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“Never knew Julie before,” was his only reply.
A heaviness settled in my stomach. That was a powerful point. Julie was nothing like any of the women I’d seen either of them with. She was full of sunshine and always smiling, so sweet it would feel condescending if she wasn’t so genuine about it. She took to taking care of me along with her other duties, and as much as I pretended to just tolerate it, I enjoyed it more than I was willing to admit. She did it all without ever expecting anything back, too.
“You don’t think she’s only with me because Luka offered for it to be both of us, right?”
Glancing over my shoulder, I frowned. “Where’d that come from?”
He shrugged again, but his gaze was locked on his phone and he had an almost permanent frown for the last few hours. It was starting to feel like he was downplaying his feelings on the matter. I was worried something like that would happen. They’d never been in a relationship like this before. There was bound to be jealousies and insecurities. I just hoped it wouldn’t go so far as to cause a rift between them.
Plating the stir-fry I made, I handed him a serving before grabbing some beers and sitting next to him. He kept glancing at his phone and I could see the anxiety on his face. He was thinking the same thing I was. Luka was most likely with Julie right now.
“Does it bother you?”
When he shrugged for a third time, I shot him a dry look. He sighed. “I don’t know. I don’t mind them spending time together, but…”
“But it makes you worry that you’re a third wheel.”
He bobbed his head, a deep frown on his face. I put my hand on his shoulder, drawing his attention away from his phone.
“I don't know a lot about your relationship. I’ve never been the type to share. But I’ve seen the way Julie looks at you. She lights up every time you come to visit her at her desk. I seriously doubt she prefers Luka over you. He probably ignored her wishes and showed up at her place uninvited. You know how he is.”
He let out a breath slowly. “Yeah, okay. It is annoying when he does that.”
I smirked. “And yet you were the first one to give him a key when he started showing up at your place unannounced.”
“He kept showing up while I was on the toilet and wouldn’t stop pounding on the door until I answered. It just made it easier,” he chuckled.
I barked out a laugh. Luka did sometimes have very poor timing. I remembered one time he showed up while I was with a date. He had no sense of decorum and walked right into my bedroom. Instead of backing away like a normal person; he grinned at me and started chatting like I wasn’t in the middle of something. I broke my phone throwing it at him and my date was effectively ruined. Nothing like being caught in the act like a couple of teenagers to ruin the mood.
* * *
Bennett ended up spending the night in my guest room. Our talk seemed to make him feel a little better, but he still looked uncertain. I encouraged him to talk to Julie about it, but he didn’t want to bug her after she said she was going to be busy. He did promise to talk to her about it at lunch the following day. Since he made sure to distinguish the conversation to when she wouldn’t be busy working, I let it go.
I wasn’t surprised anymore when I showed up to work to find her already at her desk on Monday. She aimed to beat me here every morning so that we could have a one-on-one meeting together to get on the same page. When she heard my approach, her ever-present smile lit up the room, and I had to force myself not to stumble. That smile could cure depression.
“Good morning, Mr Andrews.”
“Good morning, Julie.”
She stood as I passed, heading towards the break room to make my coffee. She always waited to start brewing until I arrived, so I could have a few minutes to settle in before our meeting. She was an expert at this job. I’d need to buy gifts for Luka and Bennett for finding the world’s best secretary.
The door to my office pushed open, and she bustled in, a small tray in her hands and a notebook tucked under her arm.
“I hope you had a relaxing weekend, Mr Andrews, because we’ve got a busy week ahead of us.”
I took the coffee politely, smirking at the muffin that sat next to it on the tray. I didn’t know if it was Bennett or Luka who was encouraging her to keep me fed, but Julie made sure I never missed a meal. It did a lot for my energy levels and I had no idea where she was ordering from, but it was always delicious. She discovered my sweet tooth early on and didn’t hesitate to offer a little sugar amongst all the healthy things she brought with her.
“What’s on the docket today?”
She perched herself on the chair across from my desk, flipping open her little notebook. She went through each meeting and phone call, writing a list of what I needed in order to be prepared for it and what we might need in case anything went wrong.
“I’d like you to be present at client meetings from now on. Your notes were incredibly helpful during our meeting with Mr Vanderbilt. He had minimal changes to the contract before accepting, which is some kind of miracle. It usually takes me months to get a contract ironed out with him.”
Her bright smile soothed something inside me, and I mentally slapped myself. I could not be pining over my secretary. She was too important to me and this company for me to allow for any feelings.
“I can do that, Mr Andrews. I’ll just need to let Priya know when I won’t be available to answer the phone.”
I frowned. I hadn’t considered that. Julie answering the phone was paramount since she handled even the most irate investors before transferring them to me. There was the potential that without her at her desk, I could miss something important.
