“Where?” Drew hollered after me.
The man wassoannoying.
I glanced around my bedroom, the one sane space in the maelstrom that was my house. Where was my suitcase? I hadn’t been on a trip in ages, not even for work, so it took me a few minutes to remember that the thing was tucked away under my bed.
I packed slowly, because I had no idea what billionaires wore around the house. Would I be mocked if I dared to wander down to breakfast in my ratty leggings?
I considered my options carefully as I folded them into the suitcase. I definitely had nice pajamas, but they skewed more for nighttime fun than sleeping. The red silk in the back of my drawer beckoned me.
Could I? I drew the devastating thing out by a strap then held it up to my body.
The man would keel over if he saw me in it.
It was enough to convince me to add it to the stack.
12
DREW
“Ithought this was supposed to be simple,” I grumbled to myself as I smacked buttons on my laptop. “Hey, Shel?”
Instead of yelling back at me from her desk my trusty assistant Shelby peeked her head in my office. “Yes?”
“This videoconference stuff isn’t working.”
It went unsaid that I couldn’t figure out what the hell I was doing, so I didn’t know if it was a me thing or a tech thing.
Who was I kidding? It was definitely a me thing, and both Shelby and I knew it.
“Of course, let me take care of that for you,” she said as she walked in. “What platform are you using?”
“Uh, on my laptop?”
She hid a smile but not well. Shelby had been a lifesaver since the first moment I took a risk and hired her. She’d stopped working when she had her twin daughters but once they went to school she’d feltadrift. Even though she only had retail experience I’d gotten a good vibe from her at the interview and hired her on the spot. The surprise bonus turned out to be that she was ahugetech nerd, just like her programmer husband, so she could assist me when I needed help.
“Let’s take a peek,” she said as she swung my laptop to face her and tapping away at the keys with a speed and certainty I could never match.
“Ok, there you go.” Shelby scooted the laptop back to me. “All set, all you have to do is hit the blue button that says ‘connect’ when you’re ready.” She paused. “Do you want me to give you a quick lesson on how to get in, for next time?”
“No,” I shook my head, well aware that it would go in one ear and out the other, the way tech babble always did for me. “But thank you.”
She pursed her lips like she was trying to hold back from saying something else. “Okay, no problem! You know I’m here if you need me.”
“I do, and I truly appreciate it. Thank you for everything you do.”
She saluted me. “Happy to!”
Once she shut the door I crossed my fingers and hit the blue button, half expecting it to not work since I seemed to be cursed when it came to technology. Shockingly, the little ‘connect’ bubbles filled the screen, and then my father and both of my brothers’ faces popped up.
“Hey, there’s Mr. Technophobe himself,” Logan laughed. “Glad you finally made it considering you set this call up.”
“I was in a meeting that ran over,” I lied. “Anyway, this won’t take too long but I did want to make sure to fill you in about a new development in my life. Since you’ll be hearing about it soon.”
Harrison’s expression went tight. “Oh fuck,” he sighed. “That sounds ominous.”
“Is whatever you’re dealing with business or personal?” my dad asked.
“Both, in a way. Let me just dive in instead of playing twenty questions. I had a situation with that celebrity social media couple that has booked the resort for their wedding.”
