I groaned. “I was trying to move on from that topic, in case you couldn’t tell.”
Xander nodded. “Oh, I could tell. And just in case it’s not obvious: It would be a really bad idea to get involved with someone right now.”
“Thanks for the warning. I’ll keep it in mind,” I assured him. I wasn’t even being sarcastic. “I’m still finding my footing. But my man-whoring days are well in the rearview mirror.” Charlotte was my ultimate priority. I wanted to make sure she’d have a happy childhood. “I’m already feeling guilty about the explanations I’d have to give about her mother.”
“You’ll do fine,” Chad said. “Now, I think we can have another Sazerac.”
I clapped my hands together. “Fuck yes!”
CHAPTER 9
PIPER
The next morning,Josh burst into my office upon arrival, clapping his hands. “I knew you could do it. I’m so proud of you for signing Beckett LeBlanc.”
“He changed his mind all on his own!” I didn’t like to take credit if it wasn’t deserved.
“Well, do your magic as usual and let me know if there are any issues.”
“I will, Josh.”
“If you need more people on the developme?—”
I held up my hand to stop him. “Josh, I’m good. Don’t worry. I’ll reach out if I need anything, promise.”
“I know you’ve got it, Piper. You’re my star.” He smiled. “Okay, I’m off. Working on the Klinklink account. It needs my personal touch.”
That was surprising—he was usually very hands-off, which I quite enjoyed.
After Josh was out the door, I focused on work. Although the morning started on a high note, the rest of the day was far from smooth. I had to put out fires with a few other clients, which kept me occupied for quite some time.
After lunch, I got an email from Beckett’s team. He wascopied on it as well. They suggested several dates when I could come to their office to meet everyone. They all worked for me, but I chose one at the end of the week because I wanted to prepare and review everything thoroughly.
After replying to them, a text caught my attention. It was from Beckett. I opened the message and smiled.
Beckett: Thanks a lot for coming to the bar. I hope my brothers didn’t drive you too crazy.
What was he talking about? They’d been perfectly polite.
Piper: How could they drive me crazy? They just introduced themselves and that’s it.
He started to type something, but then he must have changed his mind because I didn’t get anything for a while. His response finally came several minutes later.
Beckett: Good, you didn’t pick up on that. They just drove me crazy afterward.
Piper: Why?
He didn’t reply. I was of two minds to call him, but what could I say? Besides, what if he was in a meeting?
I should probably get back to the issues at hand.
A few seconds later, my phone beeped, and what do you know? I totally forgot about what I was supposed to do and instead read the message. It was accompanied by a picture.Oh my God.Beckett had sent a selfie with Charlotte cuddling up on his shoulder.
Beckett: Ignore me. I’m sleep-deprived again. How’s your day?
I was still melting, looking at the picture.
Piper: Problems keep popping up, but I’m on top of it.
