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I paused outside of the door and took a deep breath. With one heavy, heeled foot in front of the other, I pushed through the door and welcomed the familiar sound of the bell that rang though the office.
Chapter 8
Dallas
“Miss Knox is coming and if she sees this, she is gonna be pissed,” I heard the ever so sweet Lindsey say over the quiet hum of copy machines and computers. “Get rid of it, now.”
My curiosity was immediately peaked at the tone of her voice. Hell, if they were having cocktails in the office, I wanted one. Passing through the lobby, I turned down the small corridor that led to my office and nearly tripped over my own feet. The office had been completely rearranged. A small desk with a single lamp sat in the left corner of the room. It was older, wooden-and had two plush yellow chairs that sat in front of it. Canvas paintings covered the walls, and the sleek, modern furniture had been replaced with older more antique pieces. The lighting seemed dimmer and the place felt more like that of home and of a spa. Lindsey stood nervously before me dressed in a sharp, all black business suit. Her hair was swept up on her head and her makeup was just enough to make her look sultry, but not slutty. By no means, did her outfit correspond with the office décor. She would have fit in better in a sundress and flip-flops.
“What the fuck happened?” I asked, waving my hands through the air and gesturing to the room that held a close resemblance to Lindsey’s house. My mind momentarily took me back to the bright colors and hundreds of paintings that hung in her home-all of which she had painted herself.
“I felt like it needed something. Something that didn’t scream money or business. Something that made people feel better about coming in here and signing away the deed to precious property that had been passed down from generation to generation, or something that made people less nervous when they wanted to drop their life savings on a piece of real estate in hopes of turning it into a successful business. I don’t know, I just thought you would like it,” Lindsey said, cowering in front of me. Damn, I was such a bitch.
“No, I like it, I just wasn’t expecting it,” I said, trying to smooth over my harsh comment. If it were physically possible to kick myself in the ass, I would have.
Here before me, stood a woman who had taken on my business and treated it as if it were her own. I never once thought of the sacrifices she was making to be me while I was out trying to change who I was. Unlike me, prior to meeting Luke, Lindsey had a life. She had friends and dogs and shit she did. Her job was to be at my beck and call, only when she was at work. For the past several weeks, she had been so much more than that. Seeing her tears threatening to spill over was almost my un-doing. I would have signed the company over to her right then, if it would ensure us a reunion without tears.
“I’m sorry. Really, I like it. It makes the place feel more like home. You’ve done a great job. Thank you.”
Even from a distance, I could see the shock on Maria’s face-the part time filing clerk who had been hired on full time since I had been gone. I knew what she was thinking. Dallas Knox, apologizing? Damn, that was a new one.
“Really? You like it?” Lindsey asked, her face now glowing and her eyes round without a tear in sight.
“Yes, I like it.” And I did. There were not a lot of wealthy people in Hattiesburg. Many of them would have to spend their life savings to purchase anything that had my name on it, so giving them a place a little more comfortable and down to Earth to sign their life away, really wasn’t a bad idea.
“Great! I didn’t touch your office though,” Lindsey said, reassuring me as she pulled me into her arms. Her embrace was warm, and welcome. Without even realizing my actions, I wrapped my arms around her. Lindsey was the kind of girl who did things because she was a good person. She didn’t hug me because she had to or because she thought it was the right thing to do, she did it because she wanted to. I pulled back and held her at arm’s length.
“You look great,” I said, admiring how much pride she had taken in her appearance.
“I got laid,” she whispered, winking at me. I cocked my head to the side and let out an uncomfortable laugh. Well, that was unexpected.
