Page 55 of Love in Mission City
I shouldn’t have found it so damn sexy…but I did. “He wanted the perfect house for his husband…even though they weren’t together at the time.” Yet again, I waved my hand in the air. “Doesn’t matter. Long story. Anyway, he’s got two projects right now with, I believe, two more lined up, including the Donnelly project.”
My assistant snapped his fingers. “Right. That’s later this month. Yeah, he’ll be busy. And yay, I get to spend more time with him.”
“As opposed to George.” I injected just the right tone of dryness.
Orlando snickered.
“Well, we’re doing the Singh job with him. In fact, I’m expecting you to go out to the site next week and see how things are going.”
His face fell, with his lips drooping downward. Sexy, puffy, kissable lips. And on that note… “Aside from the Collard job, did you have anything to add?”
He gave another wistful look out the window, then shook his head. “I’ll get the materials prepared for Jeanie.” He pointed at me. “And you’re taking Canada Day off.”
“As you say.”
After a long moment, he left.
I left a big note on my calendar to not call him on the statutory holiday and ask why he wasn’t at work. Then I adjusted my trousers and got back to my tasks.
Chapter Two
Orlando
"Knight! What do you think? I've finished the Duncraig job design. I think it's wonderful. And Fiona, over at the depot, said that if we want to place an order for these tiles in the next three weeks, we can get them on discount..." I stopped suddenly after walking into my boss’s office.
Okay, he often referred to it asbursting.
And he might or might not have been right about that. But when I had good news, why stand on ceremony? If he had clients, then of course I knocked. When just the two of us were in the office, I didn’t see the point. In fact, I didn’t understand why he kept his door closed at all. He should be able to see into the lobby.
Well, and me, of course. This morning, I wore a fabulous sage-green suit with a pale-pink shirt and a white tie with rainbow unicorns on it. Very subdued and appropriate for the stifling hot weather outside. After having lived just below the arctic circle formost of my life, this humid heat took some getting used to. We’d have hot days up north, of course, but nothing like this.
Knight stood with his arm against the window and his forehead resting on that.
As I gazed past him at the spectacular view, I noted dark clouds moving in from the west, off the Pacific. “A storm?”
He nodded.
“Are you getting a migraine?” I laid my tablet on his desk and hustled around to his drawer. He probably thought I didn’t know about his stash of headache pills, but I knew everything. “These go under your tongue, right?” I located the box and started to take a pill out.
“I’m fine, Orlando.”
He looked anythingbutfine. His normally rosy skin had a wan tone, and his bright, dark-brown eyes didn’t sparkle. “You just—”
“I said I’m fine.” He met my gaze.
Slowly, I put the unwrapped pill back in the box, closed it up, put it back in the drawer, and closed that as well. I put my hand on my hip. “Okay, well, clearly something’s up. I come in here with the best news—that Fiona can get us a great deal—and you’re all dark and moody.” With his blond hair, he struggled to pull off broody. The dark eyes helped—especially when they went all stormy and sexy. I pictured him as a blond Mr. Rochester. All dramatic. The light hair really detracted from the gothicJane Eyrefantasy.
“Moody?” He might’ve growled that. “I just found out Jacqui Friar is coming in on Monday morning, expecting the designs for herdream townhouse complexto be ready.”
Funny how he used air quotes—so unlike him.
I tapped my index finger against my lips. “Okay, so we move Jeanie to Tuesday or, even better, Wednesday. She’s a sweetheart. She’ll understand.” Because even I knew thattheJacqui Friar always came first. The woman was one of the most successful realtors in all of Cedar Valley. Hell, pretty much of everything east of Vancouver. She even rivalled some of the big-city realtors. Which always made me wonder why she hadn’t made the leap to the big city—except she liked being a big fish in a small pond.
So big, she nearly consumed everyone else.
“I thought she was coming in on the fifteenth.” I wracked my brain, trying to picture the office calendar I maintained that Knight often forgot to add things to.
“She was. But her husband’s on track to finish his latest development project early—and under budget.”
