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He clears his throat and nudges his head down the hall toward his own office — one of the corner offices I dream of having one day. It’s not likely to happen, since he’s the owner's son and all that, but a woman could dream. Right? “Come to my office?”
I nod, lifting my files into the air. “Let me set these on my desk, then I’ll be there.”
“You still have that emergency bag here with you?” he asks, eyeing my bare floor as I open the office door. This is where our stark differences show.
Instead of things being scattered around my office, like they would be in his, everything has its own place that I can’t help but touch every time I walk through the room. There’s a plant in here that one of my friends gave me when I started this job, which is still going strong on the window sill, the sun shining down perfectly on it. It feels like a good symbol, as I feel like overall, my office just gives more life.
The bookshelf situated along one side of the room was another gift, that way I could house all my favorite books on them — mainly first editions and my most prized books. It seems as though when I have meetings here that’s where most of my clients gravitate, eyeing the perfect spines with awe in their gazes, so I feel empowered to continue adding to the collection.
There are magazines stacked in a pile on the glass coffee table, not a centimeter out of place, and I smile at the sight. I’m not sure what it is, but knowing that it looks perfect makes my heart warm.
Heath’s steps follow me inside as I sit my things down on the desk and spin around, narrowing my eyes at him. “Think you can give me a minute to at least get situated?”
He shakes his head. “This is something that needs to be addressed as soon as possible before we run out of time. I have a project for you to take on. It requires a little bit of traveling throughout the next year.”
A year? Jesus, what the hell could he possibly need? “Isn’t that a long time to wait for something?”
“According to my father, it’s worth the wait. I’m not going to question him on it, so follow me when you’re ready.”
May as well get this over with if he isn’t going to leave me alone. I grab the small spiral notebook and follow him out the door, giving my assistant a finger wave as we walk by. She rolls her eyes at the sight of Heath, knowing how self-centered he is and I have to hold back a chuckle.
Alicia only started working with me last year, but that’s long enough for her to get the gist of why Heath and I broke up six months ago. At first, he’d still show up outside my office at the end of the day — thinking I couldn’t possibly reject him — until he finally got the hint and stopped.
That’s what I thought at least, which is where my newfound friendship with Alicia came into play. She noticed how stressed I was one day and invited me out to have drinks with her. It didn’t take much for me to spill every single detail about Heath and me to her, rambling on and on about how he wouldn’t leave me alone. She quickly became a confidant and it’s been a weekly thing we do now — go out for drinks and have a good chat.
Heath comes to a stop at his assistant's desk, barking out orders to her with a frown, before leading me through his open door. It slams shut behind us, his curses echoing through the empty room, and I track my eyes over his space. The way he takes care of it is sad, especially with the amazing view he has behind him.
While I have small windows that look like the ones you’d see in a classroom, he has large ones that span from floor to ceiling. The large businesses surrounding us catch my attention every time and I let a small smile slip from my lips before flattening it — he might get the wrong idea.
“Have a seat, then we can get started,” Heath says as he walks behind his desk, brushing crumbs from his desk and onto the floor. God, it’s taking everything in me not to find a vacuum and run it across the carpet. His chair creaks under his weight as he sits down and he gestures to one of the comfortable leather chairs in front of him, silently telling me to sit down.
Reluctantly, I sink into it and cross one leg over the other. It doesn’t surprise me one bit when Heath’s gaze follows the movement and I clear my throat, forcing his gaze back up to my eyes. “What’s going on?”
He nods and blinks a few times, as if forgetting the reason he brought me in here, then grabs a thin file from the top of a pile of papers. The disorganization is sickening, honestly. “Take a look at this.”
I take the file from his hand and open it, glancing at the few pages situated inside with a brow raised. What could they possibly want with a ranch? “This is the next project?” It doesn’t seem like it needs us to come there, but what do I know after just getting the file?
Heath nods and runs a hand over his face. Doesn’t he hate doing that when there’s nothing there to poke at his hands? A travesty, hair is begging to be grown on that chin of his. “You’ll go there and gather information, giving us the best option for gaining control of the property.”
“What do you need the property for?”
“I didn’t bring you in here to ask questions,” he mutters. “Just do what is asked of you.”
I glare at him and throw the file onto his desk, pointing at it aggressively. “Sure, Heath, but a little insight into the details would be great.” He goes to hand me the file again, but I hold my hand up to halt him. “I don’t mean information on the ranch, I can clearly read that. Knowing more about the project would be beneficial to my research.”
“I’ll do what I can and email you by the end of the day. In the meantime, I’ve got you booked on the property for a week’s stay. You need to be there in about four hours, so I suggest you get ready.”
“Sure thing,” I mutter before walking out of his office without another glance backward. “Asshole.”
Alicia snorts beside me and says, “Sounds like that went well.”
I growl at her comment, choosing to ignore her and storm into my office. So much more relaxing today. The closet in the corner is where I house my emergency suitcase — for instances such as this, when they need me to leave immediately — and I grab it from the small space with a huff.
My door swings open and Alicia arches a brow. “Going somewhere?”
“Heath didn’t tell you?”
She shakes her head and I roll my eyes. Of course he didn’t, because he expects me to do this part of the job for him. I let out a rough breath and press my lips together in annoyance. “I’ve got a project. Dudley Ranch, have to be there in about four hours.”
