Page 126 of Taming the CEO

"Yum," I exclaimed.

This day was absolutely fantastic. I was heading to the local council next to check on the approval for my business. Some things moved faster if you showed up in person. This was one of them. Luckily, there was no line when I arrived, so hopefully I could get in and out quickly.

I headed straight to Greta, who was handling permits.

"Cami," she greeted. She'd been in the same year in high school as me, although she'd been in a different class.

"Hi. I came to check on my permit."

"I'm so sorry. I've gotten a bit behind on my work. I was down with the flu last week."

"Oh." I winced. That was why she hadn't answered her phone. "I'm sorry for pestering you."

She shook her head. "No, no, don't apologize. I promised I'd get it to you last week. I'll do my best to have it ready tomorrow, okay? Everything's already been approved. I just need to process it."

"All right," I said, feeling giddy already. Realistically, I knew I could never open by Christmas, and even if I could, it would probably just be an empty space... but I wanted to get things moving before then.

"I'll call you when it's ready. You don't have to waste your time coming all the way over here," Greta said.

I couldn't decipher if she really meant that or if she just didn't want me breathing down her neck. Regardless, I wasn't going to show up here again because I knew being extra pushy wasn't helpful.

"All right. Have a great day, Greta," I said.

As I turned around, I heard someone moving behind me.

"Cami," Bill said, coming out of one of the offices. "I thought that was your voice."

"Hi, Bill."

I averted my gaze. I hadn’t run into him since informing him that I wasn't going to rent his place after all.

"I was hoping we could talk," he said. "I happen to have a free moment now before my next appointment. Would you like to come into my office?"

"Um, listen, if it's about the space for rent—"

"It's not. It's about the park."

I frowned. "We already signed the papers."

"I know, but I think there is something you should know."

"I suppose I have some time," I said, my stomach clenching.

He showed me to his office. I’d never been in here before. It was far smaller than I'd imagined and very stuffy. There were documents everywhere, his desk practically covered in paper.

My God, they really haven't moved into the digital era here.

"Have a seat.” He pointed at the chair opposite his.

"Um, I think I'll stand. Will this take long?"

"No, but you might want to sit anyway."

I broke out in a sweat, then sat down. Watching him intently, I took a sip from my cup.

He trained his eyes on me and said, "What I'm telling you has to stay between us."

"Why?" I asked.

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