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When the water started to cool off, he got out of the shower, dressed and headed up to his office. The one thing about taking over his father’s city apartment was that it was in the same building as his office.
He was determined to answer some of his emails before the workday officially began and new emails started to flood his in-box. It was tough for him to concentrate on the business at hand as Alina’s alluring beauty kept stealing away his thoughts. What was it about her that captivated him so much? She wasn’t the first beautiful woman to cross his path. Still, there was something wholly unique about her that drew his attention.
Maybe it was Alina’s spunk. She was certainly feisty—
“Good morning.” Mary Barnes, his dependable assistant, entered his office wearing a friendly smile. “It looks like you’ve gotten a jump start on the day.”
“Morning.” He gazed at the older woman over the top of his monitor. “I have a lot to do today and wanted to get an early start.”
Mary shook her head as she laid a stack of paperwork in his in-box. “You work too hard.”
“I have to right now. You, of all people, know that.”
“Your father certainly left you in a bind, but do you have to do so much on your own?”
“I can’t lose the faith of the board.”
She nodded. “I understand. If there’s something else I can do to help, just let me know.”
The decision he owed Alina weighed on his mind. He liked a challenge in business and his personal life. It kept life interesting. It’d been a long time since he met a woman who didn’t agree with everything he said.
“What would you say if I told you I was going to work away from the office for a few weeks?”
The woman’s eyes momentarily widened. She glanced down at the signed contracts she’d withdrawn from his outgoing basket. “You’re going on vacation?”
“Hardly.” He paused, realizing if he were going to do this, he would need her help. “I have some delicate negotiations to take care of.”
“But you have a meeting with legal next week that you can’t miss. And the acquisitions team has been calling every day for an opening in your schedule.”
She was right. He couldn’t just stop working from now until Christmas. It was impossible. Still, to save the company money in the long-term and to earn the board’s respect, he needed to get the residents of the Stirling to move. The sooner, the better. The other buildings in the vicinity had already been vacated. The Stirling was the last holdout.
His father had always talked of one day building a permanent home for Toliver Investments on that site. His father hadn’t lived long enough to bring his dream to life but Graham would do it. Toliver Tower would be built upon the land where his father was born and raised. Graham had visited his grandmother in a building adjacent to the Stirling when he was young. He’d played with the neighbor kids just like his father had done.
“Is there any reason I can’t hold the meetings with legal and acquisitions via video?”
Mary opened her mouth to say something, but without uttering a word, she closed it.
“In this day and age of technology,” he continued, “I don’t see why I can’t work remotely. After all, you’ll be here to scan whatever mail or documents I need to see.”
“Are you sure you’re willing to take a step back?”
“No.” His voice was firm. “I still intend to be on top of everything. And I will be in the office, just not every day all day long.”
Mary arched a brow as she cast him a doubtful look. “If you can do it, I think some time away from this place would do you good. You work too hard.”
“But you’ll help me see that nothing falls through the cracks?”
She again nodded. “I’ll do my best. Shall I start canceling your in-person meetings and make arrangements to move them to video calls?”
“Not yet. But I’ll let you know.”
He didn’t like the thought of stepping back from being in the office because Mary was right, running the business remotely just wasn’t the same. And he was a man who liked to be in control of everything.
However, now that he had a plan to make this outlandish idea work, he had to make a decision. But what should it be? Stay in the office and accept the costly delay in the building plans? Or take Alina up on her offer?
* * *
One very slow day passed.
