Page 13 of Flirting with the CEO

“No, she’s a painter. Dad is too. She always looked up to you as a fellow artist.”

“That’s lovely. Do they live in Boston?”

“Yes, but they're in Northern Europe right now. Their work is being shown at various galleries. I’m happy for them but also can’t wait for them to be back.” She pressed her lips together. “Sorry, that’s way too much information.”

I wanted to tell her that it was simply the Jeannie Whitley effect. Something about my grandmother invited people to open up. It had always been that way.

It was nice to hear that she missed her parents. In my book, that told me something about a person.

“It was nice meeting you, Jeannie," Zoey said.

"You, too, Zoey."

She stepped out of the office, and Grandmother looked at me pointedly.

"What?" I asked.

"You know, I always thought you needed to get out of the office more to find someone to date. You don't want to turn into a wrinkly old Grinch.”

There was an audible gasp from outside the room. I was absolutely sure that was Zoey.

“But I was wrong. You could start by dating Zoey,” Grandmother went on.

I walked toward the door, glancing outside. Sure enough, Zoey was walking with quick steps. I closed my office door, then, turning to Grandmother, realized this wasn't a coincidence. She didn't just run her mouth. ShewantedZoey to hear.

I cleared my throat, choosing my words carefully. "Grandmother, you cannot talk to me like that at the office."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to. Forgive your old grandmother. I just want the best for you."

That completely disarmed me. I knew she wanted the best. I just didn't like the way she went about it.

"Fine. But don't disregard what I said.” Then I added, “I’d never date anyone working for me. I'm not Father."

Grandmother turned pale. "Of course you’re not. It's not even the same thing."

True, it wasn't. My father led a double life. He was married to Mom, and they had five kids, but he also had a relationship with another woman, someone who’d worked for him. Then she moved to another city, but he continued his relationship with her, and they had three sons. That woman never knew Father was married. To this day, I will never understand how he managed to juggle two families. How my mom didn't suspect that his frequent trips outside the city weren't work related. How the other woman believed him when he said he didn't marry her because my grandparents didn't approve.

My brother Jake discovered the infidelity, and the family imploded. It was a tough time for us all. Father headed off to Australia, and my mom got sick. She passed away two years after. My younger brothers became troubled. I was in college at the time. It was a shit show trying to keep everything afloat. My grandparents handled us well and kept us on the straight and narrow.

"Colton, honestly, the things you say. You are a single, attractive young man, and she doesn't have any ring on."

I couldn't help myself. I burst out laughing. "You noticed that?"

Grandmother smiled. "Of course. It's one of the first things I look for."

"She could still be in a relationship."

It didn't matter if she was seeing someone or not. She was out of bounds completely.

"I think she'd be good for you."

"You've seen her for all of five seconds," I countered.

"And I already know all I need to."

"Humor me. What exactly did meeting her for that short amount of time tell you?"

"Clearly, she can go toe to toe with you. You didn't look at all happy about whatever it is she wants you to review, but she kept pushing."

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