Beyond Broken(29)

       
         
       
        

Maddie stood frozen as Caleb backed away. Tears clogged her throat, her vision blurring, but she couldn't tear her gaze from him.

Suddenly, she wished that she hadn't been the irresponsible and foolish woman he thought she was and put diesel in her car that one night. She wished she'd never found him again, after all these years, that he'd remained in her mind as the boy that she fantasized herself in love with when she'd been young.

"You're such a hypocrite, Caleb. You reprimanded Jones just a moment ago, when in fact you say crueler things to me and you don't even bat an eye," she whispered, her tone ragged. "Why do you do this to me? In what way have I ever hurt you like this?"

It was always one step forward and two steps back with him. This was why she never put herself in vulnerable positions. She wished she could go back in time to just a few minutes ago. She wished that she'd never said anything, that she'd just let him be angry over what Jones had said, but went about her work.

Caleb remained silent. He looked away when a tear dripped down her cheek and then with a whispered curse, he left the office. One moment he was there, another he was gone, retreating back down the stairs. The door slammed behind him and more tears fell until she was sobbing quietly, trying to pull herself together.

An irresponsible, spoiled, desperate little girl.

That hurt. Mostly because it was true. No, she wasn't spoiled. She worked hard. But yes, perhaps she was slightly irresponsible and more than slightly desperate. She had thrown herself at him, only to be rejected.

How would she ever face him again after this?

Maddie would have to, because she couldn't simply walk away, no matter how much she wanted to. Maybe Caleb expected that of her, but she still owed him for her car repairs. She wouldn't leave when her work remained unfinished.

So, she wiped away her tears and took a calming sip out of the water bottle she'd brought with her. Once she felt better, she booted up the bookkeeping program and got to work as best as she could. She could only hope that Caleb wouldn't return while she was still here, even though she knew that she'd have to deal with him eventually.

Maddie worked for a solid three hours and got a surprising amount of work done. As she looked around the office, she calculated that she only had a week's, maybe a week and a half's, worth of work, if she could keep this pace. And then she'd probably never see Caleb again. A part of her was almost relieved.

As the laptop shut down, she gathered her things and couldn't help but glance at Caleb's desk, almost half expecting to see him there. With a sigh, she jotted down a quick note, telling him that she completed the 2010 and half of 2011 files and that she'd come back the same time tomorrow. 

Unfortunately, as she descended the stairs into an abnormally quiet and tense garage, she realized that she'd have to speak to Caleb after all. He was working on a car himself on the far right wall. His arms and hands were covered in oil and grease, sweat gleamed on his forehead, his hair mussed. He had earbuds in, listening to music, oblivious to his surroundings.

Maddie ignored the pang of longing that went through her, telling herself that she shouldn't want him after what he said to her. Still, she couldn't leave without speaking to him. It was too childish and much too cowardly.

With her heels clicking, she walked by the other men, who all remained silent, even Jones. Brian caught her eye and jerked his head towards Caleb. "You guys get into a fight or somethin'? I haven't seen him like this since his uncle died."

That certainly didn't make her feel good. She swallowed and looked down at the cement floor of the garage. "I'll see you tomorrow, Brian," she murmured, her non-answer as good as any answer.

"All right, sweetie."

She approached Caleb, dread settling in her stomach, but she tried to remain as indifferent as possible. Easier said than done.

He looked over as she approached, his lips pulling down into an even bigger frown. He remained bent over the engine of the car, forearms bracing him, but he stopped working and pulled out one earbud.

"I left a note on your desk detailing what I finished today," she said, proud that her voice was even and calm. Still, she couldn't quite meet his eyes, finding the insides of the car extremely fascinating. "I'll be back the same time tomorrow."

Then, she turned. But before she made it a couple steps, he suddenly said, "Maddie."

She stopped, looking over her shoulder, an eyebrow raised. He looked at her, wiping his forehead, smearing black grease, which for some reason only made him more attractive, not less. For a moment, Maddie thought he looked uncomfortable. But this was Caleb Montgomery and she doubted anything could make him uncomfortable, least of all her.