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“Smart idea,” I mused as I walked up to the edge. Across from me was the large building that Kelsey said Beck worked in. I wondered what floor he worked on, and if he looked out his office window, would he see me right now?
I smiled and turned to head back into the apartment. I decided not to unpack just yet. Beck hadn’t told me if we were staying at his place this evening and going to the ranch tomorrow, or if we were leaving straight after he got off work.
Not knowing what else to do, I reached into my backpack and pulled out the book I was reading and headed into the living room. The doorbell rang, and I quickly grabbed my purse and headed to open it.
“Hi!” I said to the delivery guy, who was holding a big bag. “How much do I owe you?”
He grinned. “It’s been taken care of.”
“Oh,” I said with a smile. “Let me tip you then.”
He handed me the bag. “Already taken care of too.”
“Thank you so much.”
“Have a good evening,” he called out, as he made his way down the hall.
Kicking the door shut with my foot, I walked into the kitchen and set the bag down. Opening it, I saw it was a huge charcuterie board. My stomach growled.
Turning around, I spied a wine fridge. Opening it, I pulled out a few bottles and settled on a nice Texas merlot. Pouring myself a glass, I brought the board into the living room and placed it on the large coffee table. I sat on the sofa, set my wine down, and crossed my legs.
“Wine. Cheese. Crackers. Meat. And a good book. I’m in heaven.”
I got so lost in the book and snacking on the board, I hadn’t noticed the sun was starting to set in the sky. I looked up and admired the beautiful oranges and pinks streaking across the horizon. Then I jumped when the blinds automatically started to shut.
“Fancy,” I whispered, as I looked at the nearly empty board. “Crap.”
Picking up my phone, I sent Beck another text. I’d sent him one earlier, letting him know that I was at his place, and he’d said he would be leaving in thirty minutes. That was about an hour ago.
Me: Hey! Just checking in. Is everything okay?
When I didn’t hear back from him right away, I figured he was in a meeting. I picked up my wine and took another drink. Then got lost in my romance book.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
BECK
If I had to listen to Stanly go on about profits for the quarter any longer, I was going to shoot myself in the foot.
Kelsey walked by the meeting room windows and met my gaze. She nodded, and I nearly jumped up and walked out of the meeting. Sitting at the other end of the table was my grandfather, though. When my gaze caught his, he looked disappointed.
I told him I was planning on taking the weekend off, and he’d been all for it, even telling me I should ask Rachel to go to some resort he’d recently heard about. When I told him for the hundredth time that I wasn’t interested in Rachel, he simply rolled his eyes.
But when I’d informed him that Avery had flown in, and we were going to the ranch, he suddenly remembered I had a dinner to attend Saturday night, a benefit that I knew damn well he was going to, so there was no need for me to be there. He then insisted we’d talk about it after the quarterly profits meeting. A meeting I wasn’t supposed to be in, but somehow got roped into anyway. I had to get Kelsey to pick up Avery at the airport.
When the meeting was over, I was stopped by Drake, a friend of mine from college who’d recently taken a position here as legal counsel. My grandfather always said he could never have enough lawyers. We caught up quickly before I told him I needed to excuse myself. I looked around the room to see Granddad had already left. As I made my way toward the exit, I kept getting stopped by people asking me this question or that.
I finally got out of the stuffy room and started toward my grandfather’s office.
I noticed his assistant wasn’t at her desk, which was surprising, and his door was open slightly. I started to reach for the knob when I heard Rachel talking.
“I’ve tried, Will. Over and over, short of walking into his office naked. He isn’t interested in me any longer.”
I frowned. I’d never heard her use my grandfather’s first name.
She sighed. “This plan of yours isn’t working.”
“Goddamn it! I thought for sure if I kept him busy, he’d remember what he had here and forget all about that damn hillbilly family. He’s just like his mother. Always wanting something they shouldn’t. Now this Avery girl is here. Probably trying to figure out how much money he’s worth.”
