Kayden:Are you blind, Olivia? He’s rocking those highwaters. I’d hit that. And I had a great time too.
Olivia:I fucked himbeforethe joggers went on.
Kayden:Probably a good call.
Olivia:Goodnight.
Kayden:Goodnight you two.
I read it and shook my head at her before kissing her head. She set an alarm and pushed the phone onto the nightstand. “Sorry to kick you out early,” she said.
“Don’t be, I’m glad I get to hold you all night,” I said, already starting to settle back down for sleep as she curled up in my arms. “Goodnight, Liv.”
“Goodnight, Jace.”
As I drifted off with Liv pressed against me for the first time, it was with the knowledge that she and Kayden and I were going to be together. That reality was better than any dream could compete with.
With the board presentationfor the rehab facility only two days away, I temporarily pushed aside my desire to talk to Liv and Kayden about our future. The fact that I was even bringing an update about the project before the board again was annoying and unnecessary, but Martin seemed intent on picking this apart. He claimed the facility wouldn’t make money and wasn’t worth the expense. He was right that it wouldn’t bring in enough revenue through regular billing to cover our expenses, but I had a team of people focused on donations aimed at funding this facility. Not to mention, the profit-driven side of Acker Real Estate made more than enough money to permanently offset the expense of this facility, which was literally Sutton’s plan for my entire division. Quality treatment centers shouldn’t be reserved for wealthy addicts, and I wasn’t backing down on this one.
The morning of the presentation, Kayden and I sat in my office reviewing the justification behind each of the amenities and additional expenses. He had everything memorized and could defend just about anything, but I was the one who needed to translate his facts into a language Martin could understand: bottom lines and public relations.
We’d been at it for over an hour when Olivia came in with two cups of coffee.
“Sweetheart, you really don’t have to bring us coffee,” I said, already stealing myself for the bitter concoction she’d made. She claimed she was trying to work through why the coffee kept coming out terrible, but it was safe to say she had not found the reason yet. Lately she seemed to be adding more sugar in an attempt to cover up whatever the problem was.
“It’s literally my job to bring you coffee when you’re in this office,” she said.
“It’s not,” I said, giving her a stern look. “I’ve said that many times. And frankly, Liv, your coffee has not gotten any better.”
She gave me a dirty look before turning to Kayden and looking at him expectantly.
He took a sip and grimaced slightly before forcing a smile to his face. “It’s…if making coffee isn’t part of the job, you really shouldn’t worry about it.”
Her nose wrinkled and she huffed. “Can I just order a Keurig like I use at home, please?”
“Yes!” I said, reaching into my back pocket. “Please! Best solution you’ve had yet.”
I pulled out my wallet, found the company credit card, and tossed it in front of her on the desk. She took it with a pointed glare.
Kayden took another sip and furrowed his brow at me as he smacked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “Is this burnt?”
“No, because you can’t burn coffee,” Liv said.
“Yes, you can,” he said. “The coffee beans could be stale; the machine could need to be cleaned. Are you leaving the coffee on a warmer? Cause that would do it too. Or are you doing something that makes the water temperature too hot to begin with? Could be something you’re doing when you grind the beans. Are you grinding beans or using an instant coffee?”
She folded her arms and glared at him. “You should read less.”
“I can’t forget the things I’ve already read, beautiful,” he said with a charming smile. He set down his coffee on the edge of my desk and adjusted his glasses.
She smiled at him. “Beautifulis a good choice.”
“Thanks, I thought so. It was on your list, after all.” He smiled proudly and their exchange made my heart sore.
She huffed again, looking at the coffee neither of us was touching anymore. “Would you two like me to go to Starbucks and get you something you’ll actually drink before this meeting?”
“That would be amazing,” I said with a flirty smile. “Not necessary, because your job includes many things more important than fetching me coffee, of course. But if mygirlfriendwere offering to get me better coffee than this shit myassistantmade…”
Olivia marched around the desk and smacked me on the shoulder. I let out a howl of laughter. “You’re lucky you’re so pretty.”
