Page 12 of Untroubled Heart

We take the elevator to the third floor, another space that's bright and open, sunlight filtering through the large windows around us. I trail behind Steven, marvelling at the classy, modern aesthetic of the place. It’s all sleek chrome and warm whites. Simple, but still inviting.

Steven’s boots click against the shiny tiles while my sneakers let out the occasional squeak. Westley assured me it was an informal meeting and to wear what I did when I was working at Lee’s office. That was mainly cotton tanks that stretched over my belly and equally stretchy skirts, since I was in my third trimester. My preference for pants did not coexist with the frequency and flexibility required to pee during pregnancy. Today, I opted for high-waisted tailored trousers and my clean Converse.

“This floor is just for Mason and his sister, Beth,” Steven says. “It has their offices, a conference room, and Beth’s design library. That’s where she keeps all her material samples. On occasion, she’ll ask me to help reorganise the space. She’s the interior designer, and Mason oversees the business’s financials, marketing, supplier relationships, project management, as well as working on the tools himself when he can.”

“Wow, I can see why he needs an assistant then.” I chuckle. “He sounds very busy.”

“Yes,” Steven nods with a smile, pausing before we reach an open door. “He needs a lot of reminding during the day of what he’s got on. I try to schedule his meetings first thing in the morning or right before lunch and don’t schedule too many things out of the office on the same day.”

Steven steps inside the room, and I follow, met with the sight of an absolutely gorgeous woman with straight brown hair sitting at the end of a long table. Her smoky eyeshadow makes her green eyes hypnotising and, for some reason, familiar. She stands from her chair, and I feel completely underdressed as I take in her leather-look trousers and sky-high stilettos.

“Hi, Callie, I’m Beth.” We shake hands before she gestures for me to take the chair opposite her. “Mason’s running a little late, but he should be here in a few minutes.”

“No worries.” I take my bag off my shoulder, lay it over my lap, and start fiddling with the clasp on the zipper. I haven’t done a lot of interviews. I completely underappreciated growing up in a small town. Everyone knew everyone, so there was no such thing as interviews.

“Can I get you anything to drink?” Steven asks, looking between Beth and me.

“I’m fine, thank you.” I shake my head with a smile.

“Can you make me a sweet tea, please?” Beth grins as she swivels in her chair, following Steven as he makes his way to the drink station set up behind them.

When she turns back to me, she leans her chin on top of her clasped hands. “Tell me a bit about yourself, Callie.”

“Okay.” I sit up, adjusting in my chair to hide the nerves. “I grew up in a small town, Trevally Falls.”

“My brother, Caleb, is building a house there.” She smiles

“Really? Wow, not many city folk move there. Killara Bay is much bigger as far as small coastal towns go.”

Beth nods. “Lex, his girlfriend, owns a tavern and distillery in Killara Bay, but they still travel quite a lot to the city. This was a good halfway point.”

“That makes sense.” I continue fiddling with the clasp on my bag. “I have a four-month-old daughter.”

Beth gasps as her eyes light up. “My other brother, Gage, just had a daughter two weeks ago.” She beams as she reaches for her phone on the table and rolls her chair beside me, bringing up her photo album to show me a picture of a sleeping baby snuggled tight in a yellow blanket. “This is Briony Beth.”

“She’s beautiful.” I smile. “Was she named after you?”

Beth continues to scroll through photos. The gorgeous girl is shown from all different angles, with close-ups of her long lashes sitting on chubby cheeks, her little fingers poking out the top of her blanket, and then one of a grinning Beth as she holds her in her arms.

“She was.” The soft smile on her face shows how proud she is of that honour. “What’s your daughter’s name”

“Navie.”

Steven places the iced drink in front of Beth as she makes an enthusiastic gasp. “Navie? Oh my god, that’s such a cute name.”

“Thank yo—” My words are abruptly stripped from existence when a photo crosses Beth’s screen of a selfie with her, Briony, and someone I can’t quite believe I’m seeing. Cos it sure as hell looks like the guy I met at The Wayside over the weekend.

I swallow the lump in my throat before I dare to ask the questions. “Who’s that?” I point my chin to her phone.

“Oh, that’s another brother, Mason. This is who you’ll be working with. Don’t worry, he’s much more mature than what this photo implies.”

Holy. Shit.

I’m meant to work for a guy who, days ago, told me if he wanted me in his bed, I’d be begging for it… and act like it never happened?

Let’s forget the small detail that I’m not dating right now, but I have to at least admit that the guy is annoyingly attractive.

Him and that ludicrously hot smile that hooks on one side before taking over his whole face. Those dual-coloured eyes. The wavy brown hair—ohhh, how I’ve always loved a dark-haired man.