Page 6 of Cole's Command

It was true. Eden believed in being present, and that meant throwing her full focus into the current moment. She’d worked hard for her role, and her dad had been behind her one hundred percent. There was no benefit to inhabiting her grief. As a trained psychotherapist, she knew that well enough. Her father would want her to move on, and that’s what she intended to do.

With her software loading, she walked out of her office, past Joe’s desk and the array of expensive sofas that her partners had insisted she buy toward the large kitchen. Joe usually took care of refreshments, so this was the only time of the day Eden ever got to be in there. She started the coffee-maker and glanced around the room. It was spotless, just as she liked it.

“Joe is such a star,” she murmured, thankful that she’d been able to snare such an efficient and attentive personal assistant.

Greg Webber and Jon Wilson, her partners, had created quite a stir when she’d chosen a man for the job. They preferred petite blondes for their staff, but Eden had no time for their old-fashioned views. They were excellent professionals, but she didn’t share their outdated perspectives. She was an equal opportunities employer, resolved to carve out a better world than the one she’d been born into, and that meant that men could be assistants as easily as women could be leaders. She was gratified to break the mold.

The noise of the coffee brewing captured her concentration, and after glancing back at the machine, she poured herself a cup of unadulterated bliss. She adored coffee, always had, but her strict system meant that this would be the only cup she got to drink today. That was why she always purchased the best coffee beans, ensuring her one daily treat was as heavenly as possible. Breathing in the intoxicating aroma, she couldn’t resist the way her lips curled in a smile, and clutching her cup, she crossed the floor back into the vast waiting room.

“Look at that view,” she whispered, although there was no one there to hear her as she sipped at her cup of utopia.

Eden had worked there for more than a year, but still she never tired of the mesmerizing sight. She wasn’t much of a city girl, preferring the rural place she’d grown up in, but to thrive in her chosen field, there had been no choice. She’d had to come to the city to succeed, but there wasn’t a day that she wasn’t grateful for where she’d ended up. The sense of completion she felt as she stood there awed by the vista each morning was unrivalled.

The sound of the elevator stirred her from her thoughts, and she spun just in time to see the doors slide open to reveal her assistant. Joe grinned as he moved toward her, motioning to the cityscape at her rear.

“Good morning, boss. Enjoying the view?”

“I am,” she replied, peering back over her shoulder as if to confirm the point. “You’re early today.” Joe didn’t usually arrive until closer to half past eight in the morning, although his role didn’t officially start until nine o’clock.

“I know. We have a busy day.” He shrugged, smiling as he turned and put his personal possessions down on his desk. She watched as he offloaded his normal rucksack, followed by a handful of paper bags. “I bought us breakfast.”

Us?

Her eyebrow arched at the perturbing thought. There was no ‘us’. Joe had been working for her for a little under a year. Professional, composed, and organized, his work ethic made her life a lot easier, but beyond that, she didn’t know the guy, which was just how she wanted things to remain. Eden had worked too damn hard to fall at the feet of the first guy who showed her any attention, and Joe wasn’t the first guy.

Don’t be silly, she admonished herself. It’s not like that. He’s just being kind. Stop standing there staring and say something...

“Well, thank you.” Gripping her cup tighter, she waited as he closed the distance between them, unnerved by the odd turn of events. Was Joe playing some sort of sexual advance, or was this only a friendly gesture? She had the sense that however she managed the next few minutes could be pivotal. “There was really no need.”

The last thing Eden needed was a snack which was no doubt high in salt, sugar or both. She drank a personalized power-shake after her workout every morning that was packed with all of the nutrients she needed until lunch. She rarely allowed herself anything store-bought for good reason—most of it was full of rubbish her body didn’t need.

“Here.” He thrust a paper bag in her direction. “I hope I got your order right.”

Oh, jeez. What has he got me?

“It’s so kind of you.” She took the bag from him out of sheer politeness alone.

Manners cost nothing was one of the many things her father had drilled into her, though she hoped that this time that advice wouldn’t prove to be unfounded.

“Wanna look?” Edging closer, he gestured to the bag with what she assumed was supposed to be a boyish smirk. “I’d hate to not give you what you wanted.”

What I want? What did a man like Joe know of her hopes and aspirations? He was barely out of school himself.

“Let me check,” she replied, recoiling from the red flags he was waving.

Taking a step back, she turned to the immense window, hoping her retreat was subtle enough not to hurt his feelings. She liked Joe and appreciated his ethos but wouldn’t accept being made to feel uncomfortable in her own workspace. If this was a one-off gesture of goodwill, then fair enough, but if she got the impression that there was more loaded into Joe’s intention—if he tried to cross the line—then they would have words.

Opening up the paper bag, she surveyed its contents. “A croissant.”

“Yeah, I...” Joe shifted his weight from one foot to the other, suddenly looking nervous. “I didn’t know what you liked, so I went Continental.” His laughter sounded shallow as it resounded in the open space.

“Thanks,” she reiterated, closing the bag and meeting his eyes. His resume said he was twenty-six, but his baby face alluded to a much younger man. “It’s a nice thought.”

“But you don’t like it?” he probed, apparently keener for her approval than she’d realized.

“It’s an indulgence I shouldn’t entertain, but yes,” she told him. “I like croissants.”

“I think you can get away with it, Dr. Lewis.” His chuckle deepened as he motioned to her. “I mean, you’re in really great shape.”

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