Day-two The Second Step

Elliot

Day two of the plan, and I was already restless. Patience was never my strong suit, but if I wanted Susan to trust me again, I had to play the long game. Yesterday’s coffee delivery had gone better than expected. She didn’t outright refuse it, and that was a win in my book.

Today, I had something more subtle in mind.

I sat in my office, going over the agenda for the day. Meetings, reports, the usual chaos. But my focus kept drifting to the fact that Susan’s office was just a few doors down from mine. Every now and then, I found myself glancing at my watch, calculating the best time to make my next move.

“Mr. Prescott,” Gerald’s voice came through the intercom, snapping me out of my thoughts. “The proposal for the new campaign has been finalized. Should I send it to Ms. Hart for review?”

I leaned back in my chair, my fingers tapping lightly on the desk. This was perfect...an opportunity to involve Susan in a high-profile project, one that would not only highlight her skills but also give me a reason to spend more time with her.

“No need,” I replied smoothly. “I’ll take it to her myself.”

Gerald paused, but his professional demeanor didn’t falter. “Understood, sir. I’ll have the files brought to your office.”

A few minutes later, I was walking down the hall with the neatly bound proposal in hand. The door to Susan’s office was slightly ajar, and I could hear the faint sound of her typing.

I knocked lightly, pushing the door open before she could respond. She looked up, her expression guarded as always.

“Mr Prescott,” she said, her tone polite but distant. “Is something wrong?”

“Not at all,” I replied, stepping inside and holding up the proposal. “I thought you’d want to take a look at this personally. It’s the campaign for the new product line.”

She reached out to take the file, her fingers brushing mine for the briefest moment. I noticed the way her gaze flickered to my hand before quickly looking away.

“I was going to review it once Gerald sent it over,” she said, flipping through the pages.

“I figured this was too important to delegate,” I said, leaning casually against the edge of her desk. “Your insight is invaluable.”

She raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical. “My insight?”

“You’re the best marketing mind in the building, Susan,” I said honestly. “I trust your instincts on this.”

For a moment, her expression softened, and I thought I saw a flicker of the old Susan...the one who used to laugh at my jokes and challenge my ideas. But just as quickly, the walls went back up.

“I’ll review it and send my notes by the end of the day,” she said, her tone professional.

I nodded, pushing off the desk. “Take your time. No rush.”

As I turned to leave, I paused at the door, glancing back at her. “Oh, and Susan?”

“Yes?”

“You’ve got this,” I said simply. “I believe in you.”

Her eyes widened slightly, but she didn’t respond. I didn’t wait for one. I walked out, feeling a small sense of satisfaction.

It wasn’t a grand gesture or a dramatic declaration, but it was a step. One more piece of the puzzle in Operation Win Susan Back.

She might not realize it yet, but I wasn’t going anywhere. Not this time.

***

Susan

The morning had started off routine enough. I buried myself in work, determined to stay focused and keep any thoughts of Elliot firmly out of my head. That lasted until mid-morning when he appeared at my office door, carrying a neatly bound proposal like it was some sort of peace offering.

As soon as he walked in, the air seemed to shift. He had that effortless charm about him—the kind that had once made me fall for him so easily. But I wasn’t that same woman anymore.

“Mr Prescott,” I said, schooling my features into professional indifference. “Is something wrong?”

“Not at all,” he said, his tone casual as he held up the proposal. “I thought you’d want to take a look at this personally. It’s the campaign for the new product line.”

I took the file from him, my fingers brushing his for a split second. The touch was brief, but it was enough to send an unwelcome jolt of awareness through me. I hated how my body still reacted to him, as if it hadn’t gotten the memo that we were done.

“I was going to review it once Gerald sent it over,” I said, flipping through the pages to avoid meeting his gaze.

“I figured this was too important to delegate,” he said smoothly, leaning against the edge of my desk like he belonged there. “Your insight is invaluable.”

I looked up, narrowing my eyes slightly. There it was again...that charm. The same charm that could turn any situation to his advantage.

“My insight?” I repeated, arching an eyebrow.

“You’re the best marketing mind in the building, Susan,” he said, and for a moment, I thought I detected sincerity in his voice. “I trust your instincts on this.”

Something about the way he said it caught me off guard. For a split second, I felt a pang of something I couldn’t quite identify...nostalgia, maybe, or the faint echo of what we used to have. But I quickly pushed it aside. I wasn’t going to let his words get to me.

“I’ll review it and send my notes by the end of the day,” I said, keeping my tone professional.

He nodded, straightening up but not leaving right away. “Take your time. No rush.”

As he walked to the door, he paused, turning back to look at me. “Oh, and Susan?”

I glanced up from the proposal, bracing myself. “Yes?”

“You’ve got this,” he said simply, his voice warm and encouraging. “I believe in you.”

For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. The sincerity in his words caught me completely off guard. I hated how much I wanted to believe him, how much I wanted to let those words sink in and take root.

But I couldn’t. I wouldn’t.

“Thank you,” I said curtly, looking back down at the file in an attempt to end the conversation.

He left without another word, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

I stared at the door for a long moment after he was gone, my emotions a tangled mess. He was making it hard to keep my guard up, to hold on to the anger and hurt I’d carried for so long.

But I couldn’t let myself forget. Elliot Prescott had broken my heart once, and I wasn’t about to give him the chance to do it again.

With a deep breath, I forced my focus back to the proposal in front of me. Work was the one thing I could control...the one thing that wouldn’t let me down.

And no matter what Elliot’s game was, I wouldn’t let myself get caught up in it. Not again.