“Let’s talk about it more next week. Start putting feelers out. I can start looking for an office building here, but if you want to be here more, you know you and Iris have the offices at the hotel,” Mason tells me.
“I know. It was just a thought. We don’t need to rush into it.”
He smiles at me. “It would be good to have you home, brother. Ari needs her Uncle Max. You are her favorite this week.”
“What the fuck, man? How?” Eli grumbles.
“Not for long.” I laugh as I hear Brantley mutter, “Is that Ari on the Zamboni?”
Of course it is.
Points to Uncle Brantley. It means I have to step up my game.
As I look out the open window to see Ari, my eyes catch on Iris’s. She has such a look of wanting in her eyes.
I want to give her everything she deserves, but I don’t know how.
Chapter
Four
IRIS
Groaning,I tip my head back and press my fingers into my eyes. Staring at these numbers is giving me a headache. Honestly, I don’t mind crunching numbers and double-checking people’s work because I’m good at it. Math and I have always been friends, but I never thought my life would be this.
Most of the time I don’t even know how I ended up here.
That doesn’t mean I’m not thankful, though. Meeting Max changed things for me in a way I didn’t even know was possible.
Max.
He’s the reason I’m here, or should I say, still here.
That man could ask me to do almost anything, and I would jump in blindly. He’s earned my trust and has become one of my closest friends over the years.
My phone rings, pulling me from my thoughts.
“This is Iris,” I say when I answer.
It’s so weird jumping into a call right off the bat and forgoing formalities, but if people are being pushed to my line, they are calling for me directly.
“Hey Iris, It’s Jo. Did you get the email I sent you?” she asks.
I roll my eyes. “Yes, I was actually just looking at it when you called.”
“Does everything look to be squared away?” the woman pushes, her tone bordering on rude.
Jo is one who likes to rush her work, which means she makes mistakes. She always calls after sending her work to me in hopes I have reviewed it quickly and not found anything. It’s annoying.
I keep my voice stern. “Again, I just started looking at it. I’ll get back to you no later than tomorrow and let you know if I need anything else.”
Jo huffs but keeps her mouth shut. We quickly get off the phone, and I shake my head.
Some people’s impatience will never cease to amaze me. They see it as being gung-ho and shit, but to me it’s a giant red flag. When someone doesn’t give you time to properly look something over it screams that they are hiding something. At least to me. She should know she is just painting the target on her back quicker. I only need two more write-ups before I can formally fire her.
Being in corporate really fucking sucks sometimes.
Sighing, I start to reach for my mouse when the phone rings again.
