Accident Prone 195 Sharing good news 1

Liz parked in the underground parking lot of her building and spent some time in the car, silently practicing how she will tell Max that she got the promotion. People don't get promoted often, so it needs to be impactful. 

She thought that something special for this occasion will be appropriate. Maybe they can go out for dinner. Yes. That will work. They can go out for dinner, something fancy and exclusive, and then during the dessert, she will say her big news. Or maybe they can order a fancy delivery and eat at home and for dessert, they can have each other. That sounds even better than the eat-out option. 

Liz giggled at her silly thoughts in the elevator. Max really made her a lustful woman, but what can she do? He is that good.

Liz's day was fantastic, and she knew that it would end even better because it will end with Max. Just the two of them. Wonderful.

Liz reached the door of her apartment and saw that the keypad where she is supposed to enter her passcode is covered with a piece of paper. It's a note which says:

"Ring the doorbell three times…

~ Your handsome boyfriend"

Liz giggled at the note and she was not sure what is that about, but she can guess that Max is inside and that he has something on his mind. She wondered if he redecorated, or maybe he is naked, or… no ors. She will stick with him being naked. She giggled again.

Liz noticed that since she is with Max she is giggly. She was never a giggly person before and when she heard females release such sounds she would find them… unpleasant. Well, that makes her the unpleasant one for all the single girls who were never high on love. She will wear that badge with honor.

Three doorbell rings later, Max opened the door with a big smile on his face.

"Welcome home, my beautiful…", his voice trailed off when he saw displeasure on her face. "What happened?"

Liz shook her head and admitted her thoughts. "For some reason, I hoped that you will be naked."

Max's eyebrows shoot up in surprise. Two seconds later, he stifled a laugh. "We will keep that for later. Now, close your eyes and no peeking."

It was Liz's turn to be surprised. She craned her neck to see behind Max, but he blocked the view inside the apartment completely.

"Come on…", Max urged her when he saw that she is not cooperating. "Don't make me blindfold you. It's just for a minute. Less than a minute."

Liz exhaled and closed her eyes. She felt that Max held her hands in his and gently pulled her to walk inside.

He took her bag from her shoulder and kept it away while guiding her through the apartment.

Based on the sudden breeze, Liz guessed that they stepped on the terrace. 

"OK. You can look now…", Max spoke softly next to her ear.

Liz opened her eyes and blinked a few times at the sight of an elegant table set for dinner for two. There are flowers and candles and a white tablecloth and… "I don't remember having this table and chairs on my terrace."

"I've got them for this occasion. I want to show you how much you mean to me, and for that, we need a romantic setting…", Max said and pulled a chair for Liz.

"You are spoiling me…" Liz said while taking her seat, unable to suppress her smile.

"I am. I will spoil you so much that no other man will want you. This is me eliminating my competition." Max said smugly.

Liz giggled and watched him dash into the kitchen. 

A few seconds later, Max returned with two bowls of soup. 

"I didn't cook this. I ordered.", Max answered her silent questions and gestured with his eyes for her to start eating.

Liz took a spoonful and hummed in satisfaction. "It's delicious. I never had anything like this."

"Mint and pea soup. I'm glad you like it, it's one of my favorites.", Max said before taking a spoonful himself.

Liz took a mental note to learn how to make this. It's Max's favorite and if she masters the craft of mint and pea soup he will definitely be pleasantly surprised. 

With every next spoonful reaching her mouth, Liz analyzed the flavor. She can taste mint and peas and there are bits of potatoes and possibly sour cream. 

"Are we celebrating something?", Liz guessed because Max is too formal. 

Usually, after work they order delivery and by the time it arrives, they change into comfortable clothes. Most of the time they eat from boxes and compared to that, this is luxurious. Other than the romantic setup for dinner, he is wearing a suit.

"Mhm…", Max hummed in confirmation and poured perfectly chilled red wine in Liz's glass. 

"We have more than one thing to celebrate today.", he said mysteriously after filling up his glass with wine and clinking it with hers.

Liz sipped the wine and realized that Max has his way of finding out things... "You heard about my promotion?"

Max paused and his face lit up. "What? No. I didn't hear about that. You got promoted?"

Liz thought about how this is awkward. She wanted to announce it dramatically, but now because of this dinner setup and Max saying that there is a reason for celebration, she just blurted it out. What a bummer. 

She cleared her throat awkwardly and mumbled: "Oh… never mind… so… what are we celebrating?"

Max watched Liz drop her head and continue working on her soup. When she didn't speak after a minute, he urged her: "What do you mean 'never mind'? Tell me about your promotion."

"Later." Liz rejected his request. "You are the first one who mentioned celebration and you even arranged for all this, so you tell me first."

Max didn't want to argue about this. She will tell him soon enough. "OK. First, Tyler is officially in San Diego, California, for his Marine Corps training. As Mrs. Wilson said, Tyler's Uncle pulled some strings. Tyler's basic training will last twelve weeks and after that, he will start active duty abroad which can last from two to six years depending on where they place him. We will not hear from him for some time."

Liz was happy with this news, but… "Is Tyler the reason for this dinner?"

"Of course, not. I am building up momentum here.", Max said smugly. "By the way, after the soup, there is the main course in the oven on warm, and the dessert is in the fridge." 

He cleared his throat and based on his fidgeting, Liz guessed that this is important.

Max started in official tone: "As you know, Nathan is increasing my workload and I am set to be his successor. Today we met and discussed the timelines. I never heard him praise me so much, and based on that, my guess is that I am doing better than he expected." 

Max reached to the side and got a print-out of the calendar with several dates circled in July and in August. "The plan is that within the next two months I take over all his tasks and after that, he will observe me and act as an advisor while gradually releasing the control to me. This will help me ease into the role, and also for directors and shareholders to gain trust in me as we collaborate and they see that I can lead the company effectively." 

He flipped the page to show November and Liz observed that one whole week is circled in red. 

Max explained: "In the week of November 16th, the Alpha group will have our annual meeting and at that meeting, Nathan will announce to all the shareholders and employees that he is officially retiring and that I am the new CEO of the Alpha group."

Liz saw how excited Max is and she was genuinely happy for him. "Congratulations, Max. I'm sure that the transfer will go smoothly and that you will be a wonderful CEO."

Max kept the calendar to the side and reached over the table. He held Liz's hand in his and spoke with a smile that reached his eyes. "Thank you, Liz. I must admit that you inspired me to do this. Before meeting you I was lost in a haze. You came into my life, shining brightly like the Sun, and you lifted the fog for me to see my way. I want to be the best CEO and to make Alpha group the best company so that you can proudly stand by my side."

Liz was touched by his words. "You know that I am proud of you, right?"

Max nodded. "I know. But I want everyone to know. You see… I feel that I am not good enough for you and I hope that this will be one step up so that I can reach your level."

Liz wanted to say that goals tied up to others are not good. What will he do if they break up? But she didn't want to say that at loud because those words would definitely spoil the mood. 

"Oh, Max. I am flattered, but I hope that you are doing this for yourself." 

Max's hand moved and he laced his fingers with hers. 

"In a way, I am this for myself." Silently, he added: "Because what I want is you by my side, and being a CEO is my way of accomplishing that." 

He smiled and demanded: "Now, tell me your news."

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