Page 37 of More Than Friends

I scoff. Even when exhausted, he finds a way to still be a flirt. “Jude.” His name is said as a warning. It reminds me of the way my mom used to say my name when I was about to get in trouble for something.

He takes the hint because he smiles and changes the subject. “Thanks, Char. I know I probably sound like a broken record, but I don’t know what I’d do without you. Wake me up in an hour or two, and I’ll take back over.”

I nod, thankful that he doesn’t say anything else. He turns around and walks to his room, disappearing from sight.

The moment he’s out of view, I let out a deep breath.

I softly run a hand over the top of Ava’s head. “Who knew your daddy looked so good in glasses? This is averydangerous discovery.”

TWENTY-TWO

JUDE

The soundof my phone vibrating wakes me up from a deep sleep.

I groan, pulling a pillow over my face in an effort to ignore it.

I’m trying to force myself back asleep when my phone vibrates again.

Ava.

I bolt up in bed and grab my phone, swiping to answer without even checking to see who is calling me.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, throwing my legs over the side of the bed. I figured if something bad were to happen with Ava, Charlotte would just come in the room and wake me up, but maybe it’ssobad that she can’t even make it in here.

“I think I should be askingyouthat,” a familiar voice says from the other line. I frown before reaching to my bedside table and sliding on my glasses. I pull my phone away from my ear and check the caller ID.

It isn’t Charlotte calling me. It’s Matt, my assistant.

“What?” I ask, letting out a deep breath. Nothing’s wrong with Ava.

“I’ve been texting you all morning with questions about the acquisition of Bowden Jewelers. Your dad wants a report on hisdesk by Monday morning, and as far as I can tell, it’s Sunday, and you still haven’t finalized the report. Are you still planning to?”

Fuck.

I scrub a hand over my face. After everything with Ava yesterday, I’d completely forgotten about the Bowden deal. As director of acquisitions at the Kensington Corporation, a company founded by my grandfather, I’m in charge of every acquisition we take on. The family business started out as a luxury handbag brand that’s turned into much more. I’m lucky enough to have been given a seat on the board. My dad took over being the chairman and CEO of Kensington Corporation from his dad, and one day, the position will be mine, but I want to earn it the same way my father did.

Dropping the ball on what will be one of our most profitable acquisitions in the last decade isn’t the way to do that.

“Jude?” Matt prods, his voice full of confusion. I’m lucky enough to have a team of people underneath me who do their job well. It allows me to not work as much as I did in the beginning and have more flexibility with my life. But this Bowden Jewelers acquisition was all my idea. Dad didn’t know if they were worth the expensive price tag, but I talked him into it. I can’t drop the ball now by not giving him the report he needs.

“Sorry, I’m here,” I tell Matt, my brain spinning with all the things I need to do before tomorrow morning.

“Should I have Emerson write up the report?” Matt asks.

I like that he minds his own business. He doesn’t ask why the report isn’t already done or chastises me. As my assistant, he handles a lot for me. He keeps me organized. I just don’t normally drop the ball in this way. It’s not a bad idea to ask Emerson, one of the higher-ups in acquisitions, to take over the job for me.

I shake my head. “No, I can write it. Will you and Emerson just work together on pulling all the numbers and organizing it for me? Whatever information you can collect to give me the best chance at quickly writing the report would be great.”

Matt’s been my assistant for ten years. After I graduated from college and started at Kensington, my dad quickly let me interview personal assistants. He said his assistant was the best hire of his career and to choose wisely. It took me six months to find the perfect fit, but I’m so happy I went with Matt.

“Need anything else from me?” he asks. Even though it’s out of character for me to forget things, especially something as important as this Bowden deal, Matt doesn’t ask me what’s going on. Eventually, I’ll tell him about Ava. Maybe he can give me advice as a dad of three girls himself. But for right now, I focus on work.

We talk for a few more minutes before hanging up the call. The moment it ends, I let out a long groan. The time on my phone tells me that Charlotte allowed me to sleep for almost six hours. I can’t believe I was able to sleep that long without waking up, but I also can’t believe that I got so distracted by things with Ava that I forgot all about this Bowden deal. I’m exhausted, and my head is all over the place. Maybe sleeping like the dead for six hours isn’t so odd after all.

I move my glasses out of the way for a moment to rub my eyes with the heels of my hands. Despite getting six straight hours of sleep, I still feel exhausted. I could easily go back to sleep, but between work and Ava, that isn’t going to happen. I slide my glasses back on and take a deep breath.

I’m going to need an industrial-sized cup of coffee today.