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Dinner wraps up with no further drama. I thank the Bradlys for a lovely evening and extend an invitation for dinner at one of the finest restaurants in Charlotte. They graciously accept and I bid them goodnight. Rachel accompanies me out to the car and declares the night a huge success. I agree. Then, suspecting that her parents were watching us, I lean in to give her a chaste peck on the cheek before I drive away.
Chapter fifteen
Rachel
Ifeltsoguiltyregarding all the unkind thoughts I had about Eliza, that I bent over backwards to make sure she felt welcome upon her arrival to Charlotte. Given her stellar credentials, it was no surprise at how smart and capable she was proving to be. With any luck, we’ll have this company back on solid ground and surpassing the success we had prior to Quinn’s departure.
Parker appears to have taken it upon himself to ensure Eliza gets properly acclimated to Charlotte and that she knows where all the hot spots and best restaurants are. Though it’s early days, Rhence claims he’s never seen Parker express such a singular interest in any particular woman. Five consecutive dates without any other women in between is some kind of record for Parker. It appears that at long last, this playboy may have been bitten by the love bug.
It's Saturday evening, and we’re all hanging out at Rhence’s posh uptown penthouse. We’ve just finished dinner and have retired to the sunken living room overlooking the Charlotte skyline.
“She does, doesn’t she?” Parker insists, laughing as he points at Eliza. “I swear she looks like Rosamond Pike from the Gone Girl movie.”
Eliza tilts her head back against the sofa cushions and groans, “If only I had a dollar…”
“Yeah, maybe a little,” Rhence says as we sit curled up with each other in the loveseat.
“You’re one to talk,” I say, pointing at Parker, “With your Brad Pitt looking self.”
Rhence jostles me a little and grins, “Hey, eyes on me, woman.”
I smile back and look up into his captivating eyes. “Oh, he’s got nothing on you, babe.”
From the corner of my eyes, I see Eliza place a hand on Parker’s knee as if to say, I beg to differ. Good for them. I know it’s way too soon to know if this will stick, but I’m rooting for them.
Eliza’s cell rings and she lifts to remove it from her back pocket. I notice Parker steal a surreptitious glance at the screen. His creased brow relaxes. Even I can see the elderly man’s face on the screen. She sighs and gives us an apologetic look. “It’s my dad, he’s been having a really hard time of it since my mother passed away last year,” she explains as she rises from the couch. “I’ll just be a minute.”
“Sure, of course, take your time,” we all say some version of this.
When Eliza slips away into the powder room, I say to Parker, “Eliza’s really great, isn’t she?”
He shrugs as if indifferent to her, but his big, goofy grin gives him away.
“Oh, God,” Rhence laughs and shakes his head. “I can’t believe it’s finally happened.”
“Shut up, dill hole,” Parker chuckles and his gaze comes to rest upon me. “Yeah, she’s pretty great. And she really likes working for you. Thinks you guys can accomplish great things with the company.”
“Oh yeah?” I nod genuinely pleased to hear this. “She’s right.” I glance up at Rhence. “Wait and see, we’ll be your most profitable division yet.”
“That’s what I’m counting on,” he replies then holds up his empty beer bottle. “Let me up, babe. Gotta make a pit stop and snag some more beer.”
I sit up and let Rhence hustle off toward the master bedroom’s ensuite bathroom. I glance over at the powder room, we can hear bits and pieces of Eliza’s conversation consoling her bereaved father. We both give each other nervous grins in the awkward silence.
When Rhence first introduced me to Parker, I thought he was just another good-looking frat-boy who refused to grow up. But when it came to finances, the man was sharp as a whip which is why he was at the financial helm of Horizon Inc as it’s fairly young CFO.
At first, he came off as a little snarky and I got the distinct impression that he didn’t much care for me. But after a few weeks, he seemed to warm to me allowing more of his charm to bleed through.
“So, Rhence tells me he met your parents,” he hikes his brows up. “How intense was that?”
“Oh, on a scale of about one to ten,” I lift my eyes to the ceiling, “I’d say about a twelve.”
He laughs. “Wow, that bad, huh?”
I shrug and hug a throw pillow to my chest. “It had a rocky start, but Rhence was great, he won them over.”
“Hey, when my boy sets his mind to something, he won’t quit until he succeeds.”
“Yeah? Was he like that in college too?”
