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“It’s a nice day, we can meet in the garden. I will have to figure out when to schedule this. Corey won’t be in it, as we’ve figured out how to handle his situation, but Jermaine should be. I’ll need to speak with his doctors and—”
“Sir, I can handle Jermaine’s recovery questions and you don’t have to set a date with the agency today, simply approve or deny them and I can figure out a workable date based on everyone’s schedules.”
I wasn’t sure what I’d do without Dane. “Thank you.” I could feel that bubble of grief begin to surface, so I grabbed my coffee and a scone and rushed to my office to close myself off from the world.
It had been a long time since I had those nightmares, but when I did they echoed through my memory for days after. The pain and all too familiar feelings of remembering my whole life was over.
I chuckled darkly as I bit into my scone. I knew it was likely delicious, but it tasted like ash in my mouth. People viewed my life as fortunate. Wealthy, powerful, wanting for nothing. Truth was my soul was poor, I felt weak, and I wanted all the time for the life I once had.
* * *
“Oh your gardens are stunning, Mr. Asher.” The woman in charge of Shine Photography was way too bubbly for my taste. I knew I was on edge, but even if I wasn’t she’d irritate me.
“Thank you, I’ll let my landscape architect know.”
She beamed, her too high heels clicking obnoxiously on the pathway. “I feel this would actually be a perfect place for the group photo and for the individual ones, perhaps each man can make theirs uniquely their own?”
It was honestly a great idea and yet I couldn’t muster excitement. “Okay.”
She nodded, and her smile dimmed slightly. Probably because she was reading my care less attitude.
“If it would be all right with you, I can meet each one, get their thoughts on how they’d want to be photographed?”
“Naturally. How else would you know what would be uniquely them?” I was being short with her and I was one hundred percent in the wrong. “My apologies, Ms. Torren. You’ve been nothing but lovely. I, on the other hand, have so much on my mind, I’m being rude.”
Her shoulders noticeably relaxed. “I understand, we all have bad days. Truth is, I honestly would love to work with you. There’s so much potential and I know I can do this.”
I had a feeling—even though she was a bit irritating—that she could very well succeed.
“We have one gentleman on a trip currently, and one recovering from an unfortunate accident. Dane, my assistant whom you have met, will contact you regarding your fee and scheduling.”
She grinned, joy radiated in her gaze. “Thank you, Mr. Asher! And we could always photograph the other men until the two who are currently indisposed are ready. The group shot can be last.”
I nodded. “Very well. Let’s go back inside and you and Dane can go over all the details.”
After she was with Dane, I cancelled the rest of my appointments and told my staff I did not wish to be disturbed. Being around people right now was not a wise nor healthy idea. I could only hope as night fell and sleep came, it was dreamless.
* * *
I woke before my alarm, showered, dressed, and was pouring coffee in the dining hall before anyone else in the house. The bad mood of the day before was tightly tucked away in the back of my mind. While the next few days would be unsettling in my head, I was relieved the heavy weight that sat on my heart was absent this morning.
“Morning, Mr. Asher.” Sammy entered, grabbing his own mug.
“Good morning, Sammy.”
I sat at the head of the table, tablet in hand, and read over the news of the world while I drank coffee.
“So, Crew, the new guy…”
I placed my tablet down and met Sammy’s gaze. He sat beside me, and if he had an issue or something he needed to get out before Crew’s return, I wanted to hear it. He was one of my most observant men and many of the others confided in him. He had an almost cherub like face that people gravitated toward. Mix in those golden curls and big blue eyes, and most anyone with a pulse was transfixed by him.
“Yes?”
“Is he taking Corey and Jermaine’s place?”
Ah, I wondered when someone would broach this subject.
“Truth is, Sammy, Jermaine has a lot of recovery time ahead of him, but he will return. Corey, well, I’m sorry, but I don’t think he’ll be back. If he does ever return, it won’t be for a while.”
