Page 35 of Say You Remember Me
The buzzof my phone pulled me from the chaotic packing I’d thrown myself into as soon as I got home. It was Wednesday afternoon, the day before the Boston Summit, and Ian had let me off early so I could get ready for our trip. I’d been jittery all day, not sure what to expect from the weekend.
Was I nervous? Probably more than I should be, considering I wasn’t the one giving a presentation in front of hundreds of people. But I knew how important this event was for Ian, and I wanted to be as supportive as possible.
He’d mentioned picking me up at Sloan’s house around two, so when my phone buzzed, I half-expected it to be a message saying he was outside.
I grabbed my phone off the bed and opened the text.
Ian: Running a little behind. Could you meet me at my house instead? I’ll send the address.
I exhaled. At least I wasn’t the only one behind schedule. But he wanted me to meet at his house? My curiosity immediately spiked.
Where did a man like Ian Hastings live? Was it some sleek, modern apartment with a perfect view of downtown? Or maybe something bigger—a house?
He was a billionaire, after all.
Or did he live with his parents? I remembered Owen joking about them sharing the pool house at the Hastings Estate after college, but that was a while ago.
Deciding I wouldn’t figure that out until I was actually at the place, I just texted him back.
Me: Sure! I’ll head your way.
Within seconds, his address popped up. I tapped it into my navigation app and grabbed my bags, excitement bubbling under my skin.
My first big work trip.
After years of working in a small-town office, I was stepping into the big business world, attending a huge conference with one of the biggest powerhouses in the industry.
Sure, I was just an assistant to said powerhouse and not an actual player in the field, but it was still surreal.
“I’ll see you on Sunday, okay?” I told Grant when I made it downstairs with my luggage. He was sitting in the living room with Sloan, doing a puzzle at the coffee table while he waited for his dad to pick him up. “Come give me one last hug.”
Grant jumped up from the floor, and I set my bags down to bend over and give him a hug and a kiss.
“Have fun on your trip,” Grant said, hugging me back. “I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you, too,” I said, my heart squeezing in my chest.
Even though his dad and I had been trading off days with him over the past year, Jaxon usually having Grant on the weekends with me having the weekdays, it was still hard to be separatedfrom my little buddy after so many years of having him all the time.
But I knew Grant would be well taken care of. And despite the way Jaxon and his new girlfriend had gotten their start, Janica was also really sweet with Grant, and I knew she loved him, too.
“I’ll see you soon,” I said again, knowing I needed to get out the door since Ian had hoped to be on our way to Boston before rush-hour traffic hit. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Grant said.
I gave Sloan a quick hug next. After saying my goodbyes, I picked up my bags again and headed out the door.
As I drove through the streets of Eden Falls toward the neighborhoods on the north end of town, the homes around me started to grow in size—first modest, then sprawling.
And okay, wow. There are some beautiful houses out this way.
Every turn I made brought me closer to what I imagined must be the fanciest house I’d ever been to. By the time my GPS announced I was almost there, the street was lined with enormous, manicured homes that looked straight out of a magazine.
Did Ian still live with his parents, then? Because I really couldn’t imagine a bachelor needing a house like any of these.
My navigation app told me to turn onto a stone driveway with a huge gate. And after double checking the address, I clicked the button to buzz whoever was monitoring the gate.
“Hello, how can I help you?” a deep voice asked from the speaker in the box.
