Read Online All Falls Down by Ayden K. Morgen - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Ayden K. Morgen
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flame half a second before he starts laughing at my statement.
I cannot believe I actually said that out loud!
He has his head thrown back while he laughs, and God, he's beautiful. My heart does an aching dive in my chest and I can't seem to force myself to move my gaze along. Instead, I stare at him.
The amusement dies from his expression when he notices. He tilts his head in my direction again. His laughter slows and then halts altogether.
Between one breath and the next, everything changes. There's no longer amusement and embarrassment running between us, but that same charge from last week. It snaps like a current between us, and I have to fight the urge to shiver.
He just stares at me, not saying anything, and I stare back. He has a tiny scar at the corner of his mouth, a nick from a razor that didn't heal perfectly. I've never even noticed it before, but I can't seem to look away now. The urge to reach out and run my finger across it flares.
"Um…." I stutter, needing desperately to pull back from this… whatever it is.
"So," he says at the same time.
We both laugh awkwardly.
He settles back against the tree again and motions for me to go ahead.
I don't really have anything to say, so I swallow what little pride I have left and head back toward the conversation my ridiculous comment abruptly ended. "What do you do at T.I.?"
I'm sure I should know this already, but I don't. I've been too caught up in my own thoughts to ask many questions. I resolve to change that, starting here. I may not be able to fix my life or answer any of the thousand questions I have about my future, but at least I can get to know about his and Lexi's. Maddi and Kit's, too.
"I'm the CFO."
"The CFO?" My mouth falls open a little in surprise. "I thought Thad was the CFO."
"Thad retired last year, Savannah," Jared says.
"Oh." I guess he was nearing retirement age… twenty years ago. "I thought they'd have to carry him out in a body bag," I confess and instantly cringe. "I'm sorry. That came out all wrong."
"No," Jared laughs softly, "you're right. He was a workaholic. But his wife threatened to leave him for their attorney if he didn't resign, so he stepped down."
"And you stepped up," I murmur.
"And I stepped up," he confirms.
"Do you enjoy it?" I have a hard time imagining him as the Chief Financial Officer. He certainly has an air of authority and command about him, but CFO just seems so… stuffy. So rigid.
"It's challenging." His answer is honest but the words fall flat. He's hedging, saying what he thinks I want to hear. Being the CFO isn't a challenge he particularly wanted to tackle.
"Very convincing."
"Hmm?" He arches a brow at me.
"Ah, nothing," I hurry to say. He's been different this week, less angry. I really don't want to get him riled up again over something as ridiculous as whether or not he enjoys his job.
"When is Lexi being sworn in as the new CEO?"
"Officially? In two months. Unofficially, she's already handling most aspects of the job. She's been working alongside Matthew since she finished college, learning the ropes." He winces when he says Matthew's name.
"It's hard to believe he's really gone, isn't it?"
"Yeah." Regret flashes through Jared's eyes before he shakes his head back and forth. When he glances at me again, he appears so tired. "How are you holding up?"
"I'm holding," I answer. In truth, I haven't really even cried yet. I'm not even sure I will, and that seems so wrong to me. "It's so strange."
"How so?"
"I don't know." Running the toe of my shoe through the dirt, I try to work it out in my mind before putting my thoughts into words. "For a long time after I left, I'd wake up in the morning and expect to see his head bent over the paper at breakfast. Even though he'd never been in my apartment, it felt like he should have been. And when he wasn't, it hurt. Now that I'm here again, and he's really gone, it just feels…." I trail off with a sigh. I don't know how to explain it,
I cannot believe I actually said that out loud!
He has his head thrown back while he laughs, and God, he's beautiful. My heart does an aching dive in my chest and I can't seem to force myself to move my gaze along. Instead, I stare at him.
The amusement dies from his expression when he notices. He tilts his head in my direction again. His laughter slows and then halts altogether.
Between one breath and the next, everything changes. There's no longer amusement and embarrassment running between us, but that same charge from last week. It snaps like a current between us, and I have to fight the urge to shiver.
He just stares at me, not saying anything, and I stare back. He has a tiny scar at the corner of his mouth, a nick from a razor that didn't heal perfectly. I've never even noticed it before, but I can't seem to look away now. The urge to reach out and run my finger across it flares.
"Um…." I stutter, needing desperately to pull back from this… whatever it is.
"So," he says at the same time.
We both laugh awkwardly.
He settles back against the tree again and motions for me to go ahead.
I don't really have anything to say, so I swallow what little pride I have left and head back toward the conversation my ridiculous comment abruptly ended. "What do you do at T.I.?"
I'm sure I should know this already, but I don't. I've been too caught up in my own thoughts to ask many questions. I resolve to change that, starting here. I may not be able to fix my life or answer any of the thousand questions I have about my future, but at least I can get to know about his and Lexi's. Maddi and Kit's, too.
"I'm the CFO."
"The CFO?" My mouth falls open a little in surprise. "I thought Thad was the CFO."
"Thad retired last year, Savannah," Jared says.
"Oh." I guess he was nearing retirement age… twenty years ago. "I thought they'd have to carry him out in a body bag," I confess and instantly cringe. "I'm sorry. That came out all wrong."
"No," Jared laughs softly, "you're right. He was a workaholic. But his wife threatened to leave him for their attorney if he didn't resign, so he stepped down."
"And you stepped up," I murmur.
"And I stepped up," he confirms.
"Do you enjoy it?" I have a hard time imagining him as the Chief Financial Officer. He certainly has an air of authority and command about him, but CFO just seems so… stuffy. So rigid.
"It's challenging." His answer is honest but the words fall flat. He's hedging, saying what he thinks I want to hear. Being the CFO isn't a challenge he particularly wanted to tackle.
"Very convincing."
"Hmm?" He arches a brow at me.
"Ah, nothing," I hurry to say. He's been different this week, less angry. I really don't want to get him riled up again over something as ridiculous as whether or not he enjoys his job.
"When is Lexi being sworn in as the new CEO?"
"Officially? In two months. Unofficially, she's already handling most aspects of the job. She's been working alongside Matthew since she finished college, learning the ropes." He winces when he says Matthew's name.
"It's hard to believe he's really gone, isn't it?"
"Yeah." Regret flashes through Jared's eyes before he shakes his head back and forth. When he glances at me again, he appears so tired. "How are you holding up?"
"I'm holding," I answer. In truth, I haven't really even cried yet. I'm not even sure I will, and that seems so wrong to me. "It's so strange."
"How so?"
"I don't know." Running the toe of my shoe through the dirt, I try to work it out in my mind before putting my thoughts into words. "For a long time after I left, I'd wake up in the morning and expect to see his head bent over the paper at breakfast. Even though he'd never been in my apartment, it felt like he should have been. And when he wasn't, it hurt. Now that I'm here again, and he's really gone, it just feels…." I trail off with a sigh. I don't know how to explain it,
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