Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 63311 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 317(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63311 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 317(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Whatever. I liked curry, the price was right, and Ronan seemed like a good guy.
He’d been kind enough to point out the neighborhood market, the nearest Tube station, and had given me a mini linguistics tutorial. Crosswalks were zebra crossings, shopping carts were trolleys, and apartments were called flats in the UK, which made Ronan my flatmate, not my roommate.
“No idea where flat comes from? Maybe it’s ’cause it’s on one floor? You know…it’s all flat?”
By the way, Ronan spoke in question marks. It was confusing as hell but charming too.
I straightened the perma-crease in my navy sport coat, my gaze locked on the expansive row of numbers on the elevator panel as a rogue thought struck me that Graham would probably have known the etymology of the word flat and—
Whoa. Where did that come from?
Thankfully, the door slid open before I could wonder why my brain had churned up oddball thoughts about a one-night stand.
I exited with a gaggle of important-looking businessfolks and, with a bright smile, strode purposefully toward the space-agey glass-and-steel reception desk.
“Hi, I’m Raine Edwards and I’m here for Julia Wells.”
The cool blond with cat-eye glasses and a rhinestone tiger on the lapel of her black suitcoat arched a brow in greeting and stood. “Ms. Wells is expecting you. This way, please.”
Okay, this office was seriously swanky. It was wide open with jaw-dropping panoramas of the city from practically every vantage point. No one had a bad view. Well, except for the receptionist, who stared at the elevator all day. The floor plan was open, but columns and plants delineated the maze of workspaces. The conference rooms were fishbowls too. Weird but cool.
She led me up a stairwell to another floor of executive suites, knocked on the third door on the left, and entered.
“Good morning, Victoria,” the pretty brunet behind an enormous desk chirped.
“Good morning, Ms. Wells. Mr. Edwards is here.”
Ms. Wells gasped as she jumped from her chair. “Mr. Edwards! It’s so lovely to meet you in person. Come in, come in. Have a seat, please. Would you care for tea or coffee?”
“Uh…sure,” I replied, slightly thrown off guard by the effusive greeting. No one had asked if I wanted tea or coffee when they’d hired me at Fitness World or Sofa Barn. This was nice. “Coffee, please.”
“Wonderful. A tea and a coffee, if you’d please, Victoria.”
“Yes, of course.” Victoria disappeared, gently clicking the door shut.
I smiled at my new employer and gestured to the view behind her. “This is pretty incredible.”
“It is indeed. As long as you aren’t afraid of heights. I was a bit woozy when I first took the office, but I love it now. Do you like it?”
“Me? Yeah, for sure. What’s not to like?” I agreed awkwardly.
“Sorry, I meant…for yourself, Mr. Edwards.”
I squinted. Huh?
“Um, well, yeah, I’d love an office like this someday. And please, it’s just Raine.”
She smiled, then returned to her desk and invited me to take one of the leather chairs across from her. “Brilliant. Call me Julia. I’m so sorry to have missed meeting you in Las Vegas. We’re rather preoccupied at the moment with a difficult acquisition.”
“That’s okay. It’s good to meet you now. I look forward to working for you.”
“Yes, well… I have some news, Mr.—Raine. I’ve given notice.”
“Excuse me?”
“I agreed to stay on for two months, but as of the end of June, you’ll be at the helm. I want to do everything possible to make this a seamless transition. In fact, I promised Mr. Horsham there’d be no disruption whatsoever. I think that’s a promise I can keep if we work together closely. Now this is very hush-hush. You see, we’re in the midst of an important—”
Knock knock. “Your tea and coffee, Ms. Wells.”
“Lovely, Victoria.”
I thanked the receptionist in a sort of daze, politely declining milk or sugar as I settled into the leather upholstered chair.
Julia made a mini production of stirring milk into her tea, noisily clinking her spoon against the fine china. The sound bounced off the high ceiling and surrounding glass, heightening my nerves. I was afraid to ask her to continue, but that damn spoon was like a ticking time bomb.
Clink, clink, clink.
I slid my cup onto her desk and wiped my clammy palms on my navy trousers. “So…you’re leaving the company?”
“Not immediately. As I said, we need to get you up to speed first. I think that’s something we can manage to do in two weeks’ time—especially with a man of your experience. However, Mr. Horsham is in a state over the acquisition. It’ll be nice to have another able body on the scene.” Julia finally set her spoon on her saucer and took a sip of her tea, eyeing me over the rim of the tiny white cup.
I did my best not to squirm in my seat, but it wasn’t easy. I had a bad feeling my bluff was being called before I’d played my hand. I couldn’t tell for sure. Was this some kind of cat-and-mouse game or the paranoid reaction of a guilty man who’d oversold himself?