The parking space outside her office at Paradise Resort Coral Island had her name on a sign at one end. She pulled her sports car into the space and cut the engine. She’d been nervous to work at her father’s company, but so far, she’d had a positive experience.
Everyone had been very welcoming—no one seemed concerned about her stepping on toes. She’d grown as a businessperson and as an individual in the short time she’d been there. The role she’d taken on was a challenging one, but it gave her the opportunity to get to know each resort intimately and to understand the staff personally. It was an invaluable way to learn about the business before her father handed it over, although she still didn’t feel qualified to take on that role since she hadn’t been there long enough, and her father had a natural gift for business she wasn’t certain she’d inherited.
“Good afternoon, Miss Eldridge,” Susan said in a chipper voice, her amber curls pulled into a messy bun. As Taya’s assistant, Susan had made herself invaluable over recent months, helping Taya stay on top of what was going on in the office whenever she travelled.
“Good afternoon, Susan. Any messages?”
“They’re on your desk.”
“Wonderful. Thank you.”
“You have a meeting at two o’clock with Mr Reddy.”
“Oh, I forgot about that. Thanks for the reminder.” Taya shut her office door and inhaled a quick breath. There was never a lack of things to do or people to meet with, but since she’d been dating Andrew Reddy for over a year, she was grateful for every opportunity to see him, even if they did have to remain professional.
She sat at her desk and slipped her purse into the bottom drawer. Then she flicked on the computer monitor and got to work thinning out the urgent emails in her inbox. Whenever she stepped away from her computer for more than an hour, the unread messages piled up. There had to be a better way of organising them, but she honestly didn’t have the time to figure it out. When things slowed down . . . She shook her head. She said that a lot.
When things slowed down, she’d look for a new house. When things slowed down, she’d take a trip with her friends for pleasure instead of for work. When things slowed down, she’d go on that cruise with her parents they always talked about — they’d already booked themselves tickets on a ship that sailed from Vancouver to Alaska and back again. They were extremely excited; they planned on spending several weeks in Alaska before taking the return trip. They’d asked her repeatedly to join them, but she couldn’t see how she could manage a month-long holiday at this early stage in her career.
When she’d said that, her father had replied, “Don’t let it bog you down, sweetie. The company exists for you. You don’t exist for it.”
She’d rolled her eyes at that. “You haven’t exactly practiced what you’re preaching, Dad.”
He’d kissed her cheek. “Learn from my mistakes. Don’t repeat them.”
“Yes, Dad. Okay, fine—I’ll book the ticket as soon as I can. Let me check my calendar with Susan first.”
The memory prompted Taya to press the intercom connecting her phone to Susan’s. “Hi. Can you please call my mum to find out the dates for their cruise and then check them against my calendar? I don’t see how I can possibly manage four weeks away, but I told them I’d try to figure it out.”
“No worries. I’ll get that information for you right away.”
“Thank you.” How would she manage any of it without Susan? It’d taken her a while to grow accustomed to having an assistant, but now she found herself asking for help more and more often.
Half an hour later, she’d made a dent in her inbox, but there was still a long way to go. She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, blinking rapidly. She should blink more. The computer screen was giving her a headache. Or perhaps she finally needed reading glasses. She’d avoided addressing it for as long as she could manage, straining to read, putting up with the headaches, not wanting to go down that path. But it was no doubt inevitable. Both her parents wore glasses, and she was bound to find herself in the same position eventually.
There was a knock at her office door.
“Come in,” she called.
Andrew opened the door and walked in. She rose to greet him, and they kissed. He linked his arms around her waist, and she wound hers around his neck.
“How are you?” he asked.
She blinked again. “Tired. My eyes are worn out from that screen.”
“You should ask Susan to book you an eye appointment.”
“You’re probably right.” She sighed. “I’m getting old.”
“Happens to the best of us,” he said softly, leaning in to kiss her lips again.
She stepped out of his embrace to check her calendar. “I thought we were meeting at two.”
“We are. I came a little early because I missed you and wanted to see you.”
“I won’t object to that,” she replied, moving back into his arms.
Her phone rang. She should pick it up—shouldn’t ignore it. She was at work, after all. But Andrew’s lips were soft, his presence intoxicating. She felt it from the tips of her toes, all the way up into her head, which was spinning as though she’d inhaled too quickly. The ringing stopped, then started up again.
