AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I thought you might want to handle it.”
“No.” Hope shook her head. “You did all the work.”
“Me?” Skyler squealed.
“You can practice on me,” Tony said.
“Excellent idea,” Hope agreed.
“But—”
“You’ve listened to my elevator speech dozens of times,” Hope interrupted. “You’ve got this.”
“Swoon. You mean you think I’m ready?”
“I do.” Hope grinned. “Tell Tony your news.”
“Turns out I’m the newest associate at the Prestige Group.” Skyler jumped up to repeat her butt wiggle. It was impressive enough for Tony to blush.
“Well deserved,” he managed.
And if they kept growing, Hope may have the opportunity to open a second branch, perhaps in Dallas, or even New York City. There was nothing—and no one—stopping her from moving.
A tremor of loneliness echoed inside her. She forced herself to ignore it. She had her dreams and her business, and she took tremendous pleasure from that.
“Hope?”
Realizing the world had gone on without her, she put down her cup and refocused on Skyler. “Sorry?”
“Tony had a great night on Saturday too. We make an excellent team.”
He outlined his evening’s results. He’d met a gentleman who might be a potential match for one of their female clients, and he’d had a discussion with a successful career woman who was seeking a wife who wanted to be a stay-at-home mom.
Interesting. “Is she wanting to sign an agreement with us?” Hope asked.
“I wasn’t sure if we can be helpful.”
She nodded. “If you want to spend some time on it, that’s fine, but I wouldn’t invest a lot of energy into it.”
“Agreed.”
They all shared their schedules for the upcoming week, including a mixer for a man who’d made millions in the oil business and had three ex-wives, something they would warn their candidates about.
Hope suggested Tony take Friday off as compensation for working Saturday, and she offered Skyler a vacation day the following Monday.
“And miss all the weekend gossip and pastries? No chance. Can I keep it as a floater, maybe add it to my vacation? I’m thinking I may want to go to a sunny beach somewhere with a hot guy to peel my grapes and bring me cocktails.”
“A stake through my heart,” Tony said.
“Perfect,” Hope replied.
Tony raised an eyebrow.
“I wasn’t referring to your demolished feelings, Tony,” Hope reassured him. “I meant that would give us time to hire a replacement for Skyler.”
“There is no replacement for Skyler,” Tony countered while Skyler shimmied a shoulder.
“Can you contact the employment agency?” Hope asked, fearing he was right. Skyler was unique. For the next fifteen minutes, they brainstormed a job description and work hours for the upcoming new hire.
“If she has bookkeeping experience, that would be a plus,” Skyler added. “Save us some time with the accounting service.”
“What if she’s a he?” Tony asked.
Hope and Skyler blinked.
“I’m feeling like men are underrepresented here.”
“True story,” Skyler agreed. “Maybe someone younger than Tony, you know, less like a dad. But he needs to have a nice phone voice. Sultry, you know? Think of how he could invite intimacy when he answers the phone. Or on voicemail. Pres-tiiiiiiige Group.”
“I think I’ve been insulted,” Tony chimed in. “Was I insulted?”
“Not everyone does sultry well,” Skyler reassured him. “Don’t worry. You have many talents.”
“Go ahead and let the employment agency know that’s a must have,” Hope said.
The meeting broke up, leaving Hope alone once more. Spending time with her employees should have made it easier for her to get on with her day. It hadn’t. Instead it reinforced how she had no one to share the intimate details of her day with. Rafe would have laughed along with her at Skyler’s antics.
The thought of Rafe had Hope reaching for her phone.
But she’d removed his messages and contact information.
No matter how much she tried to make herself believe that was a good thing, she failed. His absence left her heart shattered.
