"Xavier."
"Good morning, Xavier." She said it like she was humoring me. Which I was sure she was. "Your nine o'clock was pushed to ten. I've updated your calendar."
"Thanks."
I walked past her into my office, closing the door behind me. I glanced at her through the glass
I couldn't ask her. It was insane. But I couldn't not ask her either. She was my best option. My only option, really, if I was honest with myself. And I was also running out of time.
I kept glancing through the glass wall at Kim's desk, watching her work, trying to figure out how to approach this conversation without sounding like a complete lunatic.
Hey, Kim, want to pretend to be my girlfriend for three months so my grandmother doesn't disinherit me? Great, thanks, I'll have my people call your people.
Yeah. That would go over well.
Around eleven, the elevator dinged. I looked up from my laptop and felt my stomach drop.
My grandmother swept onto the floor. Her eyes were already scanning the space with that particular intensity that meant she was looking for something. Or someone. She spotted me through the glass wall and smiled. It was not a comforting smile.
I stood as she pushed open my office door, not bothering to knock. "Grandmother. What a surprise."
"Is it?" She settled into the chair across from my desk, arranging her skirt. "I was in the neighborhood."
"You're always in the neighborhood."
"One of the benefits of owning half of it." She fixed me with that sharp gaze. "How is your search progressing?"
"My search?"
"Don't play coy, Xavier. It doesn't suit you."
I opened my mouth to deliver some deflection, some charming non-answer that would buy me more time. But through the glass wall, I saw Kim walking past, a stack of files in her arms, and the words that came out were completely different.
"Actually," I heard myself say, "I was trying to keep things quiet. But Kim and I have been getting to know each other."
My grandmother's eyes widened. Then narrowed. Then lit up. "Kim?" She turned to look through the glass wall at my secretary, who was now settling back at her desk, completely unaware that she'd just been drafted into my personal disaster. "Your secretary, Kim?"
"Yes."
My grandmother's face transformed. The skepticism, the doubt, the perpetual disappointment—all of it melted away, replaced by genuine pleasure. She clasped her hands together like a child who'd just been told Christmas was coming early.
"Oh, Xavier. This is wonderful news." She was already rising from her chair, moving toward the door. "I must speak with her. Welcome her to the family properly."
"No." I stepped around my desk, blocking her path. "Not yet. She's... shy. Private. I promised her I wouldn't tell anyone until she was ready."
"Shy?" My grandmother's eyebrow arched. "She didn't seem shy when we chatted the other day."
"That's different. That was just a conversation. This is..." I scrambled for something believable. "She's been hurt before. She's cautious about letting people in. I'm trying to respect her pace."
My grandmother studied me for a long moment. I couldn't tell if she believed me or if she was cataloging the lie for later use.
Finally, she nodded. "Very well. I'll respect her boundaries." She patted my cheek, her rings cool against my skin. "But don't keep me waiting too long, darling. I'm an old woman. I'd like to see my grandson happy before I die."
"You're going to outlive us all, and you know it."
She laughed. "Probably. But still."
I walked her to the elevator, my heart hammering against my ribs the entire way. As we passed Kim's desk, my grandmother paused.
