Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 105850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
“Yes, sir?” I walked over to where he was standing.
“You appear to be daydreaming,” Theodore said coolly, looking down at me.
“Not at all, sir. Ryan was telling me about the damp issue with the doors and how it’s been resolved, so I was making a note to check off against the survey when I’m in the office.”
“Mm. Pay a little more attention to what I’m doing, please.”
Wow.
He hadn’t said a word to me for half an hour, and now he had a stick up his arse.
I took a deep breath and smiled flatly at him. “Of course, sir.”
***
Me: How are things at the office?
Melody: It’s too quiet. It’s strange. I keep expecting Mr Black to pop out of his office and demand a cup of tea.
I chuckled and clicked the reply box on the group chat.
Me: Well, he just did that to me, if it helps. Although it was more him glaring at me across the room.
Daniel: You’re sharing an office???
Me: I take sympathy donations in size Sauvignon Blanc.
Melody: Perhaps you should take it in Gordon’s gin, instead.
Hm.
Gin was stronger than wine, and I did enjoy a gin and lemonade every now and then.
Me: You might be onto something there.
Me: There hasn’t been any trouble, has there?
Daniel: Well…
Melody: It was nothing.
Me: Daniel. Talk.
Daniel: Emily Goldstein came back. She didn’t get past reception, but she caused a huge fuss, and the President has banned her from the building. I think they’re looking at legal ways to keep her away.
Good grief.
That woman really did have a screw loose.
Actually, she had the whole toolbox loose.
Me: Hmm. What did she want this time?
Melody: She claimed that she and Mr Black went out in university, so it was unreasonable that he didn’t want to see her.
Emily Goldstein and I had vastly different definitions of the word ‘unreasonable.’
Me: Perhaps them going out in university is why he doesn’t want to see her.
Daniel: I’ve only met her twice and I don’t want to see her, so I understand that.
Ha.
Tell me how you really feel, Daniel.
“What are you laughing at over there?” Theodore peered at me around the side of his monitor screen. “Are you slacking off, Miss St. James?”
“I would never, sir,” I replied. “I was checking in with Melody and Daniel.”
“In that group chat of yours?”
“It would be inefficient to check in separately, don’t you think?”
He grunted. “I think I should be in there for efficiency’s sake.”
“Just like nobody wants their boss at a company dinner, nobody wants their boss in the group chat, sir.” I reached for my tea and sipped.
“Ridiculous. I’m a delight to have dinner with. You’re doing it every night.”
“Because we’re cohabitating. Don’t take this the wrong way, but if we weren’t, I wouldn’t have dinner with you. At all.” I paused. “Sir.”
“Again, adding ‘sir’ to the end doesn’t make it polite,” he grumbled. “How is everything at the office?”
“Quiet, apparently.”
“Is that because I’m not there?”
“I’d wager so, sir.” I fought back a laugh. “Emily Goldstein showed up in reception today, apparently.”
He jumped to his feet and glared across the room. “What did she want this time?”
“Your attention. Apparently, the two of you went out in university and it’s ‘unreasonable’ that you don’t want to see her now.”
“Does she know the meaning of the word?”
“I don’t think so.”
“What happened to her?”
“She was removed after causing a scene, banned from the building, and the President is seeking legal advice.”
“Mph.” Theodore sat back down and wheeled his chair slightly to the side, so he didn’t have to strain around the side of his monstrous monitor. “We didn’t go out, you know.”
I swung my gaze from my screen over to him. “It’s none of my business, sir.”
“Perhaps, but I was just making it clear that my taste doesn’t extend to the desperate.”
“I’m aware. All you’re interested in is her father’s business, and only if he’s going to sell it to you. Is that right?”
He nodded. “Something like that.”
My laptop pinged, and a little box popped up in the corner of the screen from the company messaging service. Cassidy’s name was front and centre, and I clicked on it to read her message.
“Sir, the President would like to talk to you,” I said.
Theodore groaned. “Is it about Emily?”
“I believe you already know the answer to that.”
“Fine. Will you be done with your work by four?”
I nodded.
“Have him call me then. We’ve had a long day, so finish then.”
It was my turn to scoot my chair across and stare across the room. “Finish at… four? Are you ill, sir?”
“Would you like to work later, Miss St. James? I’m sure I can find you something to do.”
“That’s quite all right. Four sounds like an excellent time to get off work.” I quickly wheeled myself back to behind my laptop. “I’ll let Cassidy know.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN – CHLOE
An Unlikely Event
It’d been much easier than I’d thought to settle into a working routine in the extension at Buckley Cottage with Theodore.