Page 3 of Snowed In with the Bosses

“Love you, squirt.” Dad’s words in Mom’s voice, the best I could ever hope to hear from the man I’d lost so long ago. I refused to lose her too. Not yet. I’d do everything in my power to make sure she had the best care, no matter what it cost me. I said goodbye to Bridget and made my way home. The drive was a blur of memories tangled with thoughts of how I could get another helper to care for Mom. Should I pay for a housekeeper or see about better treatments for her cancer?

By the time I pulled up to my white house with its blue shutters, I’d almost worked myself into a frenzy of tears. I shot a look at the gray sky where snow clouds loomed and hurried inside, my steps crunching on ankle-deep snow with every step.

I needed comfort food, maybe a good cry with a sappy movie, and a nap on the couch. There was nothing better for a lazy Sunday than that combo. Once I’d put all my outerwear away in the closet, I turned on the oven and pulled a pizza from the freezer. Not as good as Marcello’s Italian place down by the florist shop, but it would do. I’d grab a slice from Marcello’s at lunch tomorrow…if I had time.

It was going to be a crazy day. I’d left a stack of notes on my desk to tackle first thing in the morning, and there were a few projects in need of a personal touch. I might just be a juniorarchitect with a few months under my belt at the company, but I knew how to finesse a plan.

The kitchen was already clean, but I wiped down the gray granite and put my coffee cup back in the cabinet for tomorrow. Deafening silence wrapped around me, a far cry from Mom’s laughter and the constant creaking of her house as it settled. Mine was new, modern, with all the sleek polish and curved edges I loved. But the emptiness poked at me. I should look into getting a dog. I’d been telling myself that for years but never committed.

Sinking onto the edge of a kitchen chair while I waited on the oven to heat, I scrolled across my social media. Nothing new except a few likes from random dudes. A notification popped up from my work email. I hesitated. Surely it could wait until tomorrow. If it was an emergency, someone would call. Still…what if? Against all practical judgment telling me to wait, I clicked over to my email. Three names on the cc line snagged my attention and I almost choked on my own spit.

Alexander Thorne. Liam Davies. Ethan Moore. Three men who took tall, dark, and handsome to the extreme. What the fuck was my name doing on an email alongside theirs? It looked so small and puny there. Clara Perry. Heart in my throat, I thumbed over their names without opening the email. I’d nicknamed them the Silver Foxes, something I would never, ever admit to their faces.

My phone pinged, this time with a text message from an unknown number. What the hell?

I clicked it open, my stupid curiosity always getting the better of me, and almost sucked my tongue down my throat as I read the text message.

Clara, this is Alexander Thorne. I’d like you to meet today for lunch to discuss an upcoming project.If you’re free to meet, there’s a reservation at Tinsel Tandys for 4 p.m.

2

ALEXANDER

“Here, you look like you need this.” Liam’s eyes widened to a comical level as he handed me a cracker with caviar slathered over the top.

I batted his hand away. “Fuck off.”

Ethan’s bark of laughter covered Liam’s protest.

“You think Harrington’s sold?” I would usually bank my questions for later, but I trusted Ethan and Liam with every aspect of the company. It was a position I’d never afforded anyone but them. Our meeting with Harrington and Summit Group’s board left a bitterness in my mouth that told me we were missing something.

Liam, Ethan, and I had taken off to Tinsel Tandys to discuss our next step.

“It’s a big project.” Ethan picked a crumb from his sleeve and flicked it onto his napkin. We’d been seated the instant we arrived, and now we waited to see if Clara deigned to join us. “I’m surprised the board insisted on Clara.”

Her name swept through me like a hot summer breeze in the middle of winter. My body awakened, my pulse kicking up.

Liam turned his phone around. “I’ve been looking at her stats. She’s pretty impressive.”

“More like prettyandimpressive.” Ethan’s brows slashed low, and he leaned forward to stare at Liam’s phone. “Not a single failed project. And she’s handled some tough contracts. That Booker and Cobalt deal was serious business.”

Like Liam and I, Ethan was rarely impressed, but Clara’s profile had all the right signs of an outstanding architect. All she needed was the prestige and publicity a project like Harrington’s would bring to the table. “But she’s a junior architect,” I reminded them. “Can we count on her to hold up under the stress?”

“One way to find out?” Ethan sat back and straightened his legs beneath the table. “We all started out like Clara. Look where we are now. I’m not going to make a judgment call yet.”

My phone buzzed, then buzzed three more times in quick succession. I rolled my eyes while retrieving my phone. “That’ll be Regina.”

“What’s wrong with this one?” Liam popped a grape in his mouth and followed it with a block of cheese that smelled like a dead man’s armpit. He held up a hand. “Don’t tell me. She said another man’s name during sex.”

“You’re an asshole.” But I laughed and blocked Regina. “Any chance you can hack her phone and remove my information? I never should have given it to her in the first place.” I gave Ethan my best pleading look.

“I’m not breaking the law. Not even for you.” He slapped my back. “Maybe stop fucking around so much.”

“Better yet, marry one of them and put the whole town at ease. Everyone in Silverbrook is anxious for you to put a ring on it,” Liam said with a perfectly straight face.

“If I ever meet a girl as pretty as you, I might consider it.” I patted his cheek. “Or would you rather I put a ring onyou?”

“Now you’ve done it.” Ethan grinned and held out a hand between us. “Before this devolves into a high school drama, you should know that Clara’s here.”

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