Page 27 of Serving the Mogul

“I understand.” She blew out a breath, then gave me a tight smile. “I have options should it come to having to vacate the premises for a short time.”

“Alright.” My phone buzzed again.Damn him.I knew it was him. It was like I’d developed spider-sense or something. Only it pertained to Maximus and Maximus alone. It was annoying as hell. Instead of remembering him as the shallow asshole you can expect when dating a playboy, I thought about other things. I thought about how he touched me, how his hands felt electric on my skin, and the way his eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled.

As I forced my attention away from the sexiest guy I’d ever known, I continued. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, but if the worst happens, I’ve got a kick-ass crew I subcontract with, and they can handle these issues.”

“Wonderful.” She rubbed her hands together. “Most of the board members are…well, onboard. We’re meeting at the end of the week, so I’ll let you know when we have the go-ahead.”

“Sounds good.” Covering my vibrating phone, I gave her my best professional smile. “Tell me if you need anything before then.”

We ended the Zoom call, and I picked up my phone.

Yes. Maximus had been buzzing.

He’d called twice during that fifteen-minute Zoom session. And sent five texts. More than yesterday.

And, of course, he’d tried with the flowers again.

Brooding, as I stared at the many unread texts, I told myself that it was anger towards him.

Recalling the elegant woman, who had pointed out her brunch date with Maximus, I refused to consider the emotions inside me could be anything but anger.

Not hurt.

Definitely...not...hurt. I hardly knew the guy. So what if he were easy to talk to and liked my sharp mouth, liked that I had a brain and enjoyed using it, or that I’d kicked his ass at laser tag?

Everything about him pointed toward him being an expert at seducing women into his bed. Not that I knew all that much. It wasn’t like I’d been snooping around online trying to find out more about him.

There was no reason to, right?

My phone rang, the vibration in my hand made me jump–and I swore. “Maximus, for crying out loud…”

But the swear lingering on my tongue faded as I saw Dina’s name pop up.

I could dodge Maximus’ calls, not my sister’s.

* * *

“So,”Dina said, sitting across from me, a bottle of wine between us, each of us with a full glass already poured. “Are you going to talk?”

“About what?” Sipping my wine gave me something to do with my hands, and I could stall a few more seconds as I tasted it, letting it roll around on my tongue before swallowing. Holding the glass up to the light, I swirled it around. “The wine’s not too bad.”

“I was hoping for better than that.” She sighed and took a sip of her own. “But that’s my impression, too. Not too bad.”

“There’ll be a better one.” Four more bottles of wine waited. A relatively new regional winery had approached Dina about using their label at certain events, and my sister enjoyed supporting local businesses when possible. I liked to enjoy the samples she occasionally brought with her.

“Let’s hope. We’ll finish this one off and try the rosé next.” She took another sip, then focused on me once more. “Now…why are you so down?”

Huffing out a breath, I said, “You are like a dog with a bone.”

“Damn straight.” She blew me a kiss and put down her glass so she could select a slice of fruit. After crunching into an apple, she waved a hand, waiting for me to spill.

“I’m just bummed about how things are going with my business.”

Her face softened, sympathy in her eyes. “You’ll get things turned around. You always do. Things are looking good with that project for the shelter, right?”

“Yeah.” Taking a golden slice of cheddar, I nibbled on it. I kept my gaze averted so Dina wouldn’t pick up on the relief in my eyes. Not that my business didn’t worry me. I was beyond worried, the stress of it enough to keep me awake late into the night far too often. But that wasn’t the main reason for my dark mood the past few days. “It’s not a high dollar project, but it is money—and it’s a good way to get my name out there too. Roseanne—she’s the CEO and runs everything—she says she’d like to do an open house after the renovation. Offer training to the residents to help them land jobs and reach out to local businesses that are open to help.”

“That’s a good idea.” Dina leaned back in her seat, sipping her wine as she considered. “Shoot me her email. I’ll contact her. That sort of thing is something I’d like to be involved in.”

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