Page 48 of Charmed and Alarmed

We change the topic, discussing our plans for the evening—dinner, sex, dessert, and more sex. There are definitely people watching us as Leni puts her crutches back under her arms, but I ignore them just as resolutely as I have all day as I move to open the door for her, kissing her cheek as she passes.

“I love you,” I tell her simply, loud enough for the people sitting close to us—including, but not limited to, the little shit who once asked her out for drinks—to hear. “Thank you for lunch.”

Leni clearly isn’t put off by the public display of affection. She beams at me over her shoulder. “You’re welcome. I love you too.”

As I close the glass door again, keeping her in the corner of my eye until she’s safely situated behind her desk, I’m more relaxed about the gossip than I have been since I got back to work. What did I expect, that Lenora Vogel would give a damn what anyone thought of her? That she’d get second thoughts about us because people are looking? Of course not.

Now, I just need to worry about Bram.

Since returning to the office, I’ve barely seen the man. He sticks to his side of the building, and I stick to mine. Our relationship won’t be the same as it was, I accept that, and if it means I get to keep Leni, it’s a price I’m willing to pay.

Accepting it doesn’t take away the sense of loss, though, or the guilt that comes from losing the trust of someone I care about. There aren’t many people who have remained in my life long-term. Bram has been one of the few constants, and now, I’ve traded that relationship for the one I have with Len.

It might take time, but I’m determined to make him see that I have good intentions here. While I have no practical experience in getting one of my oldest friends tonothate me for being in a relationship with his daughter, it stands to reason that if I continue to treat Leni well, Bram will stand down. Eventually.

The rest of the day passes in a chaotic blur. The team is finalizing plans for the E&V expansion, and, assuming he doesn’t cancel the meeting, we’re scheduled to present it to Bram at the end of next week. So, on top of my concerns about our personal relationship is the added worry of what would happen if he decides to scrap the entire thing. We purchased the lot, but apart from that, we aren’t past the point of no return with the project.

The firm has been growing exponentially; last year, we doubled our profits from the previous year, and we are officially out of physical space for staff. On top of that practical concern, a few of our senior architects are ready and very much deserve to become junior partners. If we don’t make room for them to start managing teams of their own, they’re bound to do what Bram and I did all those years ago—leave and become competitors. A business expansion of this size is a proactive, much-needed step, but a lot has changed since we began putting things into motion last summer.

Financially, I’ll be fine. On paper, anyway, I could retire tomorrow and take care of myself, and Leni, for that matter, for the rest of our lives. E&V is my life’s work, though, and I hate the idea of its progress faltering.

There’s nothing I can do about it right now, though, and I refuse to overlook how happy my girlfriend makes me because her father isn’t happy about it. So, when the end of the work week finally crawls to a close, and my staff is busy arguing over who will be taking Cross Beam home for the weekend—because god forbid a rodent be left alone in an enormous, temperature controlled environment for two whole days—I feel my heart lift as Leni hobbles into my office.

“So, I know I said I wasn’t going to use dating the boss to my advantage,” she begins.

I chuckle, standing with a stretch. “Yes, I believe there was an HR form or fifteen that you signed to that effect.”

This statement is ignored. “Please, can I use your bathroom? Because I’mverysad and my legreallyhurts, and I don’t want to goall the waydown the hall to the bathroom that doesn’t have the backlit mirror and the nice toilet paper.”

“I’m beginning to suspect you’re using your surgically repaired leg as a means to manipulate me, Miss Vogel.”

Leni doesn’t miss a beat, nodding, her expression grave. “I definitely am. Is it working?”

“No, but I do love you. So, I’m inclined to grant your bathroom request on that alone.” I open the door for her.

“Damn, being in love rocks.” Leni beams as she shuffles past on her crutches, pausing only to kiss my cheek before slipping inside and closing the door behind her.

Grinning to myself, I start packing up my laptop and various chargers as out in the office, people begin leaving for the weekend. I’m determined to set aside my concerns about work for a few days, as nothing is going to be resolved now.

Or so I thought.

The last thing I’m expecting is for a cool voice to sound from behind me as I’m searching through a pile of paperwork for the contracts I wanted to look over this weekend.

“She’s been happy lately.”

I start, whipping around to find Bram Vogel standing in the doorway. His hands are shoved deep in his pockets, and his gaze is appraising. Slowly, recovering myself, I nod. “Yes. She has.”

Bram moves further into my office, his eyes surveying the nearly empty workspace beyond the glass walls. Almost everyone has gone home for the night. “For months I’ve been trying to shove her into therapy and college, but she starts working for you, and suddenly she’s smiling again.”

I stare at him, searching for the correct response to this. Bram doesn’t seem to need one, however. He shakes his head, grimacing. “I recognize I didn’t exactly put myself in a position of moral authority, here. Surely you can see why I wouldn’t approve, though.”

Years of fucking around, side by side, hang heavily in the air between us.

I nod. “Yeah. I do. Would anyone’s disapproval have kept you from Sophie, though?”

We both know the answer to that. Bram’s jaw tightens. “Lenora and Sophie are at very different places in their lives. Len is delicate right now?—”

I snort. “Delicate? Have you met your daughter?” Bram glowers at me, but I ignore him as I continue. “She got knocked down,hard, and it’s taken her a while to get back up, but that doesn’t make her delicate. Did it ever occur to you that maybe tiptoeing around and treating her like she’s broken might not be helping?”

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