Page 10 of Gilded Dreams

I nod and toast the air with my coffee cup. “You’re right.” I down half of the coffee before diving into the fresh pastry, saving half for Justice. “But there’s no rest for the wicked or the tired.”

“I don’t think there’s anything wicked about you. Stick with me. I’ll make sure it stays that way.”

My mouth forms a soft smile. “Thank you for that.” I think. I duck my head and pull up Justice’s name on chat and type out a quickalmost there.

I should talk with my workaholic friend about the hours we’re keeping. But being so new at the partner table makes me hesitant. I know I’ll need to make my bones before asking favors for time off.

But when the hired help starts commenting on the bags under the eyes and getting you food because you don’t have time to eat, it should be a sign something needs to give, right?

The dark SUV comes to a stop outside our high-rise, and I elbow the door closed after one last heart-felt thank you for breakfast.

“Oh wait!” I knock on the window and the driver stops suddenly. I jerk the door open and lean in. “My phone. Sorry about that.”

“Wouldn’t want that to happen again.”

“No kidding.” Once in a while is okay, but almost every day this week borders on me losing my mind.Get it together, Kandy.I wave him off and head inside.

New York City is nothing if not beautiful in the late fall. A few ornamental trees with fake orange leaves and twinkle lights decorate the large glass entrance and I duck behind them when I notice the company’s tech guy waiting by the bank of elevators.

Joshua something. I really need to work on my ability to recall names, but his name isn’t my problem at the moment. Keeping hidden is. He’s a whizz with tech but makes my skin crawl. I press a little deeper behind the tree when he turns my way. Handsome, sandy blond hair and aqua-colored eyes give him a California laid-back look. But looks can be deceiving.

Every time I call him to the office to fix my laptop, the creep vibes on my radar ping past one hundred which keep me from jumping at the chance to ride the twenty floors up solo with him.

The second he’s whooshed out of sight I jump to another elevator and head straight for Justice’s office the second the door pings open. I swing through the large maple door and offer up a quick smile.

She holds a hand up and points at the phone in her hand. She mouthsnew clients, thirty million contract.

Holy shit, I mouth back. Really, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the outrageous amounts of money tossed around in everyday talk within these walls. Well not ever, but not right this second.

Justice hangs up and there’s a glow about her I know comes from being a new mother to a three-month-old. “How’s the baby and the guys?”

“When I left home they were all asleep on the living room floor. It looked like a toy factory exploded. Everything that girl owns covered every square inch. The baby was on Jacob’s chest fast asleep. I think they had a stuffed toy rager well after two in the morning. That baby girl has all three of them wrapped around her tiny little pinky. Last night they each took turns tending to her so I could sleep.”

“I thought there was something different about you.”

“Yeah, I actually got more than two hours of shut-eye for the first time inforevahhh. Speaking of sleep, have you gotten any?”

“The bags under my eyes are that bad?”

“Pretty much.”

I pull out my tablet and thumb through today’s agenda. “Not in recent memory. I haven’t made my bed in over a week at least. I haven’t made it past the couch. Please tell me what it is like,” I tease, passing her the white bag holding the other uneaten half of my Danish.

She takes it and dives in. “Oh. What’s this? Damn that’s good stuff. Since when do you have time in the morning to grab breakfast? Tell me your secrets?”

“I didn’t. Mr. Mackay gave it to me.”

Justice takes another bite. “Who?”

I tap the screen and approve of a few meetings a couple of high rolling clients are requesting through our assistant. “The driver.”

Justice nods and in goes the last little bit. “I don’t think I’ve had a bite to eat that hasn’t come from one of the guys cooking it or a deli in a solid year.”

I huff. “But you’ve got an empire in return. Besides, Christmas is coming and you’ll have two whole weeks of domestic bliss to enjoy with Jacob, Lucian, Seth, and the baby. I doubt you’ll go a single day that those men don’t dote on you.”

I skim the pad of my thumb over the butterfly necklace around my neck.

Justice smiles and I tuck my chin to my chest. Stabs of pain slice through my heart, surprising me. The last thing I want to do is come off as jealous of my best friend’s happiness, but the ache slipping between my ribs and twisting is hard to ignore. I snatch at the butterfly necklace around my neck and stroke the wing.

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