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They rode the elevator down together, but the legal team was between them. Even if Emma had known what to say, she wouldn’t have had a chance to. This was hopeless. Patrick Daniels had no idea who she was. Her plan to become friendly with him and get an invitation to his house was beginning to look about as likely as Emma being given a seaside mansion and a pet dolphin as a birthday present.
SHE crossed the lobby feeling completely dejected. Just as she was about to step outside, though, she heard a voice behind her.
“Good night, Emma.”
She turned to see Patrick shrugging on his overcoat. He smiled at her. It wasn’t a flirtatious smile or even a particularly friendly one, but it was a smile. Along with the fact that he did know her name, it was enough to give Emma hope. Maybe there was a chance after all.
“Good night, Patrick.” She smiled at him and hoped that he’d find her casual use of his first name charming instead of inappropriate. Maybe it was time to push her luck a little. Perhaps he’d agree to go out for drinks. Just as she opened her mouth to offer an invitation, though, Patrick finished buttoning his coat and, with another small smile, stepped past her into the cold night.
Well. At least he knew her name.
CHAPTER 6
PATRICK
Patrick hurried out onto the street ahead of Emma. As he lifted his hand to hail a taxi home, he tried his best to banish the beautiful new employee from his mind. He’d wanted to talk to her when he saw her outside the elevator, but he’d held himself back, and soon another group had arrived to disrupt the moment. It was for the best. Even if Patrick still couldn’t get his mind off Emma, his reasons for keeping his distance from her hadn’t changed. Unless he needed to work with her in a professional capacity, which was unlikely, he would continue to stay away. It just wasn’t appropriate to date an employee.
And there was more to it, even if Patrick didn’t want to admit it to himself. He’d always claimed the reason for his eternal bachelor status was that he wanted to focus on his work, but it was more complicated than that. Ever since Patrick was young, he’d struggled to let anyone see beneath his professional exterior. Whenever he’d wanted to let someone in, he’d been reminded that people couldn’t be trusted. He was the only one he could rely on.
So, even if he had felt it was appropriate to date Emma, even if they’d met in a bar or at a park or online or in one of the hundred other places people tended to meet their partners, Patrick would probably have kept his distance. Love, dating, romance — it just wasn’t worth it.
And there was no reason to spend so much time thinking about Emma, anyway. He didn’t know anything about her, not even the department she worked in or what she liked to do. For all he knew, she could be a terrible match for him.
He slid into the cab and gave the driver his address. As they pulled away, he caught sight of Emma emerging from the office, now wearing a gray jacket and a blue hat with a bobble. Something about that hat made him smile, but he turned away quickly.
As the taxi wound its way through the almost deserted streets, Patrick leaned back and gazed out the window. The streetlights illuminated the last few autumn leaves still clinging to the trees, as well as the tall high rises in Patrick’s part of Chicago.
Less than ten hours later, Patrick was in another taxi, taking the same route as the night before, just in reverse. He yawned and then took a sip of the coffee he’d brewed that morning. The pattern of his life, with only a few hours a day spent at home, suited him. This schedule allowed him to focus on his work instead of anything else.
When he arrived in his office, a few new files were waiting on his desk. Patrick skimmed through the first, which was the schedule for his day, courtesy of his assistant. The morning was relatively free, but the afternoon was packed with back-to-back meetings. With a sigh, Patrick set the schedule aside. He disliked meetings, as they generally felt unproductive and sometimes were a waste of time, but being CEO meant he spent a disproportionate amount of time in meetings. Whether he wanted to or not.
The next document was a budget from the HR department, which he skimmed and then added to the pile of documents he needed to review more closely. Beneath that was an analysis of current trends in the art market, which made him smile. Patrick always liked being kept up to date on the current trends since he approved most of the art they purchased personally, although Owen was in charge of the process.
Patrick scanned the first page of the report. It included standard observations on prices and styles, with a few interesting graphs. The second page went into more detail on art that had recently sold for unexpectedly high prices and some analysis of why, which was interesting. At the bottom of the page was a section Patrick had never seen before, which discussed future trends.
Despite the current interest in NFTs and digital art, Patrick read, this is more likely to be a temporary fascination than a lasting change. Classic, hand-created art has a timeless place in the art world, which will persist despite changing fashions. Now, when classic art is relatively inexpensive compared to the historical trajectory, investors should take the opportunity to invest in the future of the art world: hand-crafted pieces.
The report went on to discuss past trends, such as screen printing, and how classic art always emerged at the top, even if it fell out of fashion for short periods. Finally, the report offered some price comparisons to prove that handmade art was currently inexpensive compared to historical prices. There weren’t any groundbreaking conclusions, but Patrick still found himself nodding along as he read. He hadn’t felt as captivated by new art styles as others seemed to, and he appreciated the data backing up his own conclusions.
He opened his laptop and sent a quick email to Owen, letting him know that the report had been particularly useful and that he hoped to see the future trends section in upcoming reports as well. Patrick turned back to the documents he needed to review, but before he could make much progress, a reply from Owen appeared.
I’m glad you appreciated it. The report was actually written by our new art appraiser. I’ll pass on your compliments.
Patrick hesitated. He’d thought Owen wrote the report, and now that he knew it was someone else, he was interested in speaking with this person. The new art appraiser showed promise. Patrick replied, requesting that the art appraiser stop by his desk when possible, and then he refocused on his work.
About half an hour later, there was a soft knock. Jay poked his head around the door.
“Do you have a moment? Someone from the art department is here to see you.”
“Certainly, I have a moment or two.” Patrick swept the contract he’d been reviewing to the side and watched with interest to see who would come in. Most likely, the art appraiser he’d asked to see was one of the new employees he’d seen during the welcome speech.
Patrick’s heart almost skipped a beat when Emma stepped into his office. She was wearing a pair of slacks and a green turtle neck sweater today. Her dark hair was loose around her shoulders, with a few strands pulled back and away from her face, and her brown eyes were sparkling.
“Emma?” Patrick couldn’t quite hide his surprise.
“I’m the art appraiser you wanted to speak with.” She smiled a little shyly. “Owen said it had something to do with the report I wrote? I hope there aren’t any issues.”
Patrick nodded. “Please, have a seat.”
