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“I am. What was that all about?”
“I have to go to Mexico. Brice Delaney broke his leg riding on a motorcycle.”
Before I could answer, Noah rose from the bed to start packing. I turned on my side, tucking the light blue duvet cover around my neck and watched him remove clothing from the dresser, admiring his strong muscular back and shoulders. In fifteen minutes, he was packed, dressed, and kissing me goodbye.
“When will you be back?”
“Client is there with his family for another four days. I should be back on Friday night just in time for waffles.”
I smiled at the reference to our standing Saturday morning date for breakfast. It was the one meal that was mine to cook. Noah loved my Belgian waffles. I pushed the duvet off and followed him out of the bedroom to the door. He hugged me tightly, and I stroked the stubble on his face.
“Call me when you arrive,” I said.
“I will. Get some sleep; you have work tomorrow.”
“I’m not sure if I’ll be able to go back to sleep without you.”
“Try. I love you.”
One final peck on the cheek and Noah was out the door. I wandered through the loft, stopping to stare out at the lights of the city which dotted the landscape across Central Park. It was now almost 3:00 AM. In another three hours, I would have to be up for work. I went to lie in bed but after forty-five minutes of trying to get back to sleep, I gave up. The next few days would be hard on me trying to sleep without Noah.
Instead, I went to take a shower and after, curled up on the wingback chair, and picked up my well-worn copy of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice novel I was previously reading. At five, I got up to get myself a cup of coffee wiping drips from the almond granite island. In about two short hours I would be heading for the office.
I didn’t need to be in until nine, but I chose to get in early. It was quiet, and I didn’t have to brave the heavy crowds on the subway at seven that I would have to an hour later.
I needed to decide what to wear as I stood in the oversized walk-in closet. I chose my gray business suit with a white blouse, black heels and curled my pin-straight hair. I was ready before seven and headed out into the warm spring sunshine. I loved May. You could say it was my favorite time of year when everything renewed.
By 7:45, I was sitting at my desk with my travel mug full of coffee, paging through my schedule, and checking emails. I heard someone coming down the hall and it turned out to be JC.
“Good Morning, Lexi. You’re in early.”
I frowned at him since I had asked him several times to call me Alexa. He must have gotten the clue.
JC gave me a lopsided grin. “I’m sorry, I meant Alexa.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll be in to discuss a few things shortly. We have a full day ahead of us.”
He ducked out my door before I could question him. What full day? I thought the projects on my schedule were all that I had to deal with. A minute later, JC walked in with his tablet and came around to my desk. He leaned over me and placed the tablet down as he brought up the promotion my predecessor had been working on.
“This is a problem. Our client is unhappy which is why the previous person in your position is no longer here. I had to bear his workload until I spoke to Vincent.”
I understood he was referring to Vincent Barker, the Barker in Barker and Perez.
I looked up at JC. “What kind of feedback did the client give?”
“First off, the color scheme is completely wrong. It’s too harsh. The graphics need to be sharpened, and the copy isn’t as strong or persuasive as it needs to be.”
“I think I can clean this up. When do you need it by?”
“Last week.”
I sighed. “JC, I have a full workload.”
“Everything will take a backseat for this. We’re on the verge of the client dropping us. It needs to be finished as soon as you can. Are you against working late tonight?”
“No. Noah had to go to Mexico. I might as well stay late since I have nothing else to do, and I hate going home to an empty apartment.”
