Page 75 of Claiming Becca

I want to overcome this fear myself. When we get downtown, I shake my head at the thoughts and focus on the day ahead. Excitement settles in my stomach as Connor opens my car door after we park. He wraps his arms around my waist and kisses me before grabbing my hand and leading me to the building. He unlocks the door and turns on all the lights.

“I’ll go today and get you a copy of the key. I’m rarely here unless I have a meeting or something” he says. There’s a desk in the front room, and he gestures to it. “That’s Lisa’s desk. You remember her, right?” he asks, and I nod. “She’s off this week.” I glance at her desk. Lisa is older, maybe in her fifties, but she’s been Connor’s office manager almost from day one.

Connor hired her grandson, and she swears it kept him off the streets. She would stop by with cookies and muffins because she was so grateful. So, he offered her a job too. I smile at the memory. I’ve been to this office building a few times. When Connor first got it, I helped him decorate it. That’s when he started telling me I needed to work for him. He always told me I had a natural talent. I can’t believe I’m here now. This will be my job.

It’s like a dream come true. I walk behind Connor as he leads me down the hallway. He steps into a room that used to be for storage, but my jaw drops when he steps aside, and I glance in. I look from the room to him and back to the room again.

“I’ve used the past few weeks to clean the room.” He points to a small desk next to a window. “I did get you a desk, but figured you’d spend most of your time at the table.” I look at the table that’s in the middle of the room. It has lots of shelves for storage.

“Connor, I love it,” I tell him. He smiles at me and wraps his arm around my shoulders.

“I didn’t decorate it. I figured I’d let you do that. But the table has different storage spaces for you to put wallpaper, flooring samples, carpet samples, and anything else you might need,” he explains. He walks over to the desk, grabs a laptop, and hands it to me. “That has a program on it that will help you do 3D designs for clients so they can see what it will look like before you do it.”

“Wow,” I whisper. He grabs his wallet from his back pocket and hands me a credit card.

“Here’s your company card. We have budget meetings every Friday and the last day of every month.” I walk around the office, already imagining how I can decorate it.

I turn to him, and he has a soft smile as he watches me. “I don’t know what to say, Big Man. This is…” I trail off. “I can’t wait to get started.” I take my wallet out of my purse and put the card he gave me in it. “So, where do you want me to start?” I ask him.

He smiles at my enthusiasm. “We’re in the process of building a neighborhood, and Open House begins next month. We have a house that we’d like for you to decorate as the showcase. You’ll need to purchase furniture and everything. So, your budget will be around $35,000.”

My heart speeds up at that amount of money. I’m only used to budgeting for myself. Now I’m going to be responsible for helping with a business.

He tilts his head at me. “You’re going to do great.”

“That’s a lot of money,” I whisper.

He nods. “It is, but we’ll make that back selling just one of the houses in that neighborhood.” He promises.

I swallow and give him a weak smile. “But what about the expense of building it and all that?” I ask him.

Connor lets out a huff of laughter. “That’s why we sell more than one house,” he deadpans. I chuckle and nod once. Bass made decent money with the gym, but this is on a different level. It’s something I’ll need to get used to.

I always knew Connor had a lot of money, but he’s not one to flaunt it. He doesn’t act any different or any better than others. It’s one of the many attributes I love about him.

“You want to go see the house?” he asks.

“Yes,” I say excitedly. On the way to the house, he stops at a small hardware store to get a key made for me. I follow him in my car because he has to meet Victor at a construction site.

When we get to the house, I fall in love immediately. It’s a two-story white farmhouse with black accents and a wrap-around porch.

“It’s beautiful, Connor,” I exclaim as I meet him in front of our cars. He leans back against his truck and pulls me against his chest as I stare at it.

“Thanks, Shortcake. If I were to build us a house, it would look similar,” he says.

I turn in his arms and stare up at him. “You think about things like that?”

He gives me a soft smile and pushes my hair behind my ears. “I do. Eventually, we’ll need a bigger house when we decide to have kids.”

I lean up on my tiptoes and kiss him. “That sounds lovely.” He leans his forehead against mine. “Sometimes, I still can’t believe you’re mine,” I whisper.

He hums and brushes his lips along my jaw. “Me too, baby. Me too.” We stay wrapped in each other for a few more seconds before he pulls me up the sidewalk and to the house. He tells me the code to get in the house and watches me open it.

When I walk in, I immediately begin to have ideas. I walk from room to room, and Connor follows along quietly. After I get done, I turn to him with a clap of my hands.

“Okay. What do I do now?” I ask him.

He starts laughing. “You’re the expert, Shortcake.”

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