Page 102 of The Rebel

“I thought you were going to drink your dinner?” I winked, reminding him that the only reason he had a burger and fries was because I’d ordered them for him.

“Yeah, well, I thought I was going to be down here alone”—his eyes narrowed—“and that certainly didn’t happen.”

I grinned even harder. “I’ll leave you with those thoughts, then.”

“Hello, Miss Cole,” a woman said the moment the elevator doors slid open and I stepped onto the executive-level floor of Spade corporate headquarters. “I’m Kathleen, the executive assistant to Jo, Macon, Cooper, and Brady. It’s lovely to meet you.” She held out her hand.

“And you,” I replied, shaking her fingers. “Please call me Rowan.”

“Rowan, I feel as though I should officially welcome you to the company, but since it’s a merger, I’m not sure what the appropriate protocol is.” As she released me, she clasped her fingers together. “I guess I’ll just say I’m excited to be working with your assistant, Trista, to make sure the seven partners have everything they need.”

“I’m excited as well.” Now that the news had been announced across both companies and the two teams were preparing for the merger, I wasn’t going to let Kathleen or any of the employees know that the seven of us were still at war, and I was nervous as hell about it. “As for Trista, you’re going to love her, she’s fabulous.”

“I can see that. In our little interaction, she’s been so kind.”

I glanced around the large, beautifully designed space. “This is my first time here. Probably my last, too, since we’ll be moving into our new building soon.”

“I was over there just the other day.” She smiled as she pulled at the bottom of her suit coat. “I can’t get over how pretty it is. Bright and open. I’m really looking forward to the new vibe.”

“Me too.”

A semi-lie, but one worth telling.

She pointed toward the double doors behind her. “Everyone’s waiting in the conference room, so I won’t keep you any longer.”

“Everyone?”

“Jo, Macon, Brady, even Walter.” She began walking toward the doors. “Walter happened to swing by the office today. When he heard about the meeting, well, I assume he just couldn’t resist.”

When we’d returned yesterday afternoon from Lake Louise, Cooper had set up this meeting and only mentioned the architect was attending. He’d said nothing about the rest of his family joining us.

What was I about to walk into?

And why hadn’t he said anything about the others?

“Just this way,” she said as we moved through the double doors, entering a long, well-decorated hallway. “Can I grab you anything to drink? Coffee? Water? Sparkling water?”

I shifted the large bag that hung over my shoulder to position it in front of me. “I brought some water with me, thank you.”

We passed a few doors, and she paused outside one that was closed. “All right, then.” Her fingers gripped the large metal handle. “Everyone is in here. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance. And it was great to meet you, Miss Cole—Rowan.” She grinned.

I returned the gesture, and as she pulled the handle, opening the door, I stepped inside, the murmur immediately turning to silence.

Multiple sets of eyes hit me at once, their gazes not exactly warm or fuzzy.

Instead of a conference room, I felt like I was standing on a stage.

Naked.

And everyone was gawking at every flaw on my body.

The only thing that brought me back to the moment was Cooper’s voice as he said, “Rowan, welcome. Please come take a seat.”

I needed him to give me more calm than that, but it was a solid start.

Enough to get my feet moving and my hand to lift in the air and wave. “Good morning, everyone. It’s nice to see you all.” I searched the space until my eyes landed on Cooper. “Thanks for the welcome.”

He nodded, and I noticed that today’s scruff was just slightly longer than yesterday’s.

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