Page 3 of Knot Now Knot Ever

By the sound of it, I’d almost be tempted to believe Eli was using work to keep him from facing other things in his life. I should know, I was an expert at it. Losing your whole family by the age of thirteen made you grow up quickly and learn how to cope the best you could.

First, it was school. I buried myself in my studies and got straight A’s, which allowed me to choose my college. Life was easier to bear when I didn’t have time to let my mind wander to the things I was missing out on. When I graduated with a double major, my new coping mechanism shifted to work, and a start-up company was the perfect ticket.

“Has he always been like that? I don’t mean to pry, just trying to get a feel for what kind of man Mr. Thatcher is,” I explained, not trying to come across as a busybody.

Looking down at his salad, Alvin chased after a cherry tomato that kept evading his attempts to spear it. “I suppose it got worse when Miss Bailey-Rose went off to college. Actually, I know that’s when it got worse. Eli always made sure he was home as close to dinner time as he could manage. Rarely when something couldn’t be put off, he’d stay as late as it took, but it wasn’t often. Instead of coming in late, he’d be there at his desk when I arrived at seven thirty, and it was obvious he’d been working for some time.”

“His mother mentioned a little sister. Is that who you mean?” I clarified, not wanting to assume, in case it was a past lover who’d dumped him when she went off to college.

“Yes, she’s delightful, a pure ray of sunshine,” Alvin said with a bright smile. “Miss Bailey-Rose was born with a heart defect, and Mr. Thatcher is highly protective of her. I did hear from some of the other employees I’m still friends with here that she’s found her pack, moved out of the Thatcher estate, and had some medical procedure done, which gives her so much more freedom. Honestly, there isn’t a more deserving person after all she’s been through.”

“I hope I get to meet her someday. She sounds lovely,” I murmured, sitting back in my chair, no longer hungry.

It was hard not to be jealous of this woman even though I’d never met her. She had a wonderful mother who couldn’t help but ooze caring kindness wherever she went. That alone would have been enough to make me want to switch places with her, but to hear she was also blessed with a brother who was clearly devoted to her care had me envious. The man probably didn’t know what to do with himself when she went off to school and is now healthy with a pack of her own. He must feel so pointless. Maybe Jolene had been right when she said he and I might need each other.

“Looks like the storm is rolling in,” Alvin commented as the clear blue sky started to fill with clouds. “Mrs. Thatcher is apparently sending me back home in an hour so I don’t get held back by the weather. You don’t mind if I head out so I can pack up, do you?”

“Not at all,” I said, waving my hand dismissively. “You’ve been more than amazing to come out here to help me. I doubt I would have been as prepared, left only with your notes.”

Alvin stood and kissed my cheek with a simple brush of his lips. “Don’t even start with that nonsense, Lyra. You’re a badass, and you know it. All I did was teach you the basics of working with Eli Thatcher to make your life easier. When it came to the work itself, you didn’t need my help at all. Now, don’t linger too long, or you’ll be caught in the storm.”

Laughing. I grabbed my tray and followed Alvin back into the cafeteria to drop it off. We parted ways as I rode the elevator up, and he took another down to the lobby. I had to scan my ID badge to activate the buttons for the top floor—a bit of added security I could get behind. The only way to gain access was with your ID or being escorted by someone who had one. It wasn’t like I was worried about being in any danger, but Infinery Petroleum Industries was one of the biggest players in the oil business. It’s smarter to play it safe than wish you had when it’s too late.

I got off on the twenty-fourth floor, second from the top. According to Jolene, only three offices were on the top floor—one for her husband, Rawlins, another that was her late husband’s, and her private office that she confided was never used. Jolene warned me that she and Rawlins traveled ninety percent of the time, leaving Eli to run things.

The twenty-fourth floor was the hub of all decisions, with Eli’s office, a boardroom, a sitting room for conducting more casual meetings, and Mr. Ford’s office. Mr. Declan Ford was a business partner to the Thatchers and ran the procurement side of things. His crews located new oil drilling sights and got the raw material to the refineries, where it was processed and sold worldwide. I met him briefly on the first day, but with how the offices are set up, I don’t see myself running into him much.

Walking down the hall to Eli’s section of office space, I nodded to the secretary who fielded all the calls for Mr. Thatcher. Emily was a seasoned battle ax and the first hoop you had to jump through to make your request. Depending on what it was, the request was sent to the right person or area to fix the problem. Those who actually needed Eli’s attention were then passed to me. I could take care of some issues myself like getting documents, dealing with permits, and ensuring things were notarized by the on-staff notary. My job was to take everything off Eli’s plate, giving him the freedom to do the work only he could do.

“Oh, Miss Clark,” Emily called, getting up from her desk and hurrying over to me. “I know you probably want to get things done and leave before that dreadful spring storm rolls in, but these calls came in while you were at lunch. Apparently, the customs forms for these two orders didn’t get submitted, and this is a call from Mr. Oliverson, one of our lawyers. He tried to get ahold of Mr. Thatcher directly, but he’s not answering or returning his calls. I’m not sure you can do much about that one, but figured it wouldn’t hurt to touch base with the man.”

“Goodness, go to lunch, and the world starts to fall apart,” I said with a soft laugh. “Thank you, Emily, I’ll look into this.”

“You’re a sweetheart, dear. I’ll be here till three. That’s when my Harry is coming to pick me up. He doesn’t let me drive in bad weather,” Emily shared.

Nodding, I smiled and headed back to what was now officially my office. To the right, through a connecting door, was Eli’s massive corner office. He had two walls of windows, providing a stunning view of the city as long as you didn’t have a fear of heights. Mine wasn’t lacking in the view department either with the entire back wall made with the same window setup. Right now, it was providing the perfect opportunity to see the storm rolling in.

I shuffled through the notes Emily gave me until I found the lawyer’s number and called. If he were like everyone else, they’d want to leave early. People here were treating this storm like we did blizzards back in Rockton. While I’d heard how intense some of these thunderstorms could be, I’d never experienced one. Most everyone on the news was concerned about flooding and the high winds uprooting trees, which caused the most damage.

“Jonathan Oliverson speaking,” a man answered, pulling me away from my storm-watching.

“Hello, my name is Lyra, and I’m Mr. Eli Thatcher’s personal assistant. I received a note saying you’ve been having trouble contacting him?” I greeted.

“Well, hello, Lyra, I wasn’t aware Eli finally hired a replacement for Alvin,” Jonathan commented.

“I’ve only started this week,” I explained. “Mr. Thatcher is out of town until tomorrow. Is there anything I can help you with?”

“Right, yes, I knew that. He went to talk to the senator,” Jonathan muttered to himself. “This can keep until he’s back. I was more concerned I couldn’t get ahold of him, but now he has you, I’m not as worried. If you could take down a message for me, then I know he’ll get it. The man hates listening to voice messages. He always calls me back and makes me tell him directly.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said, grabbing a memo pad. “Ready when you are.”

“Tell him I’ve found a loophole, and we can use what happened to his sister to implement a policy change. He’ll know what I mean by that,” Jonathan assured me. “This is a more personal matter, and I’m not sure who he plans to read in on the situation.”

“Of course, it makes perfect sense,” I agreed. “Anything else? I’m assuming he doesn’t need a callback number.”

“Nope, he’s got me on speed dial these days.” Jonathan chuckled. “Let me tell you a little something about your new boss… there isn’t anyone I would want more in my corner than him. You ever have a problem, he’ll stop at nothing until it’s resolved, especially if you’re family.”

This kind of praise was a common theme among people I’ve met who knew Eli Thatcher well. That and I shouldn’t take his rather cool, detached demeanor personally—it’s just how he was.