Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 76232 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 381(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76232 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 381(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
Not today, though. She had too much self-respect to be late, but she’d done some thinking over the past three weeks and had had a realization of sorts. It was time for a change. Not just her hair and makeup, though that had been a step in the right direction.
Instinct told her she needed to lean even further in to her gut belief that it was time to change things up, starting with the job front. Not that she wanted a new job. She loved her job, truly. But it was demanding as heck and not just because she managed three guys. Ever since she’d gotten her business degree and been promoted to office administrator, she’d become the go-to resource for all of the other admins—the one who trained the newbies, who mentored the juniors, who handled the crises. She loved that part of the job and took pride in not just doing her job well but showing others how to do theirs well, too.
But she’d also just seen how short life could be, and as much as she loved coming to work every day, she didn’t want her entire life to be work. She didn’t want to wake up one day and realize she’d spent the prime of her life behind a desk.
Something had to give.
Kate stepped off the elevator, braced for the overwhelming sense that she wasn’t ready, but instead she felt a layer of calm seem to settle over her at the familiarity of the Wolfe offices. She headed toward the kitchen to put her lunch in the fridge, then to her desk, where . . .
“Oh.” She skidded to a halt. “Hello.”
The boy—and yes, that really was the best word—stood up so fast, the wheeled chair shot backward, and she was pretty sure he’d been tempted to salute but caught himself just in time. His blond hair was thick and just a little bit curly, his eyes enormous and green. He had the lanky awkwardness of a colt and the perfect smile of someone with an excellent orthodontist.
“You must be the new guy,” she said with a smile. She knew her temporary replacement would be here today so they could transition, but she’d expected him to be a nine a.m. and not a minute before kind of guy. Instead, he’d beat her in.
“You must be Miss Henley.”
“Good God, did you just bow?” she asked good-naturedly, going to her desk and setting her bag in its usual spot.
The kid winced. “Sorry. I’ve just heard a lot about you. I’m sort of in awe.”
“Good things, I hope,” she murmured, her gaze skimming over her desk, relieved to see it was every bit as tidy as when she’d left. “Christian, right?”
He extended a hand. “Christian Loubin.”
She blinked. “As in . . . ?”
“Yeah. I know. It’s close to the designer. My dad had no idea; my mom definitely did. He finally caught on and gave her a pair of Christian Louboutins for my first birthday.”
“What’d you get?”
“My first taste of chocolate. I maintain I got the better end of the deal.”
“Totally,” Kate agreed, frowning when she saw him picking up his mug and bag. “What are you doing?”
“You’re back now. I thought . . .”
“What, that I’d make you sit on the floor? Stay. Actually . . .” She pointed at the computer. “Since you’re already logged in, let’s write an email to Tim in facilities and see about getting another desk up here.”
“Up . . . here? A second desk, just for the day?”
She crossed her arms and leaned against the desk. “Do you like it here?”
He nodded as he pulled his chair back in and brought up a new message. “I do. It’s fast-paced, but I love that. And I thought it’d be overwhelming to support three directors, and it can be, but they’re fair.”
“Yeah, they’re great.”
They also liked Christian. She’d texted with Ian and Matt over the weekend, and though they’d made it very clear they couldn’t wait to have her back, they’d also reassured her that the new guy had held down the fort quite well.
“Who’s your favorite?”
His already wide eyes went even bigger, and she laughed. “Kidding. We don’t know each other well enough for that.”
“Who’s your favorite?” he asked, surprising her.
“Oh, you know,” she said with a wave of her hand. “They’re like my brothers, which means I love them and hate them with equal intensity depending on the time of day.” She didn’t add that for one of the guys, the sentiment was only half-true. She had loved and hated Kennedy with intensity over the years, but she could safely say that he had never, ever felt like a brother.
Especially not now.
“You know what time he gets in?” Kate asked.
“Which one?”
Kate froze, then smiled to recover. “Sorry. All of them.”
Christian clicked open the calendar. “Average day for all of them. Should be any minute.” He looked over at her, then looked away. “Hey, I know we just met, but I’m sorry to hear about your loss.”