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She sucked in a breath, her voice mousey when she admitted, “Kind of.”
“Kind of? He sleeps over enough to interrupt your sleep when he’s not here. I’d call that more than ‘kind of.’”
“We haven’t been seeing each other very long, but it’s getting serious.”
He raised a speculative brow. “You know how I feel about whirlwind relationships.”
They never lasted. She knew the spiel, and Sabrina didn’t care to hear it again. She knew all the drawbacks and was choosing to ignore them in favor of the benefits. This was a good thing. She was determined to make it so.
“It’s my life,” she stated plainly and without inflection. She didn’t want to get into an argument, especially considering his health concerns.
“Fine.” He raised his hands out in front of him, calling for peace. “As long as it’s not one of those Hargreaves boys.”
Swallowing hard, Sabrina withheld commentary. At least she knew what side of the fence he stood on. God forbid their relationship did end up going the long haul, learning the truth would give her father an aneurism for sure. Good thing she’d put that picture she’d printed last night in her bedroom and not the living room.
“Anyway… I hope you didn’t come all this way just to scold me for not showing up to the office before everyone else.” Just because he’d always made a habit of being the first one in and turning on the lights didn’t make it a requirement for her.
“Partially,” he admitted. “You know how I feel about being prompt.”
“I’m always prompt and on time. That’s never been an issue.” Already, Sabrina was regretting his decision to come home. His visit was a glaring reminder of how overbearing her father was and how critical he could be of her life and her choices.
Noticing her discomfort, he said, “Look, pumpkin, I didn’t come here to criticize. When I didn’t see you at the office, I took care of a few things and then decided to swing by and pick you up.”
“You did?” Was it wrong that she immediately worried just what he’d done at the office and if he’d screwed up anything? While they both worked toward the common goal of the good of the company, they had a very different approach to doing it.
“I thought it would be good for employee morale if we showed up together.”
Of course, it was always about keeping up appearances. Just like her clothes, her apartment, and the school she went to. Even the position she held in the company, but that was her goal in life. What it looked like to others didn’t hold much weight to her. She was well aware that many thought she’d only gained the position because she was a daddy’s girl rather than actually possessing the qualifications.
“Sure. Good idea.” Her deflated emotions were showing, and she didn’t care. Sometimes, it was more exhausting to try to hide it all away than to just let it all hang out. This was her father. He’d hurt her feelings, and she wasn’t going to put on airs for him just to spare his feelings.
“Why do I get the impression you’re not happy about that?”
“It’s not that, Daddy.” She huffed and bit her tongue to keep from saying something that would only cause problems. Instead, she checked the time on her phone. “We should go. It’s getting late.”
“Right. I have coffee waiting in the car.”
Now that was something that she could look forward to. Not only did she need a solid dose of caffeine, it was always a treat to travel in the lap of luxury. She’d grown so accustomed to being driven around by Ubers and cabs or just plain walking to get where she needed to go, that having a car waiting at her fingertips was an unexpected treat.
Especially when it came in the form of a luxury BMW outfitted with all the latest tech imaginable.
Her father lectured her the entire drive to the office, while Sabrina merely listened with half an ear and sipped her coffee. It was too early in the morning to deal with this level of crap, and she wasn’t in the mood. With every minute that passed alone with him, her mood grew sourer. By the time they arrived and he parked in the spot that was always reserved for him, no matter how long he’d been away, and reminded everyone that he could pop back up any moment, Sabrina was in a terrible mood.
The last thing she was fit for was human consumption. The best thing would be for her to turn around and return home and to her bed for a do-over, but that just wasn’t an option.
They rode the elevator together, suffered through numerous delays created by nosey people who had to meet and greet the infamous Jonathan Colloway, founder of one of the most successful businesses in the city. Altogether, it took them an astounding and frustrating fifteen minutes to make it to tenth floor of the building.
Where the accolades began again.
It seemed everyone and their mother was out in droves this morning, as if word of his arrival had hit the streets and everyone had to meet him, shake his hand, and have him kiss their babies.
Well, maybe it wasn’t going quite that far, but Sabrina wouldn’t have been surprised. She was embarrassed for them, practically tripping over themselves for a moment of access. In reality, they probably weren’t as excited to meet him as they were hoping that some of his wealth and luck would rub off.
Once they finally made it to her office, Sabrina paused just inside the door, staring at her space.
“Did you clean?”
“I told you I came in and you weren’t here. But your mess was. Didn’t I always tell you that a clean workspace was a productive one?”
