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"She wants to have lunch with me tomorrow. She says there is more, and she wants to discuss it with me in person, and I think I'm gonna be sick again," I said, opening the car door and crawling out just in time to toss my cookies on the edge of the parking lot.
Hunter chuckled and rolled down the car’s window. "Here, don't forget your food," he said, holding up the bag.
"Keep it. Thanks for picking me up." I held my hand over my stomach and waved. Once he pulled from the parking lot, I walked to the main entrance, punched in the security code, and headed up to my condo.
7
Sophie
I'd woken early after a rather restless night of sleep. I had tossed and turned, constantly checking to see if Chase had answered my text – he hadn’t. I'd rolled out of bed before my alarm with a bad headache, a bad case of bed head, and practically everything in my body aching. I took a hot shower, popped two pain pills, and got ready for work, leaving the condo with bagel and coffee in hand.
I took my usual route to my office and decided to make a pit stop down by the waterfront. I parked the car, grabbed my coffee, and took a walk down the pier. I needed to try and forget what had happened last night before I got into the office. I would never be able to get through my day, if my mind wasn't clear.
I sat down on a bench, sipped my coffee, and watched the boats leaving the harbor. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, the birds chirping, and I took in a deep breath of fresh morning air. While I sipped on my coffee, I watched couples walk along the water's edge, holding hands. I smiled to myself, and once my cup was empty, I got up and made my way back to my car, glancing at my watch.
I pushed the heavy door open and walked into the lobby of my office. I was surprised to see the waiting room as full as it was. I had figured it would still be quiet at this time, and that was when I saw one of my clients was sitting waiting for me. I glanced at my watch as I made my way to my office, and then up to the clock on the wall, and realized my watch had stopped. The place was packed becauseIwas the one who was running late. Almost forty minutes late, to be exact. Certainly not the way I wanted to start my day.
I set up my computer in record time and pulled the client file and immediately called them in, apologizing profusely.
A lot of conversation and two hours later, I walked back into my office and picked up the client file that still remained on my desk. That made two appointments down, and even though the day started out rocky, I was feeling surprisingly good, and then I looked to the stack of files that sat on my to-be-done pile. A surge of stress ran through me, and I shuddered at the thought of all I still had left in front of me for today.
"Hey, girl. I'm on my way to refill my cup. Did you want a coffee?" I heard Carol ask as she stopped just inside of my door. She leaned against my door, looking over to the corner of my desk where my work sat. "Looks like you might need one, considering your workload today."
"That would be wonderful, and I have a feeling that I will be taking half this stack home. I just spent an hour with Mr. Leeman and Mr. Sage. Oh, and did you know that Mr. Sage does not like it if you are late," I said, rolling my eyes.
"Ah, yes, Mr. Sage. Say no more, my dear. That alone calls for onestrongcup of coffee that you should have had prior to the next appointment." We both laughed as she reached for my cup, and then carried on down the hall.
I walked around and sat back down in my chair and opened up the next file that sat on top of the pile. I was going over the notes from our last meeting when Carol set the cup of coffee on my desk. "Thank you! You're a saint," I said, letting out a breath and smiling up at her.
"No worries. Good luck with the rest of your day. I have a boardroom meeting I have to get to."
"Have fun with that."
"You betcha." Carol winked and disappeared from my office.
I glanced at the clock on my desk and went back to reading over the file. I was glad to see I had a few hours before my next meeting, which meant I had plenty of time to get prepared, I thought to myself. I took a sip of coffee and began reading over the client file in front of me.
A good twenty minutes had passed, and I had just gotten deep into file when my cell phone vibrated across my desk, causing me to jump. My heart sped up a little when I saw Chase's name on my screen. As I answered, my stomach did one of those excited but nervous little flips.
"Good morning." I did my best to keep my voice upbeat. I didn't want Chase to think I was nervous to talk with him, but the truth was, my heart was pounding out of my chest.
"Morning. I'm sorry to bother you at work, but I got your message and was hoping that perhaps you still wanted to meet for lunch today."
I glanced down at my watch, and then to my schedule, noting I had time between eleven and one free. "Yep, how is eleven?" I questioned.
"Eleven works fine."
"Where did you want to meet?"
"How about The Manor House, and would you be able to do me a favor and pick me up on your way?" He chuckled.
I frowned. He'd had his car last night. I'd seen it. "Sure. Your car in the shop?"
Chase let out a breath. "No, it's still at the restaurant. Hunter came and picked me up last night. I was in a little bit of shock, not to mention I'd had too much to drink, and my best friend left me high and dry."
I let out a little giggle. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that. Guess I will see you in an hour or so."
"Sounds good. Oh, and, Soph, I'm looking forward to finishing our little talk today."
