But once that worry was removed, guilt, loss, and pain had swept in to drop a weight on her chest that made it hard to draw in a full breath.
She’d flinched at Ben’s bafflement when she told him not to call the cardiac specialist he wanted to refer Grandmillie to. Ed had looked puzzled and then concerned when he returned with gourmet sandwiches and Nathan wasn’t there to share them. Grandmillie kept giving her searching looks as Chloe dealt with doctors, nurses, and various other personnel at the hospital. By Saturday evening, she’d fallen asleep in the lounge chair in Grandmillie’s room, awakening only when a nurse tucked a blanket around her.
On Sunday Grandmillie had been released from the hospital, so Chloe had busied herself with making her comfortable in her bedroom until her grandmother had commanded her to stop fussing. Then she’d pried the truth out of Chloe and stroked her hair while Chloe sobbed into the blankets on Grandmillie’s bed. The only thing she hadn’t shared with her grandmother was the mysterious bet.
“You fell in love with him, didn’t you, child?” Grandmillie had said gently.
Chloe had started to protest, to say she just felt guilty about hurting him, but her grandmother’s question forced her to admit the truth. Her heart had paid no attention to the warnings she’d given herself about his money and his power and his genius. She’d found the man behind all those intimidating trappings, and she wanted to love him for the rest of her life.
Chloe slumped down in her chair as despair swamped her all over again. She couldn’t afford all this wallowing. She had to focus on work. Her new boss had e-mailed her a boatload of reports and memos to read so she’d be up to speed on the project she’d been assigned to. Opening the first file, she made herself concentrate. Her brain was clicking away, absorbing the ins and outs of the product’s development, until she reached the end of the report, where a series of people had made comments. There was Nathan’s name attached to an astute suggestion about renaming the product to avoid comparison with a competitor. The phrasing and tone were so distinctive that she could hear his voice saying the words. The same voice that had whispered hot, sexy suggestions in her ear as he moved inside her.
She put her hand over her mouth to stifle the sob that threatened to wrench itself from her throat. She needed to get out of there to pull herself together. Grabbing her handbag, she headed for the ladies’ room in the hallway. As she passed the elevator, the doors slid open and Nathan stepped out the elevator, wearing one of his perfectly cut suits, his hair waving just down to the collar, his head turned as he spoke with the woman beside him.
Every molecule in Chloe’s body leaped with sheer happiness at the sight of him. Her heart hadn’t gotten the memo that she was no longer allowed to love Nathan. Then her brain sent a wave of misery rolling over her, nearly knocking her to her knees.
Chloe didn’t care what anyone thought. She stumbled to the bathroom, slamming open the door and dodging into the first open stall. Latching it closed, she leaned against the stainless-steel wall and let the tears flow silently down her cheeks.
She couldn’t do this. Seeing Nathan was like showing a starving woman a perfect chocolate éclair and then telling her she couldn’t touch it.
She scrabbled in her bag for her cell phone. Before she speed-dialed Judith’s number, she stuck her head out of the stall to make sure no one else was in the room.
“Hey, Chloe, what’s up?” Her friend’s familiar voice steadied her.
“I’m really sorry, but I can’t continue at Trainor Electronics.” She took a deep breath and fumbled for a reason. “I feel like I’m here under false pretenses.”
“You mean because you’re involved with the big boss?”
“Was involved with him. We broke up on Saturday. I just saw him for the first time since then.”
She heard Judith blow out a breath before she said, “Well, you predicted it would end. I told you the job has no probation period, so he can’t fire you as revenge. My advice is for you to tough it out until you get over him. Time heals all wounds, and the great salary and benefits will help the process along. And I’m not saying this because of my fee.”
Chloe rested her forehead against the cool metal wall. “Judith, I did something stupid. I fell in love with him.”
“Oh, damn. I was afraid of that.”
“I hurt him, Judith. I did the same thing all the other women did. Used him for what he could give me.”
“That’s garbage and you know it.”
“It feels like that to me. And he believes it.” Chloe felt her decision come into focus. “I’m sorry, but I have to resign.”
Judith’s sigh sounded in Chloe’s ear. “Okay, sweetie. Can you at least tell Roberta in HR that it’s a family issue? It’s almost true.”