I cringed. This was part of why Jude made an effective CEO; he was good at disappointing people while somehow making them feel like he’d done them a favor. It was like magic watching him in action.
But Jude wasn’t here, so when I reached my office, I tugged back the frosted glass door letting us inside. It was a massive suite with floor-to-ceiling windows, a desk large enough for all three of my monitors, bookshelves, a small meeting table, and an exceptionally comfortable couch along the wall. I’d spent more nights there than at home lately.
Maya continued, “Also, Grandpa said to tell you he and Aggie are coming to the city this weekend and wants us to go to lunch with them—and not talk business.”
“Ironic, considering we’re not supposed to talk about family at work,” I reminded my niece. At first, I’d been nervous to hire family, but she was scrappy as hell and worked just as hard as any of the founders, despite being fresh out of college. “Add it to my calendar,” I finally said. “I’ll be there.”
A firm knock sounded at the door, and I looked up to see the most beautiful Black woman with glowing umber-toned skin standing in the open doorway. Even dressed modestly in all-black clothing, her curves caught my attention, along with the determination showing in her deep brown eyes.
“Looks like she’s early,” Maya said.
3.Jada
I staredinto the curious blue eyes of the man inside the office, adrenaline racing through my system. No amount of talking with contractors or complaining to assistants had helped; I was done being pushed off. I needed to talk to the man in charge. The daycare owner wouldn’t do it, so I was handling this myself.
Maya, a tall, willowy woman without any hints of wrinkles, said, “Our acting CEO just arrived.”
“Good,” I replied, stepping into the office because you couldn’t fix things without having a seat at the table. “Let’s sit.”
Bryce Madigan didn’t seem bothered by my intrusion. Instead, he wore an amused look in his blue eyes as he gestured toward the table in his office. He stood at least three inches taller than me, which was incredible considering I was an inch over six feet tall.
I forced my gaze away from him as I went to the table and felt dizzy at the view from his office windows. I could see all of Dallas from up here, and I wondered if he liked looking down on the people below like ants, if it made him feel like a big man.
“Look, we’ve got a problem,” I said, deciding not to sit. I folded my arms across my chest. He followed my lead, standing across from me, but his hands stayed loose at his sides like nothing could rattle him.
“Fill me in,” he replied calmly. “I’m sure there’s a solution.”
I took a breath and pressed on, refusing to be placated into submission. “There’s construction happening above the daycare. It’s loud, and it’s upsetting the children. They can’t nap, which makes afternoons exponentially harder for them and the staff. Everyone I’ve talked to in this building has given me excuse after excuse.” I held my fingers up, counting them off. “‘The work will be done shortly.’ ‘They’ll see what they can do about rescheduling the louder work.’ ‘Let me talk to my supervisor.’ On and on.”
A frown tilted his lips down. “The noise is keeping the kids awake?”
I nodded and braced myself for him to tell me it wasn’t that big of a deal if the kids missed a midday snooze. Of course he wouldn’t understand—he was a single guy in his thirties, no wedding ring in sight.
“I’m sure their parents love picking up grumpy kids after work,” he replied, surprising me. While I stood dumbfounded, he walked to his desk and pushed a button on the phone. “Maya, can you get the construction supervisor on the phone?”
“Yes,” came the voice made to sound mechanical by the speakers.
Then Bryce lifted the phone to his ear, asking me, “When is naptime?”
“Noon to two,” I replied.
He nodded, a look of focus on his face as he waited. After a moment, he said, “Rob? This is Bryce Madigan, acting CEO. Yes, we’ll need your workers to pause construction from noon to two every day.”
After a moment, he asked, “How much more?” He nodded. “I’ll sign off on it... Yes, start today.” Bryce hung up and looked at me. “Done.”
My eyebrows drew together. I’d spent two weeks dealing with the noise and waiting for phone calls to be returned. “They’ll stop?” I asked. “Just like that?”
“Just like that,” he replied lightly.
“Must have been expensive,” I commented.
A small smile lifted his full lips. “Good thing I have money.”
Damn. Him solving my problems so quickly was hot. But after having to work so hard for everything in my life, I was suspicious of anything that came too easily. “What’s the catch?”
“Get a drink with me after work today?” The confidence of his stance and how effortlessly he asked me out had missing puzzle pieces falling into place. Bryce Madigan was used to getting what he wanted. No doubt that was part of what made him so successful. Maybe I was just feeling spicy, but I didn’t want to be another one of his accomplishments.
“After dealing with all that noise, I have a headache,” I retorted, turning to leave the office.
