arms and pull him back into the room.  “Tiffany, do you know what this means?”

“I know exactly what it means; even if I would have slept with him, he would have already started the ball rolling.  He’s not worth it.”

“I know he’s not worth it, but you could have done something that you regretted and it wouldn’t have made a difference.”

“You don’t know that; Mr. Harowitz said that they weren’t
going to come because of the first reasons.  Maybe if I would have slept with him I wouldn’t have been with you and this wouldn’t have been happening.  You can’t wonder what if all the time.  It’s over and done with.”

“Are you sorry that you didn’t sleep with him?”  When he asked the question, it almost came across as a whisper.

“No; that’s for certain.  I am glad that I left, and I am glad that you and I spent some time together.  I just wish this wasn’t happening.  I have a lot to do before I have to leave.  For starters call Brandon Simpson and tell him I won’t be able to handle his campaign.”

“Good luck.”  She smiled.  “If you need anything, you know where to find me.”

She sat down and dialed the number.  She didn’t know how it was going to feel having to walk away from such a big account, but she just hoped that they would go with Sabrina.

___________________

Matt grabbed a box and loaded up his pictures and other décor.  Even though he hoped he would be back, he knew that there was always a possibility and he didn’t want to have to go back to his office after the fact.  He looked around the room, giving it one last stare and walked out of the office.  Tiffany had her purse and was heading towards him.  “Where are you going?  Why do you have your stuff packed?”

“You never know what could happen and if today’s my last day, I really don’t feel like coming
back to take care of this.”

“Oh!  I guess I understand.”  She turned around and looked around the office.  He knew she would be upset if she couldn’t come back.  “I would miss this place.”

“Yeah, I would miss it too.  However, I think I would miss the people more.”  He smiled at her and she playfully shoved him. 

“Lucky for you; I’m not going anywhere.”

He laughed as they headed to the door to leave.  “So, I see you were both fired.  I am sorry about that.”

“Bruce, we weren’t fired.”  Tiffany began to explain.

“I saw Matt with is box and I just assumed.”

“You assumed wrong Bruce.  I do have something to say to you though.” 

“What would that be Matt?”

“I want to know why you put on a charade for Friday night. 
Apparently you already told Mr. Harowitz about us.”

“I did?  That must have been a mistake.”

He turned to leave and Matt stared after him.  “Matt, forget about it.”

“I can’t do that.”  He put the box of his belongings down and headed after him.  Tiffany tried to stop him, but he kept walking.  “Bruce!”  When Bruce looked back at him, he took his fist and hit him.  Bruce covered his eye and glared in Matt’s direction.  “Don’t ever utter Tiffany’s name again.  You do, and you’ll have me to answer to.”

Tiffany’s jaw dropped as Matt walked back to her.  “You shouldn’t have done that.”

“Let’s get out of here.”

He grabbed his box and they walked out the door.  “Are you okay?”  Tiffany asked once they reached his car.

“Yeah; it’s nothing that a little ice won’t fix.”  He put the box in his trunk and then smiled.  “It felt good though.”

“I’m sure it did; I would have done it first but I’m not as strong and it wouldn’t have even left a dent.”  They both laughed at the thought of Tiffany hitting him. 

“So, how did it go talking to Brandon Simpson?”

“Not well; he decided not to go with the agency after all.  He didn’t feel comfortable talking to someone that wouldn’t know the product.  Oh well; hopefully I’ll have another opportunity to get a big case.”

“I feel like it’s
my entire fault.  Why wouldn’t you let me quit?”

“I couldn’t do that to you.  It’s not your fault.  They’ll come back and realize that Bruce is just crazy.”

“I’m sure you’re right.”

“I know I am.  I better go, but don’t be a stranger.”  He grinned, “I’ll talk to you soon.”

They got in their cars and headed out of the parking lot; she hoped it wasn’t for the last time.

Over the next week Matt was discouraged that he couldn’t
get a hold of Tiffany.  Every time he called her, she wouldn’t answer her phone.  He needed to make sure she was alright, but she wouldn’t let him in.  The weekend was upon him and he decided he had to take his chance and stop by at her house.  Before he left his apartment though, he heard his cell ringing.  With the hopes that it was Tiffany he quickly answered.  “Hello?”

“Matt, is that you?”  He could barely make out the words of someone that appeared to be crying.  “Matt, it’s your grandma.”

He couldn’t believe she was calling him, but it felt good to hear her voice.  It was his paternal grandma and despite not having much of a relationship with his father, she was a constant part of his life.  “Hey, grandma…it’s good to hear your voice.”  He sat down on the chair and waited for her to answer him.  The silence on the end was interrupted by bouts of breathing heavily, and sniffling.  He could definitely tell she was crying.  “Grandma; what’s wrong?”

“I…I’m…sorry…to…call…you…” her voice trailed off as she blew her nose.  His interest was growing as he waited for her to continue.  “It’s your father…”

His heart sank.  “What’s wrong with my father?”

“He was in a terrible car accident this morning.  They don’t expect him to make it.”

When the words finally tumbled out, he could feel his heart racing.  “When…what happened…where?”

“I don’t know all the details, but he’s in surgery right now.  His one lung has been punctured and he’s broken both his legs.  He has countless fractures, and he might be paralyzed.  He hopefully will be out of surgery soon, but I thought you would like to know.”

“Yes, thank you for calling.”

“I was hoping…if you could get the time away, that you might come out here.  You could bring your girlfriend
with you; I would love to meet her.  I really need some family around, and you’re all I’ve got.”  His heart fell; he didn’t even think about the fact that he told her he had a girlfriend in New York, and that was why he had to leave.  When he got settled, he was going to tell her that they broke up; he never got the chance.  “Do you think you can come?”

He wanted to be there for his grandma and he would never forgive himself if he didn’t see his dad.  He just didn’t know what he could do about the other situation.  “I will catch the earliest flight that I can.  When he gets out of surgery tell him I love him.”

“I will…Matt, thank you.”  He hung up the call, his heart was breaking for his grandma and he had to be there to help her get through it.  He just hoped that he made it before his dad got worse.  “Please God,” he prayed.  “Let me at least see him to say goodbye.”

___________________

Tiffany knew that she needed to talk to Matt at some point.  She didn’t want him to think she was upset with him.  She had hoped by the end of the week she would have gotten the call from Andy Harowitz, however, plainly they hadn’t made up their mind.  She had listened to Matt’s 6
th
message earlier that day.  She could hear the apprehension in his voice when he begged her to call him back.  Yet, she ignored the call.  Now as she sat there on a Friday night, nowhere to go, she contemplated what he would think if she asked him over.  She laughed to herself; she was being silly.  She couldn’t just call up a guy and ask them out; even if it wasn’t exactly a date.  She could, call him up and just talk.  Friends did that and there was no reason they couldn’t.  Or, she could just keep thinking about it and not do anything about it.  While she was contemplating that there was a knock at her door.  She opened the door and saw Matt standing there.  She smiled; “Hey, I was thinking about…”  Her face fell when she saw his expression.  “What’s wrong?”

He walked in
the door and leaned in and gave her a hug; she could hear the sobbing on his end.  “I’m sorry,” he mumbled as he pulled away.

“Come in and sit down.”  She ordered as she closed her door.  “Once he was inside and seated she looked down at him.  “Can I get you something to drink?  I know t
hat you don’t drink…but coffee?”

He shook his head; “No thank you.”  She sank down in the seat across from him and waited for him to say something.  “I didn’t have anywhere else to go, no one else to talk to.”

“Yeah; that’s been happening a lot lately.”  She was thinking about how just a week earlier she had used the same excuse.  “Did something happen?”

“I received a call from my grandma.”

She perked up; she didn’t hear anything about his grandma before.  “Is she your mom’s mom?”

“No.  She’s my dad’s mom.”

“Oh; what did she have to say?”

“My dad, he was in a car accident today.  They don’t expect him to make it.”  Tiffany stared at him for a moment; she didn’t know what to say to him.  “I’m going to have to go there.”

“Of course; Matt, I am so sorry.”  When he started to cry, she moved to sit next to him and placed her arms around him.  His head fell on her shoulder and she knew that he was thinking about the strained relationship they had.  “He knows you love him.”

“I know, but…” she found herself wiping a stray tear from his face and their eyes connected.  “I have a problem.”  She lowered her hands and looked away.  “My grandma thinks I have a girlfriend.  I was going to tell her we broke up, once I got moved here, it just never seemed like a good time.  Now, I don’t think I can tell her otherwise.  She’s really taking this hard.”

Tiffany didn’t know what he was trying to say.  “Okay; you are in need of a girlfriend; what does that have to do with me?”  When their eyes met, she slowly shook her head.  “You can’t be serious?  Matt, we are trying to get out of this mess.  This won’t work.”

“I know, but I don’t know what else to do.”

“Surely she will understand.  Matt, you can convince her that you’re happy.  Won’t she be thrilled about that?”

“She will be; I just thought this might be easier.”  He stood up.  “I’m sorry for coming here; it was a stupid mistake.  I will be out of town for a few days, just in case you get a call about work.” 

He got up and walked towards the door; she knew that Matt wouldn’t be there if he didn’t need the help.  He did a lot to help her and somehow she needed to repay him.  “Matt, wait.”  He stopped, but didn’t turn around.  “You have done a lot to help me out, so I will do what I need to do to help you.”

“Are you sure?”  He asked tentatively as he faced her.  She slowly nodded.  “Do you think you can pull it off?”

“What?  Of course; I can pull it off.”

“It’s a crazy plan.”  She was agreeable to that.  “I don’t want you to feel pressured.”

“I want to do it; if it will help you, I’m on board.”  She thought for a moment and then frowned.  “We’ll just have to really keep it on the down low.  I doubt Mr. Harowitz will be too understanding.”

“You have a deal.”

“So, when do we leave?”

“The flight leaves at 7:30 tomorrow morning.”

“I have packing to do and buy a ticket.”

“I already bought the ticket.”

“What?  How did you know that I would go?”

“I didn’t; I just really hoped you would say yes.”

She rolled her eyes.  “I guess I’ll buy that.”

“Thank you so much Tiffany.  I promise you will have a good time, outside of being at the hospital.  I’ll pick you up at 6:00.”

“Okay; I’ll be ready.  See you tomorrow.”  She slammed the door and glanced over at the watch.  It was 8:00 and she had so much to do.  She just hoped they didn’t regret it.

___________________

When Tiffany woke up she was convinced that she was going to tell Matt that she wasn’t going to Wyoming.  She would make him understand that it just wasn’t a good idea.  She was sure he would understand.  However, when the doorbell rang she looked at the opened suitcase and groaned.  She didn’t want to put him in a tight spot.  She opened the door, but she didn’t smile when he entered.  “You…you look…worried.  How are you feeling?”

She had
to chuckle at that; he was asking how she was feeling.  “Not well,” she admitted.

“Oh?”  Concern crossed his face and she had to look away.  “What’s going on?”

“I don’t want you to have to go through this alone, but I am just having major second thoughts.”

“I thought I explained things, we’re strictly playing a part.  You don’t have to be worried about being around me. 
I promise I won’t do anything to overstep my bounds.”

“I know that, but
isn’t it going to be awkward?”  He looked like he was contemplating the thought; then he smiled.  “What’s so funny?”

“I was just thinking about something; forget it.”

“No, I want to know what’s so funny.”

He shrugged his shoulders.  “It would be awfully fun to pretend to be your boyfriend.  If something was to happen…”

Her jaw dropped.  “That is exactly why I can’t go.  This isn’t going to end up that way.  We’re friends and we’ll only be friends.”

“Tiff, I was teasing.”

She swallowed hard when he stared at her, then he started to laugh.  “I knew that; maybe I’m just a bit jumpy.”

“No…I wouldn’t say that.”  He giggled, “Calm down; please just come.”

“Fine; I have just a couple of more things to pack and I will be right with you.”  She threw her things in her bag and took a deep breath.  “I’m ready.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, but let’s get out of here before I change my mind.”  She got into his car and he slowly pulled out of the driveway.  “How long do you think we’ll be there?”

He stopped the car in the middle of the road and turned to her.  “I don’t know; it depends on how my father’s doing.  I can see you obviously don’t want to go.  We can spare that all and you are off the hook.”  He backed into the driveway and put the car into park.  “I’ll call you when I get back in town.”

“Matt…”

“It’s alright Tiffany; really it is.”

“I’m going.”

“Are you sure?  I don’t want to spend my time in Wyoming worrying about my dad and about you.”

“I’m sorry Matt; I feel so selfish.”

“No problem; I just want us clear.  I know what this is and that you don’t have feelings for me.  You don’t
have to tell me that every time we talk.”

“You’re right and as of right now
I promise you I won’t ever talk about it again.”

He smiled.  “Good enough; now, we have a plane to catch.”  She leaned back against the seat and looked out the window.  She had a promise to keep and she wasn’t about to let him down.