AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She shook her head. “It’s not necessary. I’m sure Cody told you the money in my trust came from your success. You provided well for me.”
“I really hate the thought of having to thank your grandfather,” he grumbled.
“In this case, I think he still owes you an apology.”
Nate’s eyes brightened at that. “Good, because I don’t think I could get the words out.”
“I won’t be thanking him for it, either. But I will meet you for lunch. Around noon?”
“Sounds perfect. I’ll see you later.” Her dad smiled, then leaned in and kissed her cheek. “I’m looking forward to this.”
“Me too.” She walked with him to the front door and waved him off, then went to her room to shower and pick the perfect outfit for lunch. And for seeing Cody again.
It felt new and exciting to think about how she looked for someone else. She wanted to impress him. She wanted him to like her.
So far, he did. A lot, it seemed.
And for the first time in a long time, she opened herself up to wanting more.
Chapter Fifteen
Morning didn’t pass in hours, but in the number of times Cody thought about Summer. She was a distraction he couldn’t afford to indulge in, but his mind didn’t seem to want to think about anything else. By his third meeting, it was getting embarrassing to have colleagues and clients clear their throats or call his name to get his attention back on the subject at hand.
After this last meeting, he’d opted to stay in the conference room for a few minutes to clear his head. He had a million things to do today, but all he wanted to do was go home and see her. Before he thought about it, he picked up his cell from the table to call her, then realized he didn’t have her number.
Glancing at his watch, he wondered if she’d arrived for lunch with her dad yet.
He grabbed his files and headed for the conference room door as two guys walked side by side down the hallway, engrossed in conversation and not paying attention to who was around them.
“Did you see her?”
“I couldn’t miss her. I thought his oldest was in high school. But she’s definitely not. She’s hot.”
The first guy got a certain look in his eyes. “Those legs... I’d like to...”
“Not finish that sentence and keep your job,” Cody said just as they got to the door he stood in, files and phone in hand.
“Mr. Larkin, I... uh, didn’t see you there,” the guy stammered.
Cody recognized both men. They worked in the finance department, but he couldn’t place their names at the moment. “If you don’t want to spend the next week at the mercy of the human resources department going through their comprehensive sexual harassment seminar, I suggest you choose your words more carefully in the office.”
“Yes, sir,” both men said, looking properly contrite and nervous about being reprimanded. Cody couldn’t have employees talking about any woman that way in the office and thinking it was okay. And he damn well wasn’t going to let anyone talk about Summer that way when he was around.
“I suggest the two of you get back to work.”
Wisely, they left without another word. Cody headed out of the conference room and upstairs. His day was looking up, Summer was in the building. Now all he had to do was catch up to her before she left with Nate.
Walking off the elevator, he scanned the wide room, disappointed that among all the cubicles and people outside the executive offices, he didn’t see the one woman he wanted. And god, how he wanted her. If he was this tied up in knots after a day, he didn’t want to know what he’d be like in a week. He hoped she didn’t have him on his knees begging.
With that thought in mind, he told himself to take a step back, not let her see just how much she affected him.
Yeah, right. Like she didn’t already know.
Brenda, his administrative assistant, looked nervous and rushed as he approached her desk outside his office. Three lights were lit on her phone and she was opening documents on her computer as the printer spit out papers with a steady hum and slide.
“Cody, security just called. The gentlemen from Parkington are on their way up. The contracts are on your desk. I can set you up in the executive conference room if you’d like.”
“My office is fine. What are you printing?” He didn’t think he’d ever seen the thing spit out so many pages at once.
