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Gavin had never stuttered so much during a team meeting. Unable to keep his eyes from straying to Haley, he finally resorted to focusing on his notes, reading them verbatim, and still he stammered over words, choking on his consonants.
For the most part, Haley didn’t make eye contact, though she looked up like a deer startled by headlights when he asked her to introduce herself to the team. Though he had all of her information in front of him, he didn’t trust himself to talk about her without showing an excess of emotion. At least that was the excuse he gave himself. But in truth, he felt it was only fair that she experienced the same awkwardness he did. Why should she get off scot-free?
“My name is Haley Martin,” she began, her squeaky voice giving away her nerves.
“Hi, Haley,” chorused several of the group in a unison reply reminiscent of Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. This set off a round of laughs, after which Haley seemed much more relaxed.
“I’m a recent graduate of University of Texas with a BBA in accounting and a Master of Professional Accounting.” Her fingers fidgeted together on the table in front of her. “And I’m happy to say I got the results of my CPA exam last week—I passed all four parts!”
This announcement resulted in a round of applause, and Haley’s smile broadened. Gavin found himself clapping with enthusiasm, surprised at how genuinely proud he felt, despite their prolonged estrangement.
“Tell them about your skiing,” he encouraged.
A rosy glow rose to her cheeks. “They don’t want to hear about that.”
“Sure we do,” said Dax, one of only two unmarried accountants on the team. Having snagged a chair beside Haley, he took advantage of his proximity, resting a casual hand over hers. “I bet you’re a real ripper.”
“I’ve been known to do a fair bit of ripping and shredding,” she replied, for some reason not withdrawing her hands from Dax’s aggressive touch.
As a devious smirk appeared on his face, Dax squeezed her fingers. “I’d like to get a piece of that action. Are you up for a bit of friendly competition? A-Basin has been open for a couple of weeks already.”
“Eh-hem! I think we’re getting off track a bit.” Gavin tried to keep his tone civil, while strongly considering whether Dax might be more compatible with Division II.
Haley’s blush deepened, and she finally moved her hands to her lap.
“Let’s move on to the new company assigned to our division,” said Gavin, raising his voice as he sent a glare toward Dax. “Barnes and Barnes is a growing financial consulting company, seeking our services to assess their current tax liabilities and also to maximize their profitability by reducing future tax liabilities. In addition, we hope to sign them up for our customized accounting software.”
“Aren’t we currently kind of maxed out, with Karina out on maternity leave?” asked Sheila, a ten-year veteran at Holiday, Inc.
“Yes, but the bulk of the work will go to Haley, although she’ll obviously need some guidance if anyone has a bit of time to spare.” Gavin bent his head toward Sharon, Theresa, and JoAnn, hoping one of the other three females in the division might volunteer.
“I should be able to help.” The offer came from Brent, the other single accountant, who ogled Haley from across the table, practically with spittle dripping from his mouth.
“I’ve got plenty of spare time,” Dax quickly countered. “In fact, I’ve got time to come over tonight and give you a rundown on all the software.”
“That won’t be necessary.” Gavin must have spoken a bit louder than usual, judging by the fifteen pairs of wide eyes that turned his direction. Ignoring the heat in his face, he hurried to explain his outburst. “I simply meant that I know how busy everyone is, and I wouldn’t expect anyone else to put in overtime during this holiday season. I’ve decided to take care of Haley’s training myself.”
As the team members traded nervous glances, the uncomfortable silence grew.
“Let’s go on to the next item on the agenda,” Gavin muttered, looking down to the notes, which were wadded up inside his trembling fists. “Ah... it looks like we’ve covered everything for today. I’ll send an interoffice email if you need to know anything else. Thank you for coming.”
The room emptied like a fire alarm had gone off, and Gavin was left staring at the clock on the wall.
Six minutes... that’s how long it took for me to make a complete and utter fool of myself.
**********
HE OBVIOUSLY DOESN’T trust me at all.
Back in her cubicle, Haley debated whether she should go defend herself to Gavin.
I know what he thought would happen if I interacted with Dax and Brent. Gavin must think I’ve changed—that I’m some kind of floozy who sleeps around with every guy I go out with. He probably thinks that’s the reason I broke up with him two years ago.
Though it hurt to think he held such a low opinion of her, she knew the fault was her own. She’d left him abruptly with no explanation, forcing his imagination to fill in the blanks. When they were together, Gavin had always been the one to put on the brakes to keep their relationship from progressing past their physical boundaries, while she was the weak one, unable to resist temptation. Of course, when he saw her in the coffee shop with what he assumed was an engagement ring, he must have thought she’d been in a sexual relationship with someone.
No telling what he thinks about me now, but I suppose that’s what I get for not being upfront with him. In her mind she heard her mother’s voice telling her she had to do what was best for Gavin. During her struggle with cancer, her mom seemed to be a different person—self-sacrificing and totally devoted to Haley. That’s why Haley agreed to follow her advice, rather than rebelling, as she’d been prone to do in the past.
“Hey, Haley.”
She recognized the dark-haired girl standing outside her cubicle as one of her team members, but couldn’t remember her name.
“A bunch of us are going to grab lunch next door at the deli. Want to come?”
“I’d love to,” Haley replied, automatically calculating how many miles would be required to burn the calories from a grilled chicken sandwich.
She snatched her purse, following the girl to the elevator along with two others.
“I’m JoAnn,” she said, before pointing to her friends. “And this is Theresa and Sheila.
Haley filed the names away in her head.
“Sorry Gavin was so weird in that meeting today,” said Theresa as the elevator door closed. “He’s not usually like that.”
Anxious to change the subject, Haley tried to divert the conversation. “How long have all of you worked here?”
JoAnn answered for all three. “I’ve been here the longest—six years. Theresa and Shelia have been here for two years.”
“Of course, Gavin has only been here less than a year,” said Theresa.
Haley nodded. “Well, he only graduated last December.”
“I’m guessing maybe you knew him at UT?” Theresa narrowed her eyes. “Since you went to the same school and you know when he graduated?”
“We had a few classes together,” Haley hastened to explain. “But that was a couple of years ago,”
JoAnn leaned in close, lowering her voice even though they were the only four on the elevator. “I know he was engaged for a while, but he never talks about it.”
“We were kind of hoping you knew more about him,” said Theresa, with a sly grin. “Like why they broke up?”
“Oh, I have no idea what happened between him and his fiancée. Why? Is one of you interested in him?” Haley didn’t particularly care for the idea of spurring these girls on for Gavin.
All three girls laughed as if she’d told a rip-roaring joke.
“You’ve got the wrong idea,” said Joann. “We’re happily married.”
“And I’ve got a baby on the way,” said Sheila, patting her tummy with a bright smile.
“Then why are you so curious about Gavin?”
“Because we’re busybodies,” said JoAnn with a chuckle.
“And we love romance,” added Theresa.
“And we thought you would be a perfect match for him,” said Sheila. “Right, ladies?”
As the three girls nodded their heads, sporting eager smiles, Haley felt a fresh surge of nausea.