“I don’t know…” I say again, trying not to make it obvious that she nailed it right on the head. I don’t want to talk about this anymore.
As if she can sense that, Leila raises her hands in surrender.
“Hey, don’t get mad at me. I’m just asking the questions that I feel like you need to be asking yourself.”
“Just—give me some time,” I plead. “I’ll tell him. I promise I will. I just have to figure out the best way to do it.”
Leila gives me an understanding look. “If Theo is anywhere near how kind his brother is, I don’t think you have to worry about that. But again, I get the feeling that you’ll want to tell him before he finds out himself. I don’t see that going overwell when he discovered you’ve been meticulously checking items off an imaginary list to determine his worth to you.”
I want to protest that it has nothing to do withworth, but I don’t. Leila’s probably right. But rather than adding any more to the conversation, I reach for the remote and play the next episode, choosing to stew in the aftermath of everything she said.
While the characters play out their plot lines on screen, I’m still mulling over everything in my head. I know Leila is coming from a place of consideration. She wants to see me happy, and Theo definitely is the man who makes me the happiest. But the thought of divulging my secret list to him makes my stomach twist in ways that have me wanting to do the exact opposite.
The evening rolls by until Leila and I have both had too much wine and way too much fun watching the Gilmore Girls make a mess of everything.
The two of us pad off to bed, not bothering to clean anything up—Leila takes my guest room, and I wander into my own bedroom.
As I lie awake staring at the ceiling, all I can think about is the list sitting in my bag. I decide then and there that I’ll come up with a way to tell Theo. I just have to hope that he’ll be open to hearing about this quirky side of me rather than getting defensive and shutting down whatever is blooming between us.
I get the feeling that though Theo and I have only known each other a few weeks, this is just the beginning.
Theo
The car comes to a stop,and Whitney looks up from her phone. She’s been scrolling along her social media the entire drive, occasionally laughing at something that has me watching her in pure amusement.
Today, we are tasked with an on-site visit for a potential new satellite office. One of my employees on the geographical research team scoped out this location and brought it to my attention. I had been feeling awfully cooped up inside the big building downtown, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to take a small field trip for the afternoon with my lovely assistant.
Whitney had been excited about the prospect, hurrying around and grabbing everything she’d need—just in case.
It was about a thirty-minute drive outside of the city and into the suburbs. The trip had been mostly quiet, as Whitney was busy attending to her social media, but I didn’t mind. For once, I decided not to have my nose buried in my phone, instead choosing to stare out the window and watch the scenery of the city go by.
There is one thing for certain—Chicago drivers are some of the worst ever.
I was immensely grateful that I had a skilled driver to ensure I got places safely, especially with Whitney sitting next to me. I couldn’t fathom the idea that something would happen to her while on my watch.
The two of us exit the car in front of our destination. Whitney steps right out onto the sidewalk, and I round the back of the Sedan to stand next to her. She’s got her sunglasses on as she peers at the building in front of us, so I can’t see her eyes to gauge her reaction.
“What do you think?” I ask her, hopefully. The building is significantly smaller than our building downtown, but it’s got charm. At about two stories, I think this building would be a perfect addition to the steadily growing Nexus Group. In the long term, I see our chief executive staff moving out of the city and down here to the more private office, which would free up space in our main location for more jobs.
“It’s—” Whitney shakes her head. “I’m not sure what I was expecting, but this wasn’t it. What is this for again?”
I chuckle and place my hand on her lower back as I guide her closer to the front door. The building’s real estate agent is standing on the stoop, holding the door for us to go look around. I nod at him and let him know we will be fine on our own. He lets us go in, staying down in the main lobby and giving us some privacy.
We take a look around the first floor, noting the few office spaces, a break room, and the main lobby with a reception desk. Whitney is quiet as we glance around the floor plan, but now that I can see her eyes, I know her mind is at work trying to figure out just what I have planned with this space.
“I thought this might be a good satellite office,” I finally tell her, putting her out of her mental struggle. My voice echoes throughoutthe empty building, and Whitney turns to face me, her eyebrows knitted together in the middle.
“For who? Property Management?”
I give her a smile. “I was thinking executive staff.”
Whitney doesn’t respond right away, but her eyebrows knit together even further. I lead her over to the elevators and press the button to take us to the second floor. When we arrive on the second floor, I hear Whitney suck in a gasp of surprise.
This upper floor has been completely remodeled with the finest architecture. Each office space was walled off with floor-to-ceiling windows to keep the office space open and airy. The exposed ceiling above is sealed with black paint, giving it an industrial but modern feel to it.
Whitney walks around in small circles, taking everything in. I follow after her, sliding my hands into my pockets and trying to fight the smile off of my face. The listing did not do this office justice. It’s stunning, and the longer I stand here, the easier it becomes for me to see myself working in a place like this.
At my old job, executive staff had their own separate building from the day-to-day operations. That seemed to work well for them, so I could easily see it working well with Nexus, too. We wouldn’t be that far away from the main building anyway, only a quick thirty minutes down the freeway.
