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She had plenty of work to do and had meetings planned all next week to touch base with management and executives in the company. Additionally, she wanted to spruce up the office with new paint to brighten the interior from the dark walls her father preferred. All in due time.
Another one of the movers wheeled in her last bookcase. “Where would you like this, ma’am?”
“Over there.” Annabelle pointed to a far wall. She’d need to add more furniture. Her father’s office was much larger than hers, and her furniture seemed swamped in the extra space.
“Thank you, gentlemen,” Annabelle said.
The men filed out.
“Hi, there.” Julie, a member of the staff, poked her head in the door.
“Hi, Julie, come on in. How are your parents?”
Julie had frizzy, curly hair and an infectious smile. She walked in, looking as excited for Annabelle as if she had taken over the CEO position herself.
“Mother is deteriorating a bit.”
“Oh no, I’m sorry to hear that.”
Julie shrugged. “We expected her decline, so I’ve decided to extend the hours of in-home care. I need someone to help in the evenings, as well as when I’m at work.”
“Makes sense,” Annabelle said, nodding her understanding. “If you need time off to work out the details, let me know.”
“I will, thank you. But the reason I stopped by was because I haven’t had a chance to congratulate you on becoming our new CEO. We were all worried when we learned Mr. Buchanan was planning to merge with Strong Technology. I know you’ll do a good job, and the company will remain intact.”
“That’s a priority for me. I’ll be implementing a paperless policy and have a lot of other ideas. I have high expectations of you and the rest of the senior staff as we implement them.”
“Whatever you need, we’re behind you one hundred percent. Well, I won’t keep you. I’m sure you have a lot of work to do. I look forward to the meeting next week.”
She slipped out and quietly closed the door.
Annabelle walked over to the window. In the distance, Hilderbrandt Plaza towered above the other buildings in downtown Houston. Today she’d moved into her new office, and today Dante was having lunch with Nolson.
She should wish him good luck. Plucking her phone from her purse, she was about to tap out a text but stopped. They were in a good place right now, but was this too much?
Surely not. Dante didn’t need good luck wishes, but sending him the message would be considerate because she knew how much he wanted the meeting to go well.
She hadn’t requested date nights yet, as Lacey had suggested, but she and Dante continued to get along. They attended the usual social events together as a couple. A yacht party an oil tycoon invited them to. A birthday party for a close friend. Their calendar was also booked months in advance with events like dinner with executives and their wives and an auction at a private club to raise money for the homeless.
Nonetheless, theirs wasn’t a normal marriage, despite sleeping in the same room each night and enjoying each other’s body.
Annabelle put down the phone and sat behind the desk. She went to work on projections for the next quarter but couldn’t concentrate.
There was nothing wrong with reaching out to Dante. Their relationship had progressed to the point that sending a text in the middle of the day shouldn’t seem strange. He’d probably appreciate the encouraging words—she hoped.
She picked up the phone and quickly typed the message before she lost the nerve:Best of luck at your lunch today! I have my fingers crossed for you. Then she went back to work.
Several minutes passed before he responded.Gracias. Cross your toes as well.
She smiled and bit her bottom lip. She could hear the drawl of his lightly accented voice in the words.
I will, she typed back.
She placed the phone on the desk, the conversation with Lacey coming back to her again.
Tonight, for sure. She’d discuss a more conventional arrangement to their marriage and hope he didn’t think she’d lost her mind.
* * *
