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I wasn’t in the mood to sit across from my uncle Tony asking me why I didn’t have a boyfriend, then listen to him offer me his reasons why. Besides, having the house to myself sounded too good to be true.
Me: Thanks, but tell Zia that I can’t make it. Tell her I’ll be working late.
Work was a great excuse for my family. No one questioned or criticized it. Work came first. If you had to work, then you had to work.
Marco: You don’t really, do you? ?
Why did Marco have to know me so well?
Me: Have fun!
“Frances,” Mariam called from her office. I threw my phone in my bag and carried the printouts to her desk.
“These are for our meetings this afternoon,” I said, handing them to her.
“Thank you. But that’s not why I called you in here.”
I bit the inside of my cheek, wondering if she would ask me about my sour mood. But she didn’t. Instead, she asked, “Do you know Morgan’s PA?”
“Morgan’s PA?” Why would she want to know that?
“I’d said I wouldn’t involve you, but Robert Morgan has stopped returning my calls and my emails have gone unread. Just wondering if he’s purposely ignoring me or if something happened to him.”
I wondered about that myself. “Yes. I’ve spoken to his PA before. I’ll give her a call this afternoon.”
“Thanks. Oh, and Frances. Just wanted to say, I think you’re doing a great job. I’m happy to have you onboard.”
I forced my lips into a smile, even though I felt guilty about last night’s conversation with Paul. Was Robert ignoring her? Would the PA even know that? Probably. Personal assistants knew everything about their bosses, even if their bosses weren’t aware that they knew.
Although I told Mariam I would call Diane this afternoon, I called her as soon as I got to my desk. I wanted to get the phone call with Colton’s ex over with as soon as possible.
“Robert Morgan’s office. How can I help you?” That wasn’t Diane’s voice.
I wondered if she still worked there.
“Is Diane there?” I asked.
“She’s off this week. This is Jill. What can I do for you?”
“Hey, Jill. This is Frances Netto calling from Mariam Mahmoud’s office at Sterling Realty.”
“Great. How can I help you?” Jill sounded chipper, if a bit rushed. So, I cut the formalities and got right to it.
“Listen, is Robert around? Mariam’s been trying to get a hold of him, but he hasn’t responded.”
“He’s been at his cabin most of the month and hasn’t taken any new business meetings. Wait, hold on.” Jill clicked away at her keyboard. “Yes. He has a meeting this afternoon with Colton Crawford. Did you want me to book something tomorrow for Mariam?”
“That would be great.”
A few more clicks. “Done. She’s in at four.”
“Thanks, Jill. I really appreciate it.” I rushed off the phone and knocked on Mariam’s open door.
When she looked up from her computer, I said, “I got you a meeting with Morgan tomorrow at four o’clock.”
“Great work,” she said, a broad smile spreading across her face. “Let’s work on a new proposal after today’s meetings. You don’t mind staying late, do you?”
“Not at all,” I said, relieved that my earlier lie to Marco turned out to be the truth.
