“I will. I’m glad we had a chance to chat.” Anders selected a muffin. “I’ll see you later.”
He strolled off, and Hayden hurried to the front, where he found the person from the sign company waiting. After givinghim instructions, he walked off, only to hear his name called. It was Josh, the receptionist.
“Is something wrong?” Curious, Hayden stopped. He’d hardly exchanged ten words with Josh, though he’d made sure to be approachable. The more friends he had in the company on his side, the better.
“I just wanted to say I’m glad you took the initiative to do this.” He darted a side-to-side glance and lowered his voice. “No one here treats Mr. Winters with respect, and I don’t like seeing it. He’s the only one who always says hello and brings breakfast for all the support staff—not just the inside people. He’s really nice. I’m a nobody here, but I think it’s good you recognized it and you’re doing something about it.”
“You shouldn’t describe yourself as a nobody. Us support people must stick together. And I appreciate you telling me this.” He gave Josh a friendly nod. “Let me know if you hear or see anything I should know. We both have Mr. Winters’s best interests at heart.”
“I will, and thanks. It can be lonely out here with no one to talk to.”
“I understand. I’d better get to work.” If Josh was hoping to strike up a friendship, he was asking the wrong person. Hayden had no time for friends. The phone was ringing when he arrived at his desk.
“Good morning, Armand Winters’s office. How may I help you?”
“Well, first you can by telling me whom I’m speaking with.” The amused voice was cultured and that of a woman, most likely his mother’s age.
“This is Hayden Porter, Mr. Winters’s PA. And you are?”
“Eloise Winters. I wasn’t aware my son had hired an assistant, but thank God.” Her laughter was merry, and Hayden’s lips twitched. “When did you start?”
“This is my second week, ma’am.”
“Maybe you can pop me into a lunch date with him sometime soon, if he’s not busy.”
As they spoke, he checked Armi’s calendar, which, while full of business meetings, was lacking in any personal appointments. “He’s free today, if you are.”
“Perfect. I’ll be by at one.”
“Wouldn’t you rather I made you a reservation and Mr. Winters meet you there? I can call the Grill or the Regency Bar.” He figured those would be safe places close by, where she’d enjoy lunch.
“And miss a chance to meet you? Certainly not. I’ll be by around one, probably earlier, and you and I can have a chat.”
He blinked. Obviously, Armi didn’t take after his mother in the social-skills department. “See you at one, Mrs. Winters.”
The office filled up, and by the time Armi walked in at nine twenty, it was humming with activity. Hayden heard Armi before he saw him, as he stopped to greet each person he passed. When he came into his line of vision, Hayden gave him a quick once-over and was pleased to see that his shirt was buttoned correctly and his clothing didn’t wear parts of his breakfast. Of course his hair was a bit messy, and while personally Hayden preferred that look, he made a note to suggest a haircut, in case Armi wanted to appear more corporate. Again, as in the club that first night, Hayden was struck by the crystal-clear blue of Armi’s eyes and that sweet, disarmingly shy smile that was such a fucking turn-on.
“Good morning, Hayden.”
“Good morning, Mr. Winters. Maurice Hadley’s agent called, and your mother will be here at one for lunch.”
At the mention of his mother, he stopped and stared. “My mother? She called?”
“Yes. I offered to make a reservation, but she insisted on coming here.”
“I’ll bet she did,” he muttered. “Thanks for letting me know.” He turned to leave.
“I put the scouting reports for the teams on your desk.”
“Thanks.”
“And I marked some of the players you might be interested in, based on what you stated in the meetings and from what I’ve read the Kings are looking for.”
Armi cocked his head. “Are you sure you’ve never worked in football before?”
“Very. My father is the football buff. I don’t even watch the game. But I do pay attention.”
“So I see.” He moved toward his office but stopped again, his cheeks slightly pink. “The new sign looks very nice. Thank you for thinking of it. I probably never would’ve.”
