Beautifully Shattered (The Beautifully Series Book 1) (23 page)

“I know this doesn’t
excuse the way I handled everything earlier, but all I saw when he
told me what happened was the doctors explaining to my dad that the
brain tumor was inoperable and she didn’t have much time. It was a
simple mistake. If they were paying attention to the signs, they
could have noticed it sooner and things may have been different.
That’s all I saw today, I didn’t even realize what was happening
until I heard you whisper my name.”

I hate that I feel
badly for him. For the first time, I can see how broken he really is,
like me. He’s not the perfect man I thought he was. More than
anything, I hate that I can justify his actions. It’s painfully
obvious how hard it is for him to share this, yet he is. I have no
idea why, I’m nothing special. But for some reason, he thinks I’m
worth it. I let him take a timid step towards me. He stops when he is
a breath away from me.

“I’m so sorry for
what you saw today. As much as I want to say I wish you weren’t
there, I won’t lie to you. I’m glad you were,” he whispers.

“Why?” I whisper
back.

“If it wasn’t for
you, I wouldn’t have stopped. You saved me from making the biggest
mistake of my life.” Skimming his fingertips over my cheek, he
gazes intently into my eyes. “I would never hurt you, Adalynn.”

I don’t know if it’s
that I feel like our shared grief connects us on some level, or his
obvious regret for his actions that makes me forgive him. Covering
the hand caressing my cheek, I lean into his touch.

“I’m so sorry for
running off like that. I should have let you explain. I know more
than most people about losing yourself to your past, Kohen.”

Framing my face with
his large, strong hands, Kohen asks, “Can you forgive me?”

“There’s nothing to
forgive.”

Kohen kisses me as if
he thinks I’m going to change my mind. Wanting him to believe that
I’m here for him and to show him how happy I am that he opened up,
I kiss him back with everything that I have. When he trails one of
his hands down my neck, along my collarbone I pull back, breathless.
His lust-filled eyes, reveal how he sees me. Beautiful. I open my
mouth so I can slow things down, but he beats me to it.

“I’m going to go
before I press my luck. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

“Sounds perfect.”

After saying goodbye to
Kohen with a few more heavy kisses, I head to my bedroom to get ready
for bed. As I undress, it becomes disgustingly clear that I was just
making out with Kohen covered in sweat. Yum, I sure know how to be as
sexy as possible with men. No wonder he didn’t try going further
tonight. I wouldn’t want to do anything with me, either. I step out
of my sweaty workout clothes and climb into the boiling hot shower.

I can’t believe how I
treated Kohen earlier, I should have given him a chance to explain
before fleeing. I know what he did was bad, but I shouldn’t have
overreacted and slapped him. Okay, so he deserved the slap, but
comparing him to Wyatt was inexcusable. I should have never have let
that thought drift into my head. Wyatt is a poor excuse for a human
being whereas Kohen is nearly perfect.

Kohen has been nothing
but nice to me. Everyone at work adores him, minus Mike. Ugh, my
stomach clenches. I almost let Kohen go just because of a
misunderstanding. Thank God he didn’t just let me walk away from
him. Letting me in and sharing his pain means more to me than he can
ever realize. I’m so used to Jax shutting me out.

Kohen opened up to me even without
the knowledge that I would listen. I can allow myself to plan things
with him instead of always worrying he will leave without warning. He
doesn’t strike me as the type to let me go so easily. I smile. No,
he sure doesn’t. I pick up my phone.

Me:
July 12 is Logan’s surprise party . . . You in?

Within seconds my phone beeps,
making me exhale in relief upon opening it.

Kohen:
Love to :)

As I’m texting him back the info
of when and where, he responds before I can even hit the send button.

Kohen:
How old is the birthday boy going to be and what should
I get him?

Me:
28 . . . I am so the wrong person to ask.

Kohen:
You do know you’re his sister, right? Who better to
ask than you?

Me:
I suck at giving gifts so if you want to get him something
then you have to come up with it all on your own C:

Kohen:
You couldn’t suck at anything if you tried, but fine,
thanks again for all the help.

Me:
Welcome!

Kohen:
Night Adalynn xoxo

I can’t help the
little chuckle that escapes when I read his last text. XOXO. So
cheesy and high school, that I wrinkle my nose.

Since the incident at
Kohen’s work, we’ve become a lot closer. I still haven’t opened
up to him about my past, but I make up for it by telling him about
everything else. If he’s proven anything in this past month, it’s
that I can count on him. To move our relationship forward, I’ve let
him spend the night during the weekends. I don’t know why we
haven’t had sex yet. Whenever we get hot and heavy, I always end up
stopping it. I love that every time I do, he doesn’t get mad at me
or even say I’m a tease. He just pulls me in close and holds me all
night.

Kohen is the only one
who knows what I have planned today. It still amazes me that he was
able to get me an interview. One night I told him that I wanted to do
something with my business degree and the next day he’s selling me
on anyone’s dream job. It’s something that Logan would want me to
do; he’s never said it, but I don’t think he approves of my
current job. He will be thrilled if I can land the interview at
Malcara Enterprises. I might be accomplishing his dreams today. For
the life of me, I can’t muster the excitement I should be feeling.
I almost feel numb; I’m at the point between numb and feeling
everything all at once. My heart races as I decide on the perfect
interview outfit.

After pinning my hair
into a knotted bun, I apply minimal make-up. Gazing at myself in the
mirror, I untie the sash of my robe and let it fall off my shoulders
to the ground. I slip into my white sheath dress and then slide my
arms through the sleeves of my black blazer. Not a strand of hair is
out of place, my lips bear a glossy shade of light pink lipstick, my
violet eyes are accented with only mascara. I appear to be well put
together, perfect.

As I sit in the back of
a cab, I check the time to make sure Logan’s in his morning
meeting. I wait an extra five minute before I call Logan’s
assistant, so he can inform my brother to meet me at Liv’s, instead
of picking me up. If my overprotective brother knows that I’m on my
way to an interview, it will be more than my nerves I’m worrying
about. Adding Logan’s would be too much for this opportunity, that
arose thanks to Kohen.

Before I know it, the
elevators open and I’m walking across the overly polished floor to
the office of my hopefully soon-to-be boss and owner of Malcara
Enterprises, William Malcara. If I can land this interview, I will be
an assistant for the second largest marketing firm in the US. The
first is Trinity. I square my shoulders back as I enter the
impressive office, every step feeling as if I’m following my
brother’s footsteps instead of my own. I can’t even think about
what my own would be right now because I need to land this job. I
need to prove to everyone that I’m not a kid anymore.

A receptionist ushers
me down a corridor and introduces me. Mr. Malcara stands as I reach
his desk. I shake his hand like my dad taught me. A firm handshake
will go a long way in the business world, was his mantra when I was
growing up. He looks as if he’s in his early twenties, but I know
he’s in his late thirties from the internet.

“Have a seat, Ms.
Maxwell.” He directs me to the chair in front of his desk.

I hide my surprise that
we’re not moving to the conference style table to the left of his
office. That’s where my brother would hold an interview, Connor
too. Jax wouldn’t have bothered inviting them into his office. He
would have them shown to the actual conference room.

“Thank you, Mr.
Malcara.”

My eyes scan the room
and I notice that he is very much in love with his wife. Pictures of
her, and of them together, fill his office.

“Can you tell me why
you would want to work for me instead of your brother?” He gets
straight to the point.

I was prepared for this
question. I knew he would recognize my last name from his competitor.
I get straight to the point. Mr. Malcara doesn’t seem like the type
for bullshit. I like that.

“If I wanted to work
for my brother, all I would have to do is ask. I want to work
somewhere where I can prove myself instead of being the owner’s
sister. Here, I can flourish and make something of myself. I can be
an asset to your team. Working at Trinity I couldn’t do that, and
frankly I’ve never wanted to work for him.”

He rubs his
clean-shaven chin. “You have no experience in the industry except
the internship you completed in college. Why should I choose you over
any of the other candidates?”

I feel as if I’m
going to battle for a job that I don’t think I really want. I don’t
back down, though. If I want to prove myself to everyone, I need to
start with him.

“I know the ins and
out of this business. I may not have the experience that the other
candidates will bring to the table, but I can bring knowledge and my
willingness to learn. I can strive here, learning everything you
teach me.”

He almost smiles.
“Doctor Daniels is a dear friend of mine and my wife. He is the
reason why you have this interview. He spoke very kindly of you, that
you will succeed working here, given the chance. Your chance is this
interview. Wow me, Ms. Maxwell.” He hands me a piece of paper.

There’s a brief
description of the company, its products, sales, and inventory. As I
study the information in my hands, I know immediately I can do this.

“You have three
minutes,” he adds in a bored tone.

I only need seconds.
It’s numbers. Numbers I can work with. I set the paper back on his
desk and stand. “I’m ready.”

He waves his hand for
me to start. I explain to him that the lingerie company is not
utilizing the custom creations as much as they should. It’s brushed
over, not their focal point. It’s something that gives them an edge
compared to their competitors. They need to focus on growth as their
one salon brings in more than enough to expand to another store. I
spend another minute explaining their strengths before I give him my
closing line.

“The market is there,
they have done well this year. With numbers like that, I can see them
expanding globally. They will have to want it, though.”

“Interesting.”

I almost deflate
because I thought I nailed it, but then he smiles his first smile
since I walked in.

“Everyone else needed
ten minutes or more to point out what you noticed within seconds. I
think Kohen was right about you, Ms. Maxwell.” He stands up and
offers me a tour.

“This will be your
office,” he says with a wave of a hand.

My office consists of a
large desk, an empty bookcase that takes up the entire right wall,
and two chairs in front of the desk. It’s small but perfect. The
walls are all glass, making it appear both larger and smaller at the
same time. I don’t have time to think about privacy because he’s
leading me out of my office and over to Human Resources. He points
out my co-workers. Only one, a tiny redhead, looks up from her
computer long enough to wave to me. Everyone else nods in my
direction.

After an hour and a
half of paperwork, my hand cramps. It isn’t until after I talk to
my boss Sam at the bakery, that I’m actually excited about my new
life change. He isn’t mad that I’m leaving. If I ever want a job
all I have to do is ask. Now, I can actually say I’m looking
forward to tell my brother and Liv. As the cab idles at the curb of
her building, I have to stop myself from running into her office and
gushing to Logan that I have a grown-up job. He can’t treat me like
a kid any longer.

My nerves reappear when
I see Logan on his iPad in the waiting room, ignoring his
surroundings. I wonder how he’ll take the news. I don’t want to
fight with him. Hopefully he will see me as an adult and I can
convince him that I don’t need him taking care of me anymore. Yeah,
that will go over well.

I patiently wait for
him to notice my presence. By patiently, I mean tapping my foot of
course. When that doesn’t work to get his attention, I clear my
throat. I’m rewarded with him setting down the iPad.

“Are you going to ask
me why I’m excited or not?”

“I’m assuming your
good mood is why you changed up today’s schedule.”

Barely taking time to
breathe I say, “I had an interview and you are now looking at the
new assistant at Malcara Enterprises. I already put in my two weeks
at the bakery before heading over here.”

He leaps to his feet
within the next breath. “You can’t accept a job from me, but
you’re working at Malcara Enterprises? I wouldn’t have you
working as an
assistant
.”
He spits out assistant as if it’s a bad word.

I may not really want
this job, but I’m proud that I landed it, especially since I have
no experience. I nailed the interview. I knew Logan wouldn’t be
thrilled, but I thought he would at least pretend to be happy.

“I thought you would
understand. I thought this is what you wanted. You’re the one who
wants me to have a real job.” He opens his mouth, but I talk over
him. “Working at the bakery wasn’t good enough. Now being the
assistant of William Malcara isn’t good enough. What will be good
enough for you, Logan?”