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The guys couldn’t take their eyes off her, but after a few pleasantries and a scowl from me, they finally all dispersed to their respective tasks assigned by Theo, the head contractor.
Giovanna stepped over to me, hands on her hips. “Assistant?”
“I have no idea why I even said that, but I guess you kind of are with the Luxe project.”
Hands clasped in front of her, she twisted back and forth. “Do you neeeed an assistant?”
I mulled it over for a moment, considering the idea that hadn’t crossed my mind until now. An assistant would allow me to be in multiple places at once while managing the Luxe project and also once we officially launched. “I’ll speak to Ian and Jade about it, but you better not fuck me over.”
“I promise, but you gotta put some trust in me.”
“We’ll see,” I muttered.
“Luke?” Tyler’s voice came from the foyer area.
“Yeah, in here.”
He rounded the corner, his face lit up with a smile that quickly faded when he spotted Giovanna. His features became stoic to mask the same uneasiness he’d been showing since she came to Boston. “Hi,” he said to her in a tone devoid of all emotion.
She smiled, her eyes crinkling in the corners. “Hi back at ya.”
“Right,” he shifted his gaze back to me, “Ian wants to see us in the conference room.”
I turned to her. “Why don’t you walk through each room, put together some designs and colors and we can go over them later? Text me if you need me.”
“Sure thing.” She nodded. “I need to grab the iPad Jade gave me, so I’ll run upstairs and get it real fast.”
I nodded once as she sped out of Luxe. Chewing the inside of my cheek, I cocked my head at Tyler. Something was going on, but I couldn’t quite place what it was. Jade had noticed it too.
Loud cursing, along with the shrill sound of saws and the pounding of nail guns, echoed through the hallways from the private rooms. Tossing my hard hat onto the lumber, I waved for him to follow me. We strode through the lobby into the completely desolate main showroom. I leaned on one of the round tables close to the back. Folding my arms over my chest, I waited… and waited.
Tyler let out a heavy sigh and shifted his weight, perching his hands on his hips. His head bobbed absentmindedly, his eyes fixed on the ground. After a few moments of tense silence, he finally looked up at me. “Ian’s really pissed right now about the Dante bullshit. He’s about to rip his hair out. I’m stressed from moving a bunch of work shit over here and feel like I’m starting all over.”
“That’s all?”
Ian’s frustration was never an easy burden to bear. He used to be so laid back, but after the warehouse where Chance, Tyler, and him, almost lost their lives, his fuse had been shorter. Part of me was suspicious of Tyler’s explanation, but I also knew him well enough to know he wouldn’t lie. Omit? Yes. Lie? No.
“Alright,” I sighed, “let’s go see what he wants.”
Side by side, we made our way back through the main door into the lobby. Lonnie and I exchanged a polite nod as he and I passed; her attention focused on a phone call. Tyler reached for the conference room door, pulling it open and gesturing for me to enter first before joining me at my side. We both crossed our arms over our chests simultaneously.
Ian’s chair creaked slightly as he leaned forward, his gaze fixed on us. Jade sat stiffly next to him, her hands gripping the edge of her seat as if the tension in the room was too much for her. Tyler swaggered over to the other side of the table, his movements slow and cautious as he sat. I made my way to Jade, sitting next to her. Ice Man and Nico were at the end of the table closest to the door, watching.
“Why downstairs?” I finally asked.
Pursing his lips, Ian reared back in his chair, lacing his fingers together behind his head. “Kids.”
“If they’re taking over the exec suite, I can?—”
“You can do nothing,” Ian interrupted. “Once everyone’s settled, it’ll be fine. The older ones come after school, so it’ll be fine. Everything’s fine.” It seemed as if he were trying to convince himself rather than me.
Jade snickered. “Dylan’s all over the place.”
“How’s the nanny hunt?” I asked.
Ian visibly relaxed that instant, a hint of relief on his face. “We have two up there right now doing working interviews, and Jenna loves them so far.”
“Good.”
