CHAPTER THREE

Emma

I drove the five minutes from the gym to my temporary flat. I’d spent most of the last seven years traveling the globe and living in short-term housing. It beat hotel rooms because they had a washer and dryer and a full kitchen—not that I ever used the latter since I didn’t cook. But the vibe was all around more relaxing when I could come home to my own place rather than wade through a hotel lobby where I would have to deal with people.

While drinking my daily protein shake and then taking a quick shower, I shook off the strange morning at the gym with Avery and her brother. I chalked it up to my monthly allowance of socializing with strangers. Since staying in Texas, I’d certainly had to up my quota.

I laughed at the whiplash sensation of the situation. One moment I’d been dressing down bitchy Barbie, and five minutes later I was trying to make her feel better about her horrible breakup. Never say I didn’t do my part for society. Obviously, I felt bad for the girl. Betrayal had a tendency to stick with you. Even if she saw me as strong, I wasn’t above having my own pathetic backstory. Once, when I was young and naive, I’d fallen for a man who’d said the right things. Had he broken my heart? Nope. He’d shattered something much worse.

Come Monday morning, I woke as I typically did since coming to Dallas a few weeks ago, at six thirty a.m. I drove to the gym, did the seven o’clock body pump class, and drove back to shower and change for work. I donned my red Valentino dress with black Jimmy Choo shoes and decided to wear my hair up because the heat was starting to become a factor now going into May.

I was in the office by eight thirty with my boss, Simon, walking in about nine.

“Good morning, Emma. How was your weekend?” He was no longer the man who spent twelve hours a day in the office, which was refreshing.

We both worked for the Stone Group LLP. The headquarters was in New York City, but since Simon, a fellow Brit, had fallen in love with Peyton here in Dallas while we’d been on temporary assignment, he’d decided to stay in this area, at least temporarily.

I missed New York. There was something comforting about an urban landscape, where in the concrete jungle obscurity was easy to find among the masses.

For our temporary space, we’d rented twelve hundred square feet in a building in downtown Dallas. This included a good-sized office for Simon, a visitor’s office, and a small conference room, which held up to six people. My desk was placed by the entry, so I could monitor any clients coming in and answer the phones. It wasn’t bad. It just wasn’t what I was used to.

“My weekend? It’s weird, but after clicking my shoes three times and saying there was no place like home, I’m still here. And yours?”

He chuckled at our familiar joke. “Once again, that’s Kansas, not Texas. But it’s a good segue to having a proper discussion about the future.”

Oh, shit. I’d gone too far in making one too many cracks about Texas and being stuck here. My heart sank. Despite missing the big city and all the travel, the thought of no longer working for Simon left me cold. I might come off as tough, but my exterior was softer than most knew. And Simon was one of the very few I’d let in over the years.

“How about you come into my office and take a seat?”

Fuck. This seemed rather formal. I thought back to how many times I’d complained. He’d just started a relationship. The last thing he needed was me ragging on him for deciding to stay here and change his work priorities.

My stomach dropped. “Are you letting me go? I’d rather just know.”

His face showed shock. “No, of course not. I’m hoping to give you options.”

I forced myself to relax, hating that I instantly went to the worst-case scenario. Then again, it was in my nature. “Okay. Give me five minutes, and I’ll be in.” I needed a moment to gather my emotions.

His gaze was on me. “This isn’t bad news. Quite the contrary, I hope.”

It was unsettling when he could read me, but to be fair, I had the same uncanny ability regarding him. “Okay.”

“Come on in.”

I followed him into his office, taking the visitor’s chair and forcing myself not to wring my hands. If he’d told me it wasn’t bad news, then I needed to believe it.

“I’ll start by thanking you for being patient. I recognize staying in Dallas wasn’t part of your plan.”

“It’s not horrible.” My voice was soft, vulnerability rearing its head.

“But you miss the travel?”

I couldn’t manage a lie. “Yes. I do.”

“There’s someone coming in today on a trial basis. If it works out, he would take over most of the travel for me.”

“Would that mean I’d report to him?” Simon was the only boss who’d ever treated me with respect, despite the fact I didn’t have a college degree and had grown up with nothing.

“No. I envision you both reporting to me. But it’s important you two work well as a team since you’ll be spending most of your time together. If you’re thinking you’d like to move back to New York, still work with me, and only leave to travel with the new guy, well, I spoke with Phillip about that.”

Phillip was our boss and the owner of the Stone Group. “And?”

Simon looked uncomfortable. Immediately, I knew I wouldn’t like what he had to say. “He conveyed if you’re not here in Texas on assignment with me, then he’d have you work for someone else in the New York office.”

This didn’t surprise me. My boss was the brains behind his acquisitions, not me. Although if I was regaining the chance to travel frequently, did it matter where I was stationed? It wasn’t as though I had a permanent place to live in New York. Whenever I was there, I simply stayed in a hotel for a few days or in corporate housing similar to what I had here. Making the leap to ownership was way too permanent for me. “Where is this new guy from?”

“Houston, but he indicated he’s willing to travel.”

It floored me that Simon didn’t miss flying around the world. He used to have the same wanderlust I did.

“I know it’s not ideal, Emma. I realize New York is your first choice as a place to live. In fact, I could recommend to you a number of people at the Stone Group headquarters who’d be lucky to have you as assistant. But of course, selfishly, I’m hoping the renewed opportunity to travel will be enough to offset living in Texas in between. So, essentially, those are the options.”

In the long run, I knew I had a choice to make, but in the short term, I could only think of how relieved I was he wasn’t letting me go. That he still wanted me to work for him.

To say I didn’t deal well with rejection would be an understatement. I figured it subconsciously started when I was a toddler and my mother abandoned me. My father, too, for that matter, although, in his defense, I doubt he knew I existed. Bouncing around in foster care until reaching adult hood hadn’t exactly solidified a sense of belonging, either.

“I’m sorry. I know neither choice is ideal.”

He was a guy who never used to apologize, so hearing those words caused a lump in my throat. “There’s nothing for you to apologize for. I guess it’ll come down to this new guy.”

I wasn’t going to get my hopes up, however, as it wouldn’t be easy to find someone qualified. Simon not only analyzed which companies were best for acquisition, but he also then went on-site to conduct audits, interviews, and deal with the logistics of the sale. I imagined he’d continue do the analysis, but the new on-site person would have to be sharp and able to deal with a number of unforeseen obstacles.

“There will be a trip in two weeks to New York to get him acquainted with the office there.”

I perked up at the mention of my favorite city. “Am I going with you?”

“As if I’d leave you out.”

“Thank God.” I was in serious need of a spa treatment and getting my hair done at my favorite salon. Something about that city re-energized me. Perhaps I could simply schedule quarterly trips there to get my fix. At least I hoped that would be enough.

“Tell me more about this guy. Where did you find him?”

“His name is Trevor Newhall.”

Why did the name Trevor sound familiar? Bizarre.

“His father is Charles Newhall; he made most of his money from the oil industry. Trevor worked for his company for a couple years after his MBA but now wants to get into investments and acquisitions. His father is friends with Phillip.”

Which meant he was in the circle of those who had rich relatives. This business was a lot about who you knew, so I sincerely hoped he wasn’t a pretentious jerk content to ride the coattails of his connections.

I listened to Simon continue. “In his phone interview, he seemed eager to learn, easy to get along with, and charismatic. I think the only thing he may struggle with is delivering the bad news.”

Ah, yes, the bad news consisted of informing people they’d lost their jobs, something we sometimes had to do once we bought a company. It sucked. The thought of traveling with this new guy made me anxious. After working together for seven years, Simon had become like an older brother to me, but he didn’t get up in my business. Here was hoping this new guy wasn’t a complete wanker like the owner’s nephew, someone we normally got saddled with on these deals.

“So you haven’t actually met him?”

“Not yet. Let’s try to be friendly.”

I lifted a brow. “Is this your way of implying I’m not? I’ll have you know I can be charming when I want to be.” I prayed he’d be quiet and nerdy. I did best with shy people who preferred their space the way I did. And damn, I had a lot riding on this. If I couldn’t get along with the new guy, I would no longer be traveling. And without travel, I’d be stuck. In Texas. Which would mean I’d either go crazy or have to search for another job. Neither option held much appeal.

Simon knew it was an effort for me. “Good. He’ll be here in one hour.”

But the man who showed up sixty minutes later wasn’t even close to shy or nerdy. Instead, he was gorgeous in a form-fitting navy suit that accented his large frame and brought out his crystal-blue eyes. And from the smirk on his face, he wasn’t nearly as surprised to see me again as I was to see him.