* * *
Two weeks later…
Xavier appeared in the doorway to my office, dangling a brown bag from one hand and holding a tray of iced coffees in the other. I said a quick goodbye to my conference call, then closed the video feed on my desktop.
“Thank god,” I said. “I need a boost.”
“I figured,” he said, strolling in and leaning across the desk to give me a quick kiss. “The scandal in the city government is all over the news. Are you sure you’re doing all right?”
I rose to my feet, joining him at the couch. “It’s another headache, but nothing I can’t handle. Hopefully it restores some confidence in the project, at least.” I chuckled to myself, thinking of the way the mood in the office had shifted. “Anyway, people around here think I’m the hero who vanquished the villain.”
“Which you kind of are,” he said, pulling some cartons of Thai food out.
I shrugged. “You helped.”
Xavier ran a hand through his hair while he smiled to himself. His curls were growing longer now that winter had arrived, and I was getting the opportunity to appreciate his large collection of colorful scarves. One of the benefits of staying still for a while, I realized, instead of always hurrying on to the next project. You got to notice new things.
“Well, Georgia sends her thanks. With Zed Four collapsing, the owner of the bar came back her way. She even got a better deal on the property.”
“I’ll take you there once it opens up,” I said. “I’d love to see her in action.”
Xavier giggled, then took a noisy sip from his iced coffee. “She reminds me of you lately. Running one business while preparing to take over another is a lot more work than she expected.”
“Tell her it gets easier,” I said. “Especially when you’ve got the right people in your corner.”
Xavier held his chin up, grinning. “That’s me,” he said sweetly.
I laughed and leaned forward, planting a kiss on his cheek. Work was getting a lot easier for me, too. Breaking ties with New York helped a lot, of course, but I gave most of the credit to Xavier. A little visit from him in the afternoon was enough to send me sailing through the rest of the day.
“That reminds me,” I said, reaching across to my desk. “Here’s the formal invitation to the holiday party. There’s a number at the bottom to RSVP. I’d say not to worry about it, considering you’re going with the boss, but my assistants keep asking me if you’ll be there.”
Xavier plucked the invitation from my hand. “What do you think?” he asked. “Purple jacket from New York?”
“Whatever you want, babe,” I said, sipping from my own coffee. “You could show up in a ratty old bathrobe, and they’d probably still all coo about how cute my boyfriend is after.”
Xavier pursed his lips together, looking content. We’d only just started using that word,boyfriend, but once I realized what a reaction it got out of him, I found plenty of occasions to let it slip.
“You’re really settling into Denver fast,” he said. “I thought there would be a longer adjustment period, but it seems like you hit the ground running.”
“Well, once I know—”
“Once you know what you want,” he interrupted with a laugh, “you get it. Yes, Dominick, I’m very familiar.”
“And this is what I want,” I reminded him, smiling as I mixed the sauce with my carton of noodles. “Right here in front of me.”
Xavier perked up an eyebrow. “Does that mean you’re finally ready to tell me your plan?”
I’d been holding my cards close to my chest, not even telling Xavier or Zachary what I had planned for Denver. It was an old habit, and I knew I could have trusted them each. Still, I was the type to want to make sure my business trajectory was set before I went talking about, knowing that bragging early was a sure way to end up with my face on the ground.
“I’ve got a few details set,” I said. “There are still some more moving pieces, but…”
Blinking quickly, Xavier leaned forward. “I’m dying to know,” he cooed.
“Okay, okay,” I said, chuckling as I leaned back against the couch. “I guess there’s no harm in telling you. Just promise me you’ll keep it quiet.”
Xavier nodded quickly, and I grabbed the slim file folder from my desk. Opening it up, I showed him the design I had commissioned.
“With Zed Four tumbling, there are a lot of empty buildings and undeveloped properties, some of them even owned by the city. The initial thought was to sell them off to the highest bidder and reinvest the money, but I was able to pull together an alternative plan.”
