Page 13 of That First Date

“I know how you two work in the boardroom. You’re both ruthless and dominate any sale that’s put in front of you. You handle your employees with respect, which is why we have such a low turnover rate. However…” He pauses. “I don’t know much about your personal lives.”

Shit. I can feel the color begin to drain from my face.

“I want to learn about who you are outside of work. Family is a big deal to me. I want to know that the future of this company, that I built from the ground up, is in good hands and can eventually be passed down for generations to come. I don’t want someone else to be in this position with no children or grandchildren to pass the legacy down, which is why I’ve decided to wait until the end of summer to make a final decision.”

That does it right there. I know without a doubt I am white as a ghost as I take in what he’s saying. He hasn’t made a final decision because he wants to learn about our families.

“I know neither of you have children right now.” He laughs. “So that isn't a factor in my decision. But I’m staying in the city and would like to spend some time with both of you outside of work. Basically what I’m saying is, I won’t be in the office at all. I would actually like this to be my last time here. I am here strictly on avacation.” He uses air quotes as he says the word.

“That’s great,” Todd interjects. “I would love to have you and the wife over to the lake house one weekend. We can even take the boat out.”

“That sounds great, Todd,” Bill says before turning to me. “And how is wedding planning with Avery going? Would you two be able to fit in some time with Cathy and me this summer?”

I swallow the lump in my throat. “Yes, sir. We’d love to. We planned a long engagement. We didn’t want to rush into anything so our schedule is wide open. We aren’t getting married until next spring.”

“Excellent.” Bill beams.

“We’re getting married this winter,” Todd says without being asked.

“Okay,” Bill says flatly. “We will touch base and figure some things out.”

“Awesome.” There’s a little too much excitement in Todd's tone.

The three of us stand from our seats, shake hands and say our goodbyes before Bill and Todd exit the room. I’m eager to follow but my feet don’t move from this spot in the boardroom.

I have to tell Avery that the deal is back on.

She is not going to like this one bit.

You know that saying,it’s been a long week, but it’s only Tuesday? That’s me today.

Yesterday was my first day back to work. At first, it was because I took some time off to be with Peyton. Gigi was like a second grandmother to me. Well, more like a first. Both of my grandparents died when I was a baby. All I have ever known in the form of a grandparent figure has been her. She adopted me into her life, and I was changed for the better.

Of course, right before I was scheduled to come back to work, my mom fell on some ice and broke her hip. Marc was nice enough to let me take some more time off so I could spend it in Vermont with her while she recovered.

Now here I am, back in the city and back at work. Don’t take that the wrong way, I love my job, and I actually love working. It’s because of my personality that my bosses have never walked all over me as an assistant. I am no one's coffee bitch. The work I do as an assistant is meaningful and helpful. My obsession with organization has been one of the highest praises from past employers. Marc knows this. I will not fetch your dry cleaning, but I will do things in the office that help you with business like keeping records in order and having contracts ready to go.

However, being in close quarters with Marc has me wound up tighter than an Olympian’s spandex. He’s the only man that has crossed my path who has the potential to melt my icy heart. It’sdefinitelynot love. I’m not sure what it is, and it freaks me the hell out. I’m calling it physical attraction because I get these weird butterflies in my stomach when he’s around. I just don’t get it,why him?

My phone buzzing in my purse pulls me out of my thoughts. I look down and see its Dean. We met before I left for Vermont. Everything with him has just been casual. They say the best way to get over a guy is to get under another. That’s all that Dean was supposed to be. When I returned back, he was adamant on getting together more often.

“Hey, Dean.”

“Hey, babe. Good morning.” He sounds way too damn chipper for this early in the morning.

“Morning.”

Why Dean sticks around is beyond me because I’m really not that nice. The sex is mediocre at best, good enough to hold me over. But there is nothing exclusive about us. It drives me crazy because I have made itveryclear countless times. He claims the whole calling me ‘babe’ thing can work for friends with benefits. Never in my life has a casual hook up called me that.

If I were a normal person, Dean would be up high on the list as my type. Not quite a top spot contender, but he’s up there. He’s a true Prince Charming, he’s caring and treats women with respect. He’s also good looking, has washboard abs, and a stable job. He has a lot of boxes checked on the pro side. The con side, however, has just as many. He’s blonde… which isn’t my ideal type. They just don’t do it for me. Give me tall, dark haired, and handsome. I can’t even wear heels around the guy and that bothers me more than I care to admit. The biggest nail in the coffin is that the man chews like a cow. I don’t want to seeorhear your food being crunched around in your mouth.

These make me picky and shallow, don’t they? But listen, if a girl is going to give in and give arealrelationship a try for the first time in her life, she needs to be picky.

“How did you sleep last night?” His question cuts though my rambling thoughts.

“Fine,” I say, just as I push open the car door to head into the office.

“That’s good.” I can feel the smile on his lips through the phone and that just annoys me. Clearly this is a one-sided thing.

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