A Clandestine Corporate Affair(21)

“Of course, sir.”

After he hung up, he sat back in his chair and considered all the work he should get done this afternoon, and weighed it against spending time with Max and Ana. They won, hands down.

He shut down his computer, got up and grabbed his overcoat. His secretary, Lynn, looked up as he walked past, clearly surprised to see him in his coat.

“I’m taking off early today. Would you please cancel my appointments for the rest of the day?”

Her brow furrowed with worry. “Is everything okay?”

It was pretty sad to know that he was so chained to his job, he couldn’t leave work early without his secretary thinking something was wrong. “Fine. I just have a few personal things I need to take care of. I’ll be in early tomorrow. Call me if anything urgent comes up.”

He ran into Adam, the CEO, on the way to the elevator.

Adam looked at his watch. “Did I fall asleep at my desk? Is it after eight already?”

Nathan grinned. “I’m leaving early. Personal time.”

“Everything okay?”

“Just a few things I need to take care of. By the way, how is Katie?” Adam’s wife, Katie, lived two hours away in Peckins, Texas, a small farming community, where she and Adam were currently building a house and awaiting the birth of their first baby.

“She’s great. Getting huge already.”

Nathan was sure the long-distance relationship had to be tough, but Adam’s beaming grin said they were making it work. Nathan wondered what it would be like to be that happy, that content as a family man. Unfortunately, he would never know.

“She’s actually in town this week,” Adam said. “She was thinking of having a small holiday gathering this Saturday. Just a few people from work and a couple of friends. I don’t suppose you could make it.”

He had been hoping to spend Saturday evening with Ana and Max, but with the CEO position in the balance, now wasn’t a good time to be turning down invitations from the boss. “I’ll check my schedule and let you know.”

“It’s last-minute, I know. Try to make it if you can.”

“I will.”

Nathan was stopped two more times on his way to the elevator, then he was corralled into the coffee shop in the building lobby briefly before he finally made it out the door and to his car. He stopped at home to change, noting as he stepped in the door the absolute lack of anything even remotely festive. He didn’t even bother to display the Christmas cards that had been arriving in a steady stream the past couple of weeks. He never decorated for the holidays. He didn’t have the time or, truthfully, the inclination. Most of his Christmas memories were the kind better off forgotten.

When he bought this place five years ago he’d had it professionally decorated, mainly because he didn’t have time to do it himself. It was aesthetically pleasing, but it had no heart. He’d never put his own stamp on it. He spent so little time there, he might as well be living in a hotel. In contrast, Ana’s condo, despite being a mess most of the time, was a home. When they were dating he’d spent most of his free time there instead of bringing her back to his place. The truth was, he never brought women home.

Recalling the stains on his slacks the last two times he visited Max, this time Nathan opted for jeans and a polo shirt. He was out the door by four, and pulled in Ana’s driveway beside her SUV at four-ten. A gust of cold northern wind whipped around him as he walked to the porch. He knocked on her door, hoping she wouldn’t be angry with him for stopping by unannounced.

She pulled the door open, Max on her hip, clearly surprised to see him. “Nathan, what are you…” She trailed off, looking him up and down, taking in his windblown hair, his casual clothes. “Whoa. That is you, right?”

Ana may have been confused, but Max wasn’t. He squealed with delight and lunged for Nathan. Ana had no choice but to hand him over.

“Hey, buddy,” Nathan said, kissing his cheek, and he told Ana, “I got out early today, so I thought I would come by and see what you’re doing.”

She stepped back so he could bring Max out of the brisk wind and shut the door behind them. She was dressed in a pair of skinny jeans and a sweatshirt, her feet were bare and her hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Damn, she was pretty. The desire to pull her into his arms and kiss her hello was as strong now as it had been a year and a half ago.

“You got out early?” she said. “I thought you were swamped.”