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“I remember when Ava and Isla were teething. It was horrible. Damn, I feel so old,” I added as an afterthought.
Dex joined in my laughter. “Kids do that to you.”
“Listen, Dex. I wanted a quick word. Do you have a few minutes?”
“Sure, let’s go grab a coffee and a bite to eat, okay? Or I’ll fall asleep at my desk.”
We made our way across the square. The benches all around it were filled with people on their breaks, a painter had set up their booth, and a musician sitting on the steps that led up to the theatre was playing upbeat tunes on their guitar.
God, I love this city so much.
Maeve, my favourite server, was working. She greeted us with her usual wide smile, asking if we wanted the usual. Dex, who insisted on treating me, tipped her generously. He always did that, but went slightly overboard with Maeve ever since he’d found out she was working her way through the home stretch of her graphic design degree. I thought he was secretly hoping to recruit her for Beta once she was finished. Mason could do with a skilled designer like her for sure.
We took our coffees out into the little courtyard in the back of the building, which was, unlike the square outside, mercifully deserted.
“How’s the APEX project coming along? I talked to Roy a few weeks ago and he was raving about working with you.”
My insides warmed at his words. Wrapping my hands around the mug in front of me, I inhaled the rich coffee scent with a hint of vanilla before I took a sip. “I’d say we’re nearly there. We had a productive group meeting with his team recently, and the shop and website are as good as done. I thought I’d ask Madeline to do the beta testing with me?”
He nodded, smiling at me over the rim of his mug as he took a sip from his usual Beam Me Up Latte, the one with the two extra shots. “Correct me if I’m wrong but I think you have enough on your plate without having to train Maddie. She’s going to join Hector on the Allegra Fawn website. That romance author? I don’t know if you’ve heard of her. Hec could do it by himself, but it’s the perfect opportunity to ease her into our approach.”
“That’s a great idea, yeah. Once they’re done, she can join us for the last leg of the APEX project, and then, if they bite, we could do Blue Kraken together.”
“They did bite. The board members were extremely impressed with you and the presentation you gave.”
Okay, that’s my cue.
“There’s one more thing I feel I need to tell you.” I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. “Roy Sinclair lost his flat recently, and whenI found out he was sleeping in his office, I offered him my spare bedroom,” I fired out at top speed before taking a deep breath. “And if you need to give me an official warning or a reprimand or whatever, I get it, I’m sorry but—“
“So, he’s your roommate now?”
“Yeah.”
“And he slept in his office, did I catch that right?”
I tipped my chin.
“Leave it to our softhearted badass to step in and save the day.” Dex was only fifteen years my senior but the smile he gave me was so full of fatherly affection that I felt tears prickle in the corners of my eyes. “No warning, unofficial or not. I don’t think this is going to interfere with your job in any way. If anything, I’m proud of you, Kat.” He squeezed my forearm briefly. “No need to tell me any more, but I hope he’s okay.”
“He will be.”
Dex gave me a solemn nod. “Wanna see the latest picture of Nash?”
He pulled out his expensive phone to show me his pride and joy, little Nash with a mop of blonde curls, light grey skin and the most adorable smattering of freckles across the bridge of his nose. He had his mum’s bright smile but I saw that he would take after his dad in build. Nash was still pudgy but looked stocky and strong, with leathery wings peaking over his shoulders.
“Well done, Dad. And Mum. He’s perfect.”
Dex gave me an indulgent smile as I handed his phone back. “It’s a pleasure to have you on my team, Kat.”
“Hey, don’t go all soppy on me, boss,” I teased with a wink, “but thank you.”
I’d had one other job before getting hired by Mager, so I didn’t have a lot of experience with bosses, but as far as I knew there was nobody out there better than our Gargoyle CEO.
We headed back to the office after a quick chat with Maeve, where I found a message in our family group chat.
Isla: Hey peeps, I’m coming home for the bank holiday weekend. Anybody else?
Shit.Checking my calendar, I indeed found a free Monday I’d completely overlooked.
