I let it go for the moment. After this morning, I’d seen how easily Audrey and my lives fit together and seeing her and Sarah get along so well only convinced me further that we were perfect for each other. Audrey might not be ready for something serious, but she hadn’t run screaming, so that had to be a good sign, right?
Sarah looked smug when I returned. “Mom and Dad are going to love her.”
I still hadn’t shaken my annoyance at her over her nosiness earlier and so busied myself with clearing the table. Once the sink was full of dirty dishes, I threw the dishtowel at Sarah. “It’s your turn to dry up.”
She caught the towel and playfully whacked me on the should with it, “Jace and Audrey, sitting in a tree-“
“You’re twenty-three, not twelve,” I grumbled.
“F-U-C-” I put a hand over her mouth, and she dissolved into giggles. I returned to the sink, turning off the tap and passing her plates as I cleaned them.
“I’m really happy for you, Jace.” Her tone was soft and warm. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so happy, except about work. She must be really special.”
21
Audrey
Iwas in trouble.
Now that Jackson and I had started staying the night, I was finding it difficult to stop myself from wanting to wake up with him.
Frankly, it was getting difficult to want to do anything other than see him, which was a problem. Because it was beginning to affect the one thing I had promised myself I would put before everything else.
My work.
After snoozing my alarm this morning, I’d allowed myself the luxury of a lie-in. Not that we did much sleeping. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d come into work late, but I decided that the two orgasms I’d had that morning more than made up for whatever guilt I felt.
So, of course, something had gone wrong.
It turned out I’d picked the worst possible morning to not be in the office because no one had been around to talk down an irate delivery driver from dumping a truckload of stock at our doorstep this morning.
Apparently, one of our customers had made last-minute changes to their inventory order, but the client hadn’t been told in time and didn’t actually have the stock to meet the new request. In retaliation, the restaurant decided they didn’t want any of the order and were refusing to take the stock off the delivery guy’s hands or pay the transport fee. The client refused to take the stock back because everyone had forgotten they were adults today.
In short, it was a nightmare.
By the time I had sorted it out, hours had gone by, but the delivery driver had been paid, I’d convinced the customer to take the available stock, and I’d even managed to get the client to accept a discounted rate, once it had been discovered that their figures were the issue.
And while I was grateful that the crisis had been averted, it had only become a crisis because I’d chosen to play hooky this morning instead of being here. I would have to be more careful in the future.
To my reluctant surprise, Winnie and Jet had been extremely helpful. Having them there to field calls for me while I mediated was a small blessing.
As a thank you, I’d let them take a long lunch while I tried to rearrange my afternoon.
Lately, Winnie and Jet had been pressing to do more with the launch, but I had trouble handing off my work to someone else. This was my baby. My way of showing David I could do this.
Anthony, one of the junior account managers, ducked into my office around one p.m. while I was reading over the contract for the event space I wanted for the launch. It was a charming little spot that once had a life as a chop shop for motorbikes and scooters. It had since been bought and converted into a useable function space, complete with bathrooms and a kitchen. Thankfully, the new owners hadn’t replaced the bright red roller door that spanned an entire wall or covered up the exquisite, exposed brick that made up the remaining walls.
The contract was standard, but the owner was pushing back on allowing us to use our own caterers since they had some sort of arrangement with another company I hadn’t planned on using. I expected them to make us pay extra for the “inconvenience,” but I was confident I could negotiate a reasonable compromise.
I waved Anthony over to a chair in my office. “What’s up?”
“I was wondering if I can borrow the interns next week.”
A flare of protectiveness came over me. “What for?”
“My parents are flying into town tonight, and between them and the new baby, Michelle needs some help.” I’d heard a lot about his parents from his wife, Michelle, and I suspected she mostly needed Anthony to run interference for her while she cared for their four-month-old.
I smiled. ”Of course. What will you need them to do?”
