I’ve got him there and we both know it.
“I’ll think about it.”
Bullshit. He gave in way too easily to be seriously considering the idea. Which means I’ll have to take matters into my own hands.
“Why don’t you sleep on it?” I give a casual shrug, like it doesn’t matter to me either way, because I doubt Nick-my-way-or-the-highway-Hart has ever been coerced into doing something he didn’t want to do. “An office pet is a big commitment.”
And whether or not he realizes it, it’s exactly what he needs to soften his image.
Chapter Eighteen
Nick
Just two more weeks.I step into the elevator and press the button for the executive suite. Two more weeks until we unveil the Epos system. Two more weeks until the Valentine’s social. Two more weeks until my life gets back to normal.
Thank Christ for that because my overflowing inbox is split fifty-fifty between the two events.
I had no idea this suggestion box business would be so involved. Still, I can’t deny I enjoy working with Scarlett. Our dinner Thursday night was pleasant. And not just because the tacos were incredible.
The company was pretty damn spectacular, too.
The elevator chimes and the doors slide open with a quietwhoosh. The hall is nearly silent, and white noise is my only companion as I make my way to the executive suite. This is my favorite part of the day. The quiet before the storm. The one time I can count on having the office to myself to catch up on emails and work without constant interruption, something that’s become increasingly rare since Rebecca started.
I’ve considered replacing her more times than I care to admit. I even dialed the temp agency once but disconnected at the last second. It’s only been two weeks. Maybe she just needs more time to get acclimated.
And maybe there is no one else willing to take the job.
Which is why I need to make it work with Rebecca, at least for a little while.
I’m mentally running through my morning schedule when I enter the reception area, and it takes me a second to register the scent of freshly brewed coffee in the air. And another still to realize that I do not, in fact, have the executive suite to myself. I stop and scan the room because no one ever arrives this early—especially on a Monday.
Scarlett stands behind her desk, hair pulled back in a sleek bun and horn-rimmed glasses perched on the end of her perky little nose, a tiny bundle in her arms.
I blink, not trusting my eyes.
“What is that?” I point to the wriggling ball of gray and white fur that’s attempting to escape her hold.
She grins, a wide smile stretching across her face as she moves around the desk, blocking the path to my office. “Not what, who.”
“All right.” I jerk my chin toward the furball. “I’ll bite. Who is that?”
“Oreo.” She holds up the squirming black-and-white pup for inspection. It’s like a scene right out of that movie with the lion cub who grows up to be king. My mom loved that movie. We must’ve watched it a hundred times.Before…
I shove the memory back in the box. This isn’t the time to be getting all misty-eyed. Not when Scarlett’s holding out the puppy like a goddamn offering. “Isn’t she adorable?”
Pretty sure I’m not qualified to make that judgment, but that’s the least of my concerns right now.
“She’s cute,” I say, choosing my words carefully, because what the hell? This is a place of business, not a doggy daycare. “But what exactly is she doing here?”
“I adopted her.” Scarlett is positively beaming now, her cheeks glowing a soft pink that, for once, has nothing to do with embarrassment.
The dog wriggles, trying to break free, and she clutches it to her chest, cooing and making soothing sounds as she buries her nose in the animal’s scruff.
My gut twists at the sight, envy striking hard and fast.
The fuck?You can’t seriously be jealous of a dog.
“That’s…nice.” I give her a curt nod, hardly trusting myself to speak. “I’m sure you two will be very happy together.”
