Page 21 of The Texan's Secrets

“Both.”

“So, what are you asking?” If she had a suspicious nature, she’d have thought he was making up an excuse to call her. Which was kind of sweet and gave her a warm glow.

“If you have a few minutes, I can show you,” he said.

Emilia hesitated. She fiercely guarded her privacy and wondered if he was angling to come over to her house. That seemed too intimate for someone she’d only just met. Plus, she’d have done a deep cleaning if she was expecting company. “Uh...”

“I’m at Workspace Plus on Thermal Avenue. Are you anywhere close?”

Close? She was very close, only ten blocks away. “That’s not too far from me.”

“I rent an office on the third floor. Suite 309. You take a right as you get off the elevator.”

“Sure,” she said, energized by the thought of seeing him again so soon.

They ended the call, and she ran a comb through her hair. She changed from her yoga pants to a pair of khakis and pulled a forest green bulky knit sweater over her faded T-shirt. Then she stepped into a pair of flats and crossed the strap of a small purse across her torso for the walk.

It was a chilly evening. But there were plenty of families and office workers on the sidewalk between the tree-lined boulevard and the neighborhood shops, likely out for an early dinner or making their way home from work.

Before long she came to the double glass doors of the Workspace Plus coworking space and entered the spacious foyer. An elevator took her to the third floor of the building where she found Nick’s office with the door propped partway open.

She entered a large, generic but comfortable-looking reception area. It was subtle toned, with four taupe armchairs around a polished maple coffee table. There was an empty reception desk against the back wall. A hallway opened next to the desk, but she couldn’t see all the way to the end. The space was bigger than she’d expected. She’d always thought most coworking spaces were small cubicles or common meeting rooms that rented out by the hour.

“Hello?” she called out.

Nick quickly emerged from the hallway in a steel blue dress shirt and a pair of charcoal pants. “That was fast.”

“I was close enough to walk, so I didn’t have to hunt for a parking spot.”

He crossed the room with smooth strides, drew her gently into his arms and gave her a quick and surprisingly natural-feeling kiss. “I’m glad you could make it.”

“This is nice,” she said looking around at the potted plants and a wall of windows overlooking the street. “Is it all yours?”

“It’s leased, of course. And I do most of my work from home, but I prefer to meet clients here.”

Emilia almost never met her clients in person. She worked for firms all around the country and overseas, making her a fan of video chats.

“Do you employ staff?” For some reason, she’d assumed he ran a one-person operation like her.

“A few,” he said. “The administrator works here daily. But most everyone else works from home like me. It seems more efficient—work-life balance and all.” He toed a wedge from beneath the door to the public hallway and let it swing shut. “My office is down this way.” He pointed across the reception area to the interior hallway.

She went first, seeing five open doors, two on each side and one at the end. The end door seemed to lead into a boardroom.

“Second on the right,” he said.

His office was as impressive as the reception area. About half was taken up by a U-shaped desk with an array of six monitors and plenty of open desktop space. She was envious of that alone. But the rest of the office was equally well-appointed. It had the same muted tones, lush plants and wall of windows as the reception area. A four-person meeting table sat in one corner. In the other was a sofa and two armchairs around a square, glass-topped coffee table.

“Thirsty?” he asked, opening a small fridge beneath a sink and counter.

“Sure. Whatever you’ve got,” she answered, moving to the big desk. “If this was me, I’d sure work here all the time.”

“I’ve got a setup almost exactly like it at home. Soft drink? Beer? Spritzer?”

“I have monitor envy.”

He chuckled at that.

“A spritzer is an option?” she asked, liking the sound of something refreshing.

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