Chapter 2
Devlin Potter let his mind wander as he waited for the coffee to finish brewing. He had a million things on his mind, the most important one being whether he was going to be offered the promotion in the accounting firm. He’d just graduated from college with his masters in accounting. Numbers had always fascinated him, and although a lot of people thought math was boring, he enjoyed it. He’d been with Frindhim Associates since he received his associates degree several years earlier, slowly moving up the ranks until he’d reached Assistant Controller.
But the job he wanted was for the newly vacated position of Controller. Just beyond that was Assistant Vice President of Finance and then Vice President. He had a five-year career plan and currently he was right on track.
After fixing his coffee, he returned to his cubicle and opened the financials to begin work. As the day slipped by, he wondered if he’d been passed up for the promotion.
His desk phone rang and he answered.
“Hey Devlin, can you come in my office, please?” Harry Frindhim, the president of the company said when Devlin answered.
“Sure thing, Mr. Frindhim.”
His heart jumped into his throat as excitement rippled through him. Heading to the corner office, he knocked on the door and opened it. The Vice President and Assistant Vice President were sitting across the desk from Mr. Frindhim. Devlin greeted them and took the empty chair.
“I think you know that you were on the short list for the controller job,” Mr. Frindhim said. “You’ve been an asset to the company since you came on, and I’m offering you the position. You’ll start Monday.”
The Assistant Vice President handed Devlin a folder. “Your salary goes up twenty percent. You’ll have a review every ninety days to go over your progress for the quarter. You’ll get an extra week of vacation, too.”
“That’s wonderful, thank you so much. I’m honored to accept the job,” Devlin said. He wasn’t just honored, he wanted to run around the building screaming like a lunatic.
“Great,” Mr. Frindhim said. “My assistant will put your promotion in a company-wide email. We’ll include you in the process for hiring your replacement.”
“Thank you,” Devlin said, standing and shaking each man’s hand.
He managed to hold back the huge grin until he left the office, and then he couldn’t help himself and smiled so broadly that his cheeks hurt.
“Good news, I take it?” Sam, one of his fellow accountants asked as Devlin sat at his desk.
“I got it.”
“Great news! Want to go out and celebrate?”
“Yeah, I would, but my sister has a thing.”
His brows rose. “A thing?”
“Yeah, she’s working at a candy shop at a zoo and they’re having some kind of party tonight and I promised I’d go.”
“Maybe tomorrow?”
“I won’t be in tomorrow, actually. Since Trina lives in New Jersey, I’m staying at a hotel for the night so I don’t have to drive back late. But next week, definitely.”
“Cool. Congrats, again.”
“Thanks.”
Devlin finished his work for the day and left, calling his parents on the way home. He’d left work early so that he could run home, change, and head down to the zoo for Trina’s party.
“I’m so proud of you,” his mom said at hearing the news.
“Congratulations, son.”
“Thanks. I was beginning to think my five-year plan wasn’t going to happen.”
“You and your plans,” his mom said with a chuckle. “Life wasn’t meant to be planned out to the minute.”
“Sorry Mom, you just don’t understand because you’re not a Type A personality. I like having my life planned.”
“I don’t know where you got that from.”
“Me,” his dad said. “It’s what makes us Potter men so irresistible.”
“Well, I don’t know about that. I think it’s your cute tushes.”
Devlin groaned, “Mom!”
She laughed. “Are you on the way to the zoo?”
“Not yet. I have to change. I’ll be there around eight.”
The party started at seven, but Devlin knew he wouldn’t be able to leave early enough to make it at the start.
“I’ll let Trina know. See you tonight.”
He said goodbye and ended the call. He stopped at his condo long enough to take a quick shower and change into jeans and a button-down shirt. He’d already packed an overnight bag, so he grabbed it and headed back to his car. Setting the GPS for the Amazing Adventures Safari Park, he turned on the radio and started the journey. He was curious about his sister’s new job, working with their cousin Lexy at a candy shop in the zoo.
He and Trin were very different people, but he supposed that was the way of siblings. Where he’d excelled in school and gone on to college, Trin had been happy to get average grades in school and work retail instead. It had been her dream to work for Lexy at a bakery because Lexy was an award-winning baker. He’d always hoped that his sister would decide to go to college, but he knew that she was happy and that was what mattered. Not the degrees or the job title, but the happiness.
Which made him take pause.
Was he happy?
Hell yes! He’d just gotten the promotion he’d been chomping at the bit for. Except, there was a part of him that wished he’d had someone to see when he came home at night. He dated frequently, but he’d never found a woman that made him feel like she was the one for him. He thought there should be fireworks and instant attraction. Trina had a new boyfriend named Justus, who also worked at the zoo. Devlin hadn’t met him yet, but it was his job as older brother to make sure his sister wasn’t making any bad decisions, so he had a few questions for the new guy in her life.
“So,” he said to himself, “if my career is on track, then maybe it’s time to start looking for a relationship.”
Deciding that it was a good idea, Devlin promised himself that he’d focus on finding a girlfriend and starting the next chapter of his life.
* * *
Devlin arrived at the park at eight thirty. He’d messaged Trin that he was stuck in a little traffic, and she’d promised to save him his favorite candy – dark chocolate sea salt caramels.
There were guards at the gate. They asked for ID, verifying that he was on the list of invited guests. Trina told him that the park had closed early that evening for the event.
“Follow the candlelit walkway,” one of the guards said as he closed the big gate behind Devlin.
He looked around and saw a paper lantern sitting at the edge of a path. The interior flickered with candlelight.
“Thanks,” he said, heading toward the lantern. More lanterns appeared every few feet that led him to a large, open area that was full of people milling about. He made his way through the crowd to the building with the sign that read, Lexy’s Sweet Treasures.
He found his parents inside, said hello, and then hugged Lexy and Trina.
“It looks great,” he said. “Are you excited about opening to the public?”
Lexy grinned. “Yes! I can’t wait. Did you get any treats?”
He looked at Trina. “She promised to save me some chocolate.”
“I did,” Trina said. “Hold on.”
Lexy waved to a man who joined them. “Devlin, this is my boyfriend, Win. This is my cousin, Devlin.”
He shook Win’s hand. “Nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Me, too. Glad you could make it.”
Trina appeared with a small glass plate with six dark chocolate squares topped with sea salt, which she handed to Devlin. Right behind her was a tall man, who looked Devlin over silently and then smiled and stuck out his hand. “You must be the brother.”
He chuckled as he shook his hand. “Yes, I’m Devlin. You’re the boyfriend, I take it?”
Trina said, “You guys are being weird. This is Justus.”
“I heard you like math. Are you sure? Because you look like you work out for a living.”
Devlin worked out often. He took pride in his well-toned body and big muscles. He also had a number of tatts, which were all hidden under his work clothes.
“Trin always said that I was a walking contradiction.”
“You are!” she said. “You look like a biker or a hoodlum but you wear a suit and work with numbers all day.”
“I never said that anything about me made sense,” Devlin said. “But I’m happy, and that’s what matters.”
Trin stared up at him in silence for a moment. Then she said, “I’m happy.”
Devlin glanced at Justus and saw the protective way the man stood, just behind his sister, watching for trouble. “I’m glad.”
She tilted her head. “Are you really happy?”
“I got offered the promotion today.”
“What? Yay! I’m so proud of you!” She laughed as she hugged him.
Something caught his attention and in the open doorway he saw a beautiful blonde woman staring at him. Her blue eyes were piercing all the way through to his heart, and he felt a tug of something familiar, as if he’d known her his whole life, even though he’d never laid eyes on her before.
“Thanks, kiddo,” he said, extracting her arms from around his neck.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing’s wrong,” he said, flashing her a smile. “I’ll be right back.”
He set the plate of chocolates down on one of the tables and stalked through the shop. The blonde took one last look at him and disappeared, but he wasn’t about to let her get away. He couldn’t think past how beautiful she was, and how much he wanted to talk to her. He’d never been so singularly captivated by a woman. The only thought banging around in his skull was a word he’d never uttered about a woman in his life before: MINE.