The Perfect Candidate (36 page)

“We really want you to have this, Ashley,” he said firmly, giving her no other choice other than to accept. 
So, she was being paid off.
  “And, I just need your signature on a couple of these forms,” Norm added, rifling again, until he found the right sheets of paper.  He cleared his throat.  “They’
re standard confidentially-
”

“I know what they are,” Ashley said numbly.  She picked up a pen.

“Don’
t you want to read-
”
Norm started to ask, but Ashley had already slashed her name across the bottom of both sheets of paper.

“If you’
ll excuse me,
”
she croaked. 
“
I think- I think I should- I have to go, I
’
ve suddenly remembered a- a pressing appointment that can
’
t be-
”
but she couldn
’
t even finish the sentence.  Ashley choked back a sob. 
“
Please tell Michael I
’
m sorry I couldn
’
t wait for him!
”
she cried, darting out of the room, as tears started running down her cheeks.

29

By the time that Michael could excuse himself from the meeting, and head back to his office to see Ashley, more than an hour had passed.   His meeting with John Tatterson had gone well,  but he was looking forward to seeing Ashley again.

It was quite an unpleasant shock, when Michael strode into his office, “Did you miss me?” spilling from his lips, and saw that
Norman
and not Ashley was sitting at his desk.

Michael tried not to let his disappointment and annoyance show, but Norman must have sense something was wrong, because he started shuffling papers in a rather flustered manner.

“You were expecting Miss Kendall, no doubt?” Norm asked awkwardly.  “Well, she
was
here with me just a minute ago- but ugh- she had to dash off.
”

“Dash off?” Michael echoed, a frown pulling at his brow.

Norm nodded. 
“
She seemed a little um- well,
upset
to be honest, although I can
’
t for the life of me think-
”

Michael didn
’
t hear the last of what Norm was saying; he had already turned and rushed from the room.  He couldn
’
t quite explain
why
he was doing it. He just knew that he had to- he had to find Ashley and make sure that she was all right.

He checked her office first, thinking that she would have retreated there if Norm really had managed to upset her about something, but the room Ashley used to work from was empty.  There were hints that she had been there though, her coat was missing from the back of the door and her answering machine had been turned on for the night.

Michael drew his cell phone out of his pocket and speed dialed Ashley number.  He held it to his ear as he jogged back to his own office, but he couldn
’
t say that he was hugely surprised when Ashley didn
’
t answer.  He got the feeling that she was trying to avoid him
.

“What did you say to her?” Michael barked at Norm, as he burst back into his office.

The other man looked alarmed, both by the question and Michael
’
s odd behavior. 
“
Nothing upsetting!  You know what women can be like,
”
he sighed. 
“
I was simply talking to her about your wedding day.  We were discussing what was going to happen,
”
he added defensively. 
“
Speaking of which, I need to talk to you about-
”

“Not now Norman,” Michael growled.  “I have to go and find Ash.”

The look that Norm shot him seemed to ask if he was quite sane. 
“Why?”
he asked incredulously.

Michael opened his mouth, hoping that a plausible answer would just spring to his lips.  It didn
’
t.  The only answer that occurred to him at all was
…
because I love her
, and he really didn
’
t think that his campaign manager would approve of
that
sentiment!

“Because I am,” he grunted, and then before Norm could question him any further, Michael turned and left the room.

He got into his car downstairs in the parking garage, not wanting to bother with his usual chauffeur Michael drove himself.  He knew the way Ashley
’
s home better than the route to his own house now, so he didn
’
t have any mishaps in finding the place.  He was so determined to get there as he drove, that he didn
’
t stop to think what he was going to say to Ashley to explain his appearance on her doorstep.

“If she’
s even here,
”
he muttered, pulling into her drive.  He could see her car though, and he took that to be a good sign.

Michael jumped out of his own vehicle and hurried to the front door.  He rang the doorbell and waited
…
but no one came.  He rang it again, and still he was ignored.  A deep frown darkened Michael
’
s face.  He reached for the door handle, tried it, and found that it wasn
’
t even locked.

“Ash?  Ashley, are you here?” Michael called, as he stepped into the hall.  He closed the front door behind himself, and waited to see whether or not Ashley would answer him.

When there came no answer, Michael glanced into to the rooms downstairs, looking for his lover.  He became increasingly worried when he found nothing.  He had been hoping that he was overreacting to what Norm had told him- counting on Ashley answering the door and giggling at him when she realized that he had raced across the city to make sure that she was all right.  It didn
’
t look that that was going to be happening however
.

“Ash?” Michael shouted upstairs, and this time he
thought
he heard something.  He raced up the stairs, taking them two at a time, before crashing into Ashley
’
s bedroom. 

Ashley was sitting in the middle of her bed, hugging a pillow to her chest.  Her eyes were red and bloodshot, and her cheeks were covered with tears.  Michael felt like hell.

“Wh-what are you doing here?” Ashley demanded, dashing the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand.  She looked a little dazed.  Somehow, she obviously hadn’
t heard him shouting. 
“
How d-did you get in?
”
she sniffed.

“The front door was open,” Michael said gruffly.  He couldn’
t stand it when women cried- especially not when he lo- cared about them!  He felt so disgustingly helpless. 
“
Ash, what
’
s wrong?
”
he asked gently, edging towards the bed.  Once she was within arms reach he caught her hold and crushed her against his chest. 
“
Baby?
”
he pressed. 
“
Tell me,
”
he urged, as he rubbed his knuckles over her back in soothing circles.

“I- it was just-” Ashley stammered, but then she shook her head and buried her face against his chest, starting to cry all over again!

“Don’
t, Ash, please don
’
t cry!
”
Michael begged, holding her even tighter, until she started to squirm and he realized that he was crushing her. 
“
You don
’
t have to tell me right now,
”
he murmured, gently kissing the top of her head. 
“
Just calm down, okay?
”

“M’
okay,
”
Ashley sobbed weakly, and she did very slowly stop crying, but she didn
’
t seem at all inclined to tell Michael what the matter was
…
which of course left him to come up with a few reasons of his own
.

Norman had told Michael that he and Ashley had been talking about the wedding, which not doubt meant that Ashley had been being given her “jilting” instructions
…
well, why would that upset her so much?  Michael tried very hard- well, he tried a little bit- to ignore the answer that instantly leapt to his mind.  Maybe it had upset her because she
didn
’
t
want to jilt him?

Michael was uncomfortably aware of how that notion caused a fluttering heat to burn in his chest.  However, just because he wouldn
’
t mind marrying Ashley- well, it didn
’
t necessary mean that she felt the same way about him, but it
might?

Michael shifted his weight around slightly, so that he was sitting on the bed with his back resting against the headboard.  Ashley was curled up against his chest, slowly relaxing, as her tears finally stopped falling and her breathing steadied out.  She hiccupped softly, and lifted her eyes so that she could look at Michael
’
s face.  He smiled down at her warmly, wondering if he dared do anything with the theory he had just realized.

“I’
m sorry,
”
Ashley sniffed weakly.  A deeply embarrassed blush had crept into her cheeks. 
“
I don
’
t know- I don
’
t know what came over me,
”
she mumbled, glancing down at the bedspread.

“Don’
t you?
”
Michael murmured, stroked his fingers through her hair.  He kissed the top of her head again, and then dragged his lips across her skin, bestowing comfort, not passion, for once. 
“
Are you sure?
”
he asked gently. 
“
Norman told me that he thought you were upset.  He said that you had been discussing the details of the wedding?
”
he added, in what he hoped were neutral, casual tones.