“No, seriously, what do you get?”Because I don’t buy this.When it comes to Zach it always feels like he’s orchestrating another move to get closer to me.
He lets out an exhale.“I get someone I trust, and that’s the most important thing to me.”
“You don’t trust anyone here?”
“I need to do a stellar job.I need to produce results because everyone’s waiting for me to screw this up.”
This gets my attention.“Who?”
“My brothers ...maybe my father ...I’m not sure.”
I knew his family was messed up, but even this surprises me.My mouth falls open.Has nothing changed for him in all this time?“Are they … still the same?Your brothers and your father.”
I recall how awkward they all were around one another.Jett and Dex were moody, even for teenagers.Paul Knight always seemed cold and shady.For as long as I live, I’ll never have a good thing to say about that man.Zach was the only one who seemed normal.He had a kind and caring side to him that was so clearly not present in his siblings or his father.Him now revealing this makes me feel sad for him again, like I did when I first met him.
“Still the same?”he asks, like he doesn’t understand.
“You were so different from them, that’s what I remember.”We fall silent, and he has a faraway look in his eyes.I think back to those days and for a few seconds we each fall into our memories about that time long gone.A wave of familiar concern comes over me, and we stare at one another.Something in me softens and the tension I walked in with eases away.
Zach isn’t posturing or trying to impress me.He’s being careful.Thoughtful.Just like he always was.I can see it now in the way he’s trying to do right by me, to give me space to grow instead of holding me back the way Katherine does.
“They’re waiting to see if I can pull this off.They think I’ve bitten off more than I can chew, and if this works, it’s proof.”
“Ifthis works?”His family has him doubting himself.Poor boy.Maybe his life isn’t as effortless and gilded as I’ve always imagined.
“Whenit works.It will.I’m confident of it.It’s just my brothers …” His voice trails off, and I feel a small, traitorous ache in my heart.“I’m sorry if it doesn’t sound interesting,” he says, quickly, the contained and relaxed Zach coming back.“But it’s what I need.”
He adopts a casual and unaffected pose, crossing his ankle over his knee, fingers loosely clasped as if he’s trying not to fidget.Oozing the undeniable confidence of a billionaire, but his gaze keeps drifting to me, and then away again, like he’s trying not to make it too obvious.
I’m no better.
I can’t help but notice his rolled-up sleeves, and the lightly veined strength in his forearms.Something coils deep in my belly.
The strange thing is I feel safe with him, safe, familiar, and comfortable in a way that sneaks up on me when I’m not paying attention.I’m starting to see that he wants the best for me.He has my back.The person he is, the way he looks and carries himself, makes it harder to remember all the reasons I’ve told myself not to fall for him.
He explains how he also wants a pricing audit and that he’ll need historical pricing decision data, as well as a compilation of our product lines going back to the beginning.I’ll have to go to the archive room to get all the old data.
I’m not the right person for this task, but I know who is.Katherine would leap at the chance to do this, and she would have the information at her fingertips.Me?I’ll have to go looking for it and then piece it all together.
But why volunteer Katherine for this when I need this opportunity?Katherine doesn’t care about my career.Zach does.
“I’m eager to get my teeth into this,” I say, eagerly.“I want something meaty.”I blush at my words which hang between us like an invitation I didn’t mean to send.The corner of Zach’s lips curl up and he obviously finds this amusing.
I’m certain that my face is red.As certain as I am of how close he is, and how nice he looks today.One careless comment, one slip, and I’ll give myself away.
He coughs lightly.“This is your priority for the next few weeks.I’ve cleared things with Cecil, and Katherine—”
“You’ve cleared this with Katherine?”
“I have.You’re not to work on anything but this.”
That’s interesting.Katherine hasn’t said a word to me “Thanks.I appreciate that.”I stand up to leave.
“Let me know if anything is unclear, or if you need resources or anything.”
“I will.”I move towards the door.
“Maya.”
