Page 16 of Honor

“We won’t,” I answer without hesitation because I need sleep more than I need another deal at this point.

“Good.” She smiles again, but this time, it’s wide and lights up her entire face. “I have plans tonight.”

With a man?

That question almost leaves my lips, but I halt it because I don’t care who the hell she has plans with.

I can’t care. She’s my assistant.That makes her off-limits.

“Pull up the detail sheet for the Lightfoot deal,” I say, even though we are days away from closing that deal, and there’s no reason for me to review it again.

“I’ll do that,” she says without questioning why I’m asking her to do something she knows is a waste of time. “I’ll email it to you straight away. Look for the subject line that is marked Lightfoot deal.”

It takes effort not to laugh at the slight jab since I’m the one who blew a fuse when she forgot to fill in the subject line on an email months ago.

My frustration had nothing to do with her at the time, but she bore the brunt of it like the professional she is.

“I’ll keep my eyes open for it.” I have no idea if that’s the truth because I may end up taking a power nap with my head in the middle of this breakfast plate if I don’t chug the coffee waiting for me on my desk.

“I didn’t congratulate you on the Bandello deal, Mr. Hunt.” She sighs. “It’s a wonderful acquisition for Vidori. The potential to make a profit is certainly there.”

“It is,” I agree before taking the conversation further. “Are you familiar with the vineyard?”

“I’m a fan of full-bodied red wines,” she admits. “Bandello’s has a lot of promise, but there’s an underlying bitter note. With a few tweaks, I think it could rival any of the big name west coast brands.”

Information like that would have helped me immensely during the marathon negotiation session I was stuck in last night.

“Anyways, congrats again, sir.” She glances at her desk. “I’ll get the information on the Lightfoot deal to you and confirm my plans with the person I’m seeing tonight.”

“You do that,” I say with a bite of frustration in my tone because regardless of how much I shouldn’t give a shit about who she’s meeting up with tonight, I do care.

For the first time since Evangeline Starling started working for me, I’m curious about her life outside of this office.

CHAPTER TEN

Evie

As soon asI’ve sent the detail sheet for the Lightfoot deal to Mr Hunt, I send a text message to Lottie.

Evie: Good morning! I’m free as a bird tonight, so how would you feel about dinner instead of a coffee? My treat.

One of the kindest and most thoughtful things Cleo ever did for me was introducing me to a diner called Crispy Biscuit.

It’s a casual place with a small town feel and the best burgers in the city.

I’m sure Mr. Hunt would disagree, but other than his clothing, he has no taste. That’s a guess, at best, because I don’t have any insight into what he likes and doesn’t like other than how he takes his coffee and what he prefers on top of a hotdog.

I set my phone to vibrate right before Lottie’s response lights up my screen.

Lottie: I’d love that. Tell me where and when and I’ll be there.

I can’t contain a smile because I’ll look forward to having a burger all day, along with the look on Lottie’s face when she tastes the food at Crispy Biscuit.

I respond quickly because it’s only a matter of time before my boss sends me that list of tasks I need to handle today.

Evie: There’s a diner called Crispy Biscuit that makes the best burgers. They also have vegan options, although I’ve never tried any of them. If there’s another restaurant you’d prefer we go to, I’m open to suggestions.

I reread that rambling message before I shrug a shoulder and press send. It may not be concise, but it spells out my thoughts. I am open to suggestions, but I’m secretly hoping she’ll jump on board with my idea of eating at the diner.

---