AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Two full days, to make up for the two days I’m going to spend busting my ass to finish this. You will do dinner duty/carpool/babysit Brandy’s brother and sister for two days, so I can surprise her with a long weekend away.”
“Done. You’re the best, Seth.”
“And don’t you forget it.”
“I’m driving the piece over to you right now.”
“I’ll be here.”
“Thank you, Seth.” She did a quick happy dance. She wasn’t out of the woods yet, but this would go a long way.
“Don’t thank me until I pull it off.”
“Deal. Love you.”
“Love you, too. Most of the time.”
Chapter 13
Adrian stoodup at the sound of the front door opening in the early evening. In the now empty house, any sound drew his attention. But it was her sound, her movement, her energy that had him rising and watching the doorway with anticipation. She did not disappoint. She looked amazing today in her TV-ready outfit and makeup. The violet sweater skimmed her curves, and her jeans showcased the ass that made his mouth water. She was still in her filming fuck-me heels, and they clicked across the new tile flooring he’d laid in the entry yesterday. She was stunning, but he saw through the façade to the real her. Her shoulders were slumped and her smile was for the cameras.
“Rough day?” he asked as she strolled into the dining room he was flooring with hardwood laminate.
“No, filming was fine.”
“Everyone else has gone home for the day. Cameras off. So, rough day?”
Her shoulders dropped even farther and the smile disappeared.
“You could say that. I need an extra day on the island, but I found a solution that’s going to fit our budget if Seth can make it work.” She leaned up against the doorframe and crossed her arms.
“That’s great! Why aren’t you more excited?”
She turned to face him, her heart in her eyes.
“Have I bitten off more than I can chew? Nothing is going right, and I feel like it’s my fault that we aren’t better able to handle it. I’m running out of corners to cut. I just asked Seth to do me a huge favor to make this work. Is it worth it?”
Adrian needed to touch her, to console her, so he reached out a hand and placed it on her shoulder. When she didn’t shrug it off, he counted it a win.
“Listen, we are all juggling crazy expectations to make this work. You’ve never done TV before, and it’s been years since you’ve designed anything. You’re doing fine under the circumstances, and next time we will work it out together. Just don’t forget the unofficial company motto. Keep it simple. Is there any way to scale back on your designs?”
“I’m trying, but the whole point was to make a wow statement.”
“A wow on a budget and a timeline.”
“If I take it too bare-bones, it will look like crap on TV, and I’ll never convince Jake and Dad to let me design full-time.”
“Screw that. Focus on this client, this house. It’ll come together.”
“Easy for you to say. It’s not your company that might go under if this backfires.”
The smart-ass comment hit him right in the heart. He knew he shouldn’t let it bother him, because she was right. Until Dom made his decision, it wasn’t his company, not even a little bit. He was just an employee, trying to look out for his crew. “You’re right. It’s not.”
“That’s not what I meant…”
“But I still care about it, and your dad, and you. So don’t you go second-guessing yourself. Own the plan, and make it happen.”
She placed a hand on his arm, and he turned to look her in the eye. “I don’t know much about this partnership plan, but you know I didn’t mean it that way, right?”
