Page 7 of All The Ways to Miss You

Lou nods, considering, then he inhales deeply and lifts his chin in a superior manner. “Fine. You’re forgiven for ditching me.” Leveling me with a warning look, he says, “But remember, I’m on vacation for the next few weeks, so you’ll be walking to work all by your lonesome.”

“I’ll cry every single morning without you.”

“That’s a good start.”

When he accepts my sugary offerings with a smug grin, I let out a relieved breath. He would have forgiven me eventually, he always does, but it’s easier to keep the peace.

As he takes a sip, the office phone rings. He slides his headset over his inky hair and returns to work. “Grayson & Wade.”

His chipper voice signals my dismissal, so I move to my office to tackle the next obstacle. Inside, Aggie’s dropping a stack of papers on my desk.

“Lord Linden beckoned. He wants to see us ASAP,” she says.

I tighten my grip on my purse strap. Before I allow the impending anxiety to dig deeper, I clear my mind, focus, and slip on my work mask. With it settled in place, I’m fearless. I’m Superwoman. At least, this is what I pretend to be.

“Did we receive the renderings from Charlie?” I ask.

“Ta-da!” She presents a black foam board with three computer renderings mounted to the front.

They look great. I relax a little.

“And I have a draft of the presentation booklet.” At my desk, I select the spiral-bound book from my color-coded files.

After I run through a three-page checklist of items with Aggie, we cross the hall to Linden’s corner office. His floor-to-ceiling windows frame the Chicago River. The water glistens with reflections of the surrounding high-rises. Water taxis zoom by, blowing horns at tourists paddling canoes.

Linden’s on the phone but waves us in.

As we sit and wait, I have a moment to compare Linden to Evan, allowing my gaze to covertly roam his features. They’re so different, sometimes I forget they’re brothers.

Linden is the older of the two. Where he’s refined with slicked-back hair and a clean-shaven face, Evan is brooding and rugged. Though they do share the same dark hair, eyes, and warm beige complexion, along with toned bodies that can only be attained at the gym.

When his chair swivels in my direction and his gaze meets mine, I drop my attention to my nails. Maybe one day I’ll paint them.

Grayson & Wade recruited me the moment I strode across the stage at Georgetown for my business-degree diploma. To make the move across country smoother, the company rented me an apartment in one of their family-owned buildings.

After finishing his call, Linden slips his cell into his pocket. “What do you have for me?” He’s focused, all business, another glaring difference from Evan, who’s all play.

I slide to the edge of my chair, my back straight, and hand him the presentation booklet. “I’ve picked three properties, and Aggie’s been coordinating the 3-D imaging.”

On cue, Aggie rises from her seat and lifts the presentation boards. Her arm swings across each photo in a spirited manner. Too spirited.

Lines deepen in Linden’s brow as he assesses her fluttering hands. “Will Aggie be impersonating a game show model at the meeting?”

She beams. “Kind of adds a little pizazz, right?”

“It’s purely for your enjoyment,” I say, assuring him.

“Thank God.” Linden relaxes in his chair, and his gaze drops to the booklet open on his lap. He flips through while nodding. On the last page, he pauses before returning it. “Add the estimated TI allowances for each property, and update those renderings with some brighter colors. Make the Lakeman logo larger. It really needs to pop.”

“Will do,” I say.

Linden stands, and so do I. He buttons his suit jacket and strides toward the door. When he pauses and turns back, I hold my breath. I’m always waiting for something to go wrong, but in this case it’s not me he’s frowning at. It’s Aggie.

He shakes his head and gives me a glance, telepathically sending me a message. Fix her before the meeting.

When I nod in understanding, he leaves, hurrying down the hall for his next appointment.

Aggie looks down at herself, grimacing. “What’s wrong with me?”