Page 7 of Chasing the Dream

She shut down the laptop she’d been using and straightened the files on Dana’s desk. Then she took her purse out of the locked desk drawer Stefan had shown her, slung it over her shoulder, and went out to the elevator. A few people were milling around, waiting, so she decided to take the stairs instead. She could use the exercise after sitting all day.

When she stepped through the open doorway to the stairs, she heard a woman say, “Can you believe Gabe gave her Dana’s office? Why should she rank higher than us?”

“She’s a friend of his family, so naturally, he’s going to treat her better. Not that we have much to complain about. He’s a good boss.”

The voices faded away, but Morgan stayed on the landing until she was sure they were gone. She was used to office gossip, but their comments still bothered her. She planned on working just as hard as everyone else and didn’t expect special treatment from Gabe or anyone else. She waited for him in the lobby and debated telling him what she’d overheard.

The receptionist had already gone, and a few more employees trickled out before the elevator doors opened and Gabe stepped out. Now she understood why he’d told her he’d meet her in ten minutes. He hadn’t wanted to be seen leaving with her. She definitely needed to have a talk with him, but not here.

She stood up as he approached, glad she was wearing heels even though her feet hurt. Without them, she would have felt like a child standing next to him.

“Sorry for the wait. I had a last-minute phone call.”

It sounded feasible, but after hearing those women in the stairwell, she was questioning everything.

She followed him out to the parking lot, where he unlocked the doors to a sleek black BMW. He’s definitely moved up in the world, she thought as she slid into the leather seat. She remembered when he’d gotten his first car, a used Ford Escort that he’d been constantly tinkering with in the driveway. She’d been a passenger in that car several times whenever Maria could convince him to take them somewhere in it.

The first time she’d ridden with him, he’d driven them to a movie theater, beaming with pride and looking extra hot behind the wheel. When he’d let them out at the curb, she’d received envious glances from some girls standing nearby, and it certainly hadn’t been because of the car!

Now he asked, “Air conditioning or windows down?”

“Windows down, if you don’t mind. I hate being cooped up in air conditioning all day.”

“You better get used to it living in Scottsdale.”

“I won’t be here that long.”

“Right,” he said and rolled down their windows. “Maria told me she planned on driving you to and from the office every day.”

“Um-hmm. I told her she didn’t have to. I can afford an Uber, but she insisted.”

“I offered to take over for her.”

This was the second time he’d surprised her, and her eyebrows shot up.

“It seems silly for her to drive when we’re both coming here anyway.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

She sighed. “I’m not sure how to say this…”

He pulled up to a red light, stopped, and eyed her curiously. “Just say it.”

She relayed the conversation she’d overheard in the stairwell. “I don’t want people to think you’re giving me special treatment.”

The light turned green, and he sped off with a bit more oomph than necessary. She noticed a vein pulsing on the side of his neck and realized he was angry. It reminded her of another time he’d gotten angry on her behalf.

One night after a varsity football game, he’d invited some team members over to celebrate their win. The Matthews had a finished basement with a game room, and Gabe and his friends hung out downstairs while she and Maria were supposed to stay upstairs. Naturally, they snuck downstairs, wanting to be where the action was (and in her case, where Gabe was).

One of the players, Todd, started talking to her, and at first, she was flattered. But when he asked her to go out to his car with him, she realized what he was after and said no. Somehow, Gabe overheard and warned Todd to leave her alone. Looking back, she wasn’t sure if Todd had been buzzing with adrenaline from winning the game or if he’d had a few beers, but he kept flirting with her until Gabe went off on him.

She’d never seen him so angry, and she was scared and thrilled at the same time. He pushed Todd up against the wall and shouted, “She said NO, asshole. Now, leave her alone or get lost.” They might have come to blows if some of the other team members hadn’t interfered and pulled them apart. After that, Todd left in a huff, and then she and Maria had hurried upstairs to escape Gabe’s wrath.

“Wow! I’ve never seen him act like that before,” Maria said.

Morgan tried to sluff it off. “I’m sure he’d do the same for you.”