Page 7 of Falling for the CEO

“Boys!” Grandfather chided.

“I didn’t get much sleep. Ben was up most of the night. Happens a lot lately. I nap during the day. My team is already getting anxious with my bizarre sleep habits.”

I was a very hands-on CEO. I liked to be involved in the day-to-day business, not just on a strategic level. But right now, Ben took priority.

Jake straightened up in his seat. “Want me to assign someone from New York Consulting to your company?”

“I appreciate the offer, but it’s not necessary.”

Prior to moving back to Boston, Jake ran a successful consulting company in New York. He was still part of it but not as operationally involved as he first had been.

“You tell us if you need anything,” Cade said.

“I will.”

Grandfather cleared his throat. He wasn’t a man of many words, so I listened intently. “It’s important to take things one day at a time. You can’t fix everything right away.”

I’d always been good at prioritizing, and Ben was right on top, which was why I bought this house. I liked that I didn’t have to worry about decorating it, but I realized now that everything was too white for my taste—it reminded me of a hospital.

It would have to do because I had no time to deal with stuff like this right now. I prioritized the convenience. Hence why I’d ordered pizza for everyone today. We spoke about Whitley Industries a bit, up until Grandmother returned. She put a pair of tiny socks on the table.

“I made these for Ben. Haven’t knitted since Gabe was the same size as Ben, but I’ll practice.”

“Thanks,” I said. I took Ben back from Jake, so my brother could eat more easily.

"I had a lovely interaction," she said, grabbing a slice of pizza.

"With who?"

"Your neighbor. She's a darling girl, out for a walk with a beautiful collie. Have you met her?"

"No. I moved in five days ago, and I've slept maybe five hours in total. So no, I haven’t met my neighbor, or any neighbors for that matter. I'm sure she's great."

"She's very beautiful too."

I stared at Grandmother and then at my brothers. "Everyone heard that, right?" I was struggling to keep my tone polite. I was exhausted and stretched thin—the last thing I needed was for Grandmother to try and set me up with someone.

"Oh, I didn't mean anything by it," Grandmother said. I didn't believe her one bit.

Grandfather cleared his throat. “Jeannie.”

Grandmother immediately closed her mouth. Clearly, she'd been about to dish more about my neighbor. Just how much had Grandmother talked to her? She'd only been gone for a few minutes.

"Let's finish the pizza and get out of Spencer’s hair,” Gabe said, laughing.

As I focused on eating a slice of pizza without dropping any cheese on Ben, I took a good look at my grandfather. He was doing well lately. When one of the companies in Whitley Industries—Whitley Advertising—had been in trouble, he’d gone back to work against the doctor's orders. That landed him in the emergency room and had prompted Jake to return to Boston and take over Whitley Advertising. Ever since, we'd been keeping an eye on Grandfather.

"Why is everyone so serious?" I asked.

Cade cleared his throat. "We are going to give you shit about everything at some point. Just not right now. It's still all too fresh."

"I appreciate it," I said with a grin.

Ben fussed in my arms.

"Can I hold him for a bit?" Natalie asked. “I’m done eating.”

"Sure.”

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