Take care of myself?Myself? As much as I want to, I’m not sure I know how to do that.
Which is crazy, because I did for a long time. After mom died, that’s all I did was take care of myself. Yet now, it’s like I forgot how to function.
Maybe he’s right. Maybe I do need to take some time to figure all this out. To get myself together. He’s giving me the opportunity. I should take it. Why is it so hard to just accept help?
“Okay.”
“If you need anything, no matter the time, do not hesitate to call.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome.”
I end the call and put the phone on the coffee table, staring at it for a long moment.
Everything about this is strange. It seems wrong. But I don’t hate it.
Chapter Thirteen
Elliot
“Ted Lincoln is on the line, sir.”
I grin. He’s only calling because he’s been defeated. I press the blinking light after grabbing the receiver.
“Mr. Lincoln. So nice to hear from you.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he grumbles. “Congratulations, Elliot. Your charm has won out once again.”
“We both know it isn’t just my charm, Tim. I’m good at what I do.”
I lean back in my chair, staring out the windows.
“Yeah—lying to people.”
“Oh, don’t be like that. This isn’t college. We’re adults.”
My tone is cheery, hiding the annoyance I have toward him not letting this go.
“Someone will be in contact with all the info.”
“I look forward to it.” I drop the phone to the cradle, grinning like a mad man. I’m not one to go out and celebrate, butI will today. I’ve been wanting this job formonths.Picking up the phone, I dial Peter’s extension.
“Get the team together, we’re celebrating,” I say when he answers.
“We got it?” he asks, excitement tinging his voice. Of course, I already knew this, but I was waiting for it to be official before announcing it.
I wait long enough to build anticipation, then say, “We got it.”
He makes a loud whooping sound, then claps his hands. I can’t help but chuckle.
“See you downstairs in ten,” he says, then ends the call.
I organize my things, leaving my work stuff behind for the night. On my way out, I let Michelle know to cancel everything for the rest of the day. She agrees, and I’m out the door, heading to the bottom floor to wait for my team.
I look through emails as I wait for them and know the moment they’re off the elevator by how loud they are. My team is comprised of eight people, including me, and together, we make my company run smoothly. Peter, my COO, and Jim, my CFO, have been with me the longest, hence why they’re my two right-hand men. They work directly beneath me, and we meet regularly.
Ian, Charlie, and Jonathan report to Peter, as they handle the on-site stuff. Then we have Jack, who is the head of our legal team. He isn’t with the guys today, but I wouldn’t expect him to be. Though he is part of my team, he is sort of kept separate.Besides, hanging out with our legal guy on a night we’re going to potentially do things that areillegalis a bad idea. Riley, who is head of marketing, would normally be with us, but he’s been out a few weeks now since his wife just had a baby. I’m sure one of the guys has already called him to tell him the good news.
