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When I pulled the office door open, I immediately recognized the woman sitting behind the desk.
“Hi, Virginia. I didn’t know you were working here.”
She looked up, and a wide grin spread across her face. “I was thrilled to see you on the calendar, Georgia. I’ve been working here since they opened the doors. I hope you get the job because it’s a little intense around here,” she whispered. “If you know what I mean.”
The entryway was pretty grand, with two black leather couches, and there were framed book covers hanging on the walls. Gray stained concrete covered the expansive floors, and exposed brick ran from the floor to the ceiling up the wall behind the front desk.
“Really? Did a lot of people move here from the city when the company relocated? Or are the employees mostly new hires?”
“Yes. It’s a good mix of both. But lucky for me, the office manager did not want to move here from the city.” She glanced around, making sure no one was listening before cupping her hands over her mouth and whisper-shouting. “The big guy can be a bit intimidating, and he’s already gone through three PAs since we opened the doors. Apparently, he isn’t easy to work for. But I interviewed with the man, and whew,” she said, fanning her face. “He is a looker. He’s kind of terrifying, and I haven’t seen him smile yet, but as long as you do your job, he’ll leave you alone. He’s all business. And he’s currently interviewing Joey Burns for the position that you’re applying for right now.”
You’ve got to love Cottonwood Cove if not just for the sheer fact that you can get the lowdown on everything going on in a matter of minutes.
“Joey Burns?” I asked. I grew up with the guy, who I often referred to asPuff the Magic Dragon.He was a pot-smoking skater.
“The one and only.”
“Why would he want to be the assistant to the president of a publishing house?” I leaned over her tall desk, peering around the decorative brick, seeing people buzzing around. The office had a very cool vibe. Glass walls framed individual workspaces from the floor to the ceiling, with a desk and some shelves inside each one. There were iron stairs that ran along the side wall, leading up to the second level.
“Word on the street is that Joey was responsible for that fire at his parents’ house last month. Apparently, someone was too high to put out his own doobie, or fatty, or whatever you kids are calling a marijuana cigarette these days.” She shook her head with disgust, and I tried not to laugh. She was in her mid-sixties, always dressed in colorful clothing, and her dark hair was cropped short, showing off her big hoop earrings. “His parents have kicked him out, and he’s living with his brother now, so I guess it’s time for him to put on his big-boy pants and get a job.”
“Anyone else applying for the gig?” I asked, as I looked up to see feet descending from the stairs. There was one pair of Vans with some dark skinny jeans, and then there was a pair of black loafers with black dress slacks ending just at the ankle, exposing a sliver of fancy socks.
I felt confident that I could beat out Joey for this position, who had most likely greeted the man interviewing him by calling himDude. The kid suffered from chronic red eyes, and his favorite word had always been,whoa, withdudefollowing in a close second place.
“Alicia Rogers also applied for the position. She was here yesterday. That woman still has a stick up her ass, though, you know? I pray she doesn’t beat you out.”
Two sets of legs continued to appear in my peripheral. Joey’s head was already making its way down the steps, but the other man must be tall because he was still all legs and torso.
I glanced back at Virginia with a groan. “That woman had me arrested for ding-dong ditching when I was in high school. She has a bad case of resting bitch face, and her frozen, unmoving eyebrows totally freak me out.”
I mean, there was good Botox and then there was Botox gone bad. Alicia represented the latter.
“I remember that arrest scandal. But Bugs didn’t hold you down at the station long, did he?”
I chuckled. Max Bugster, a.k.a. Bugs, had gone to school with my oldest brother Cage, and he’d taken me in his squad car for ice cream as we laughed our butts off about a woman calling the cops because a teenager rang her doorbell and ran.
“Nope, he didn’t. And just thinking about it kind of makes me want to ding-dong ditch her tonight,” I said.
“Call me if you do it. I may be old, but I’d be happy to drive the getaway car.”
I covered my mouth to keep from bellowing out in laughter. I loved Virginia Hawkson. She lived down the street from my parents and had always been a character, to say the least.
But my laughter halted as both men came into focus when they hit the ground floor and walked in my direction.
And holy hot president.
This man was something.
My mouth went dry as I took him in as he strode beside Joey, who was holding a skateboard under his arm.
Maddox Lancaster was impossible to look away from. He had to be somewhere around my brothers’ height, and all three of them were fairly tall. I’d guess him to be a good six foot, three inches. His brown eyes locked with mine.
Dark.
Deep.
Mysterious.
