Page 9 of Mine To Keep (Southern Wedding)

Nash laughs at her as he turns in his chair. “Anyway, we were wondering if you could help get a list started.”

“Say no more. I’ve got the perfect person for you.” She grabs her pen and starts to write down things.

“Okay, hold on a minute.” I hold up my hand. “This is a gala, not prom.”

She just stares at me, or better yet, glares at me for a minute and then I see her eyes shift. “Ugh.” She slaps her pad. “There goes the balloon arch I was going to do at the entrance and the photo booth.” She snaps her fingers. “And the streamers and poppers.”

Nash throws his head back and laughs at her. “I don’t know why, that sounds like a lot of fun.” He points at her.

“I know the top event planners in the country,” she says. “If you want, I can give them a call and have them set up a Zoom meeting.”

“You know the top event planners in the country?” I repeat like it’s a joke.

“Happily Ever After Events,” she states.

“I’ve heard of them,” Nash says, and I pfft through my lips. “What? I have, look them up.”

“Anyway,” Grace goes on, “if you want, I can call in a favor.”

“You are going to call in a favor,” I repeat. “What? Did one of them babysit you?”

“Actually, she did.” She laughs, and she’s about to say something else when the phone on her desk rings. “Let me know if you want me to call her.” She turns and walks out of the room, leaning over the desk to answer the phone.

Nash whistles low when all we see is her ass. “Do you mind?” My hand goes into a fist on the desk, and Nash looks over at me. “Stop ogling my PA.”

“I’m going to see if she wants to go out with me,” he announces, and I shake my head.

“Immediately, no.” My head moves even faster. “Absolutely not, we aren’t allowed to date anyone in the company. We went over this when your last PA sued you for sexual harassment.”

“She didn’t sue us,” Nash denies, and my eyebrows shoot up. “She did it for attention.”

I look over to where Grace is and see that she’s not there anymore. My eyes roam the floor to see where she went. I can’t see her anywhere. “Whatever she did it for, we now have a no-fraternization policy.”

I’m about to tell him something when there is a knock on the door, and I look up to see Loren. “May I come in?” I just stare at her. “I’m here because there has been a complaint in the HR department.”

“No way,” Nash gloats, “I thought that only happened at my office.”

“There has never been an HR complaint.” I just look at Loren. “Who is it against?”

“Funny you should ask,” she says, folding her arms over her chest. “You.”

My mouth hangs open in shock at the same time Nash hits my desk as he howls with laughter. “Me?” I say, shocked. “By who?”

She tilts her head to the side, and just when I thought my day couldn’t get any worse, it does. It gets so much worse when she says the name of the person who reported me. I shouldn’t be surprised, but I am. “Grace.”

five

Grace

“It’s quitting time.” I look up from the notes I’m making to Kayla as she stops in front of my desk. “Week one down in the books.”

I smirk at her. “Going to be really honest,” I say, looking over my shoulder at my boss sitting at his desk, leaning back in his own chair on the phone. His door has been closed since Monday afternoon, only opening it when he has to come out to go to the kitchen or to bark orders at me. “Didn’t think I would make it past day two.” I shake my head. “Actually, day one.”

“Well, some of us are hitting up a bar around the corner,” she states, “you should join us.”

“I wish.” I lay my elbows on my desk, folding my hands together. “I’m moving into my new place this weekend,” I tell her. “Family is coming up to help, so I’m thinking it might just turn into a circus.”

“Well, if you change your mind, you are more than welcome to join.” She smiles at me one last time before something behind me catches her eye. “Incoming,” she mumbles before she walks off.

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