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Anderson gave me a leveled look. “Is it really so awful?”
Yeah, it kinda was. I felt spoiled in the worst way, all because I’d gotten angry over Henry’s retirement and being backed into the corner by Micah. “Well, if this is my new office, I need to make a change. Can you help me?” I exited my office, walked over to Liv’s desk, wrapped my fingers around the desktop, and started pulling.
“What are you doing?” Anderson snapped.
“I can’t stay in there alone. It’s huge.” I paused, since my pulling had gotten me nowhere. “Is that going to be a problem?”
“I’m not sure.” He reached into his pocket, took out his phone, and began typing. After a beep, he read the reply, shook his head, and snorted a laugh. “All right. Let’s do this.”
I grasped the side of the glass table. “You seriously needed permission for that, too?”
A sly smile crossed his face as he positioned himself on the other side of the desk. “When it comes to you, yes.”
I wasn’t sure what he meant by that, but I didn’t press the matter. Instead, annoyed by his smirk, I asked, “What exactly is so funny?”
“You are, my dear.” Anderson began to pull the desk, while I heaved the thing forward.
“Why?” I grunted against the strain of my muscles. “Because I wanted to move a desk?”
“No.” Anderson tugged from his end. “Because Micah bends to your will. That amuses me.”
We settled the desk next to the far wall, leaving it out a few feet so that Liv could put her chair behind it. She came strolling in with a huge smile on her face, pushing the chair in front of her. “Well, that’s because our Allie is a force to be reckoned with.”
“I’m beginning to see that.” Anderson smiled at me.
I was discovering I liked him. It was an instinctual thing. He seemed trustworthy, kind, and Micah’s powerful personality also seemed not to have rubbed off on him too much. “There,” I said, stepping away from the desk. “This is much better.”
“I wholeheartedly agree.” Liv dropped down into her chair, placing her hands on her desk. “I think this arrangement will suit us both perfectly.”
“Of course you do,” I replied dryly. “We’re being spoiled rotten.” But I did like seeing Liv so happy. She hadn’t had what I had growing up. Her family was middle class, and Liv had had to work hard for her condo that she bought a couple years ago. Mulling that over for a minute, and maybe realizing how ridiculous I’d been with my demands, I suddenly had an idea. “By the way,” I said, turning to Anderson, “remember that salary we discussed?”
Anderson nodded.
“Give half of it to Liv.”
Liv’s eyes widened. “Ooh! Do I get a raise?”
Anderson snorted, reaching for his phone again. “Raise isn’t the right term, I think.” He began typing again on his phone as Liv looked on in confusion. His phone beeped, and he smiled. “Your terms have been accepted.”
“Great.” I felt pretty damn good about it, too.
“How much do I get?” Liv asked.
“Add fifty thousand to what you got at Richardson,” Anderson said, and Liv’s mouth nearly hit the ground. “If that’s all, I’ll let you get settled. Today we thought you could learn our sys
tem and get acquainted with the office. Tomorrow we’ll send you your first client.”
I startled, even more so than Liv. “You’ll send me my first client? Isn’t it my job to find the clients?”
“Not at Holt.” Anderson grinned, moving closer to me. “Here, clients come to us.” He reached into his pocket and handed me an envelope. “This is your company credit card and appropriate ID cards. It’s not unusual for clients to request meetings over breakfast, lunch, or dinner—five-star restaurants are mandatory when entertaining clients.” I accepted the envelope and nodded, and then Anderson addressed both me and Liv. “Enjoy your day, ladies.”
Once he cleared the doorway, Liv threw her arms around me. “You didn’t need to do that.”
“Yes, I did.” I squeezed my arms around her, feeling good about doing this for Liv. The money did matter, because it’d make things easier for her. “We’re a team, remember?”
She leaned away, big tears in her eyes. “I guess. And here you thought coming to work for Holt was a bad idea. A big raise. A spectacular office. Life is looking up for us, girl.”
I moved to my desk and placed the envelope on top of the glass. “Bigger company means bigger perks, I guess.” I dropped down into my chair, swiveled to the side, and looked out at the wall of windows beside me. “God, look at that view. I could sell this office in a second.”
