“Great,” Samuel said with a grin as he cuffed me on the shoulder.“I’ll let her know so that you can get started right away.Should I have her come to your office this afternoon?”
“Sure.We can meet after lunch.”
The rest of the morning passed quickly, and I spent most of my time reviewing market analysis reports about mobile EV chargers.I left for an hour during lunch, meeting Simon at a cafe about halfway between our firm and GalvaTech, where we went over the details of the new company that he was looking into for us to potentially invest in.My assistant had been helping him with that research for the past few days, but I knew by the texts I’d received from Clara that she was getting tired of his bossy attitude.I gave Simon a week to hire his own assistant before I contacted a temp agency.
When I returned to the office, I’d barely settled into my chair when there was a brisk knock at the door.
“Come in,” I called out.
Morgan stepped inside and shut the door behind her.She didn’t bother hiding how unenthused she was about being assigned by her father to work directly with me.Still, she managed to look composed and professional, and I still felt that damn spark of awareness between us.
“Hello, Morgan,” I said, gesturing to one of the two chairs in front of my desk.I had a more comfortable sitting area in the corner of the room—a small black leather couch and matching armchair—but I figured it was better to keep things formal.“Thanks for joining me.”
“I’m not sure there was much of a choice,” she said, keeping her tone carefully neutral.“Dad said that he wants us to work together on this product launch.”
I tipped my head, not missing the flicker of resistance in her eyes.“And you have a problem with that?”
She sighed as she sank into the chair in front of me.“Of course not.Why would I?”
She was a terrible liar, and I actually liked that about her.The way her honesty slipped through the cracks even when she was trying to play it cool.“I guess we should get started then.”
Morgan had a tablet in her hand, and she turned her attention to the device.“Great.I have a lot of ideas, but I’m wondering about your timeline.When do you envision this product launch taking place?”
I paused, staring at her a moment as I took in the change she made when we shifted to business.Her agitation disappeared, and the crease in her forehead flattened out.Maybe we’d be able to work together without too much trouble after all.
“I was thinking six months,” I said.
“So, early May?”She swiped open a calendar on her tablet with quick, efficient movements.
“Let’s make it the first of May,” I suggested.“Start the month out right.That way, we should see the results in the second quarter’s financial reports.”
I watched her make a note of the launch date on her tablet.I stood up and walked around my desk.My office was large, and I’d pushed the desk to the wall for a reason.I liked to move around while I was thinking.The space between the desk and the entrance was perfect for pacing.
Morgan watched me curiously as I tracked the length of the office, tossing a red stress ball from one hand to the other while I spoke.
“Since the prototype’s already been tested and approved, we’re starting ahead of the curve on manufacturing.The funds we’re investing can go straight toward mass production.”
“Parker can take care of that,” Morgan said, turning her chair so she could face me as I walked back and forth.She crossed one leg over the other, and for a second I forgot my next thought entirely.
I glanced out the window at the city skyline, anchoring myself back to the conversation.“He told me the same thing.That’s convenient, and it frees us up to focus on the ultimate goal.Making sure this thing sells.”
I turned around to find Morgan smiling.“I’m way ahead of you there.”She swiped through her screen on her tablet, then stood up to show me a chart.
“I researched industry trends over the last couple of days, and I created this graph of how I expect the launch to go if we take advantage of three key points,” she said enthusiastically.“First, the high demand for faster charging capabilities.Second, the projected growth of electric vehicle charging stations, which is expected to expand exponentially over the next five years.Finally, we need to take into account the competition between North America and Europe to get ahead in this industry.We might be leading the technology here, but there are a few companies that are working on similar products overseas.”
“Wow,” I said, blown away by her strategic thinking and in-depth grasp of the industry in general.I stopped pacing completely and she had my full attention.“I’m impressed.”
She narrowed her eyes at me, like she couldn’t decide if that was flattery or an insult.“You sound surprised.”
“Sorry.”This time, I couldn’t keep myself from grinning.“That was definitely meant as a compliment.”
“Part of my job is conducting market research to identify ideal customers and create strategies to reach them,” she said, her tone cool and pointed.“I didn’t get this job because of nepotism.Iearnedit.”
Her father had said as much to me this morning but hearing her defend herself so fiercely was surprisingly endearing.There was pride in the set of her shoulders and the stubborn tilt of her chin, and I felt a startling rush of affection for her.I nearly acted on it, my hand starting to reach out to cup her cheek before I caught myself and shoved my fingers through my hair the way I always did when I was frustrated.
Usually, that reaction was somehow related to work but this time, it was all tangled up with Morgan and the desire she stirred in me without even trying.I wasn’t used to that.
“Here,” she said, angling the tablet toward me.“Take a look at the report.”
