“So who is she?” Liam asks me from his office as I’m on my way out. He leans out of the doorway, both hands on the doorframe and smirks at me.

“Who?” I ask, turning my back to him again so I can lock up my office. It’s a habit of mine. No one has a key but me. I’ve got fifteen employees here who come and go throughout the day, but my office is only for me.

“The chick you hooked up with last night.” I test the doorknob, making sure it's locked, and toss my keys into my pocket. I’m just heading across the street to the sandwich shop. I won’t be long, which is good because I want to have all these numbers run by the time I need to leave for Blue Hill.

When I turn back around, Liam’s got his arms crossed and he’s leaning against the door, waiting for me like I owe him some sort of explanation.

“None of your business,” I say and smirk back at him.

“Oh shit,” he says and his brow furrows. “You really did hook up with someone last night?” he asks me with disbelief. Liam’s always been a talker. He doesn’t seem to mind my demeanor as much as everyone else. Give him enough time and he can have an entire conversation by himself, so maybe the two of us were just meant to be friends.

He pushes off the doorframe and says, “I was going to give you shit for leaving me hanging last night.”

“Just didn’t want to be alone last night,” I tell him honestly. “Better her company than yours,” I say with a grin, trying to lighten the mood.

“So are we going to go over it tonight then?” he asks me.

“Go over what?”

“What our investor said at the meeting you had without me yesterday.” By investor, he means my father.

“It wasn’t about Grays Homes.” I take a few steps down the hall, closer to his office. Mine’s the largest, and in the very back. Liam’s is catty-corner to mine and the only other office in here. Across from his office is the boardroom, which is currently empty and really only ever used for sales pitches and end of quarter wrap-ups.

“Oh.” Liam seems genuinely taken by surprise. His face says everything though, and it's clear he wants to ask me a million fucking questions. Why was my father so insistent on meeting with me? Why did he come in here over and over and finally force my hand?

“It's been a bit tense for the last few months between us,” I admit, keeping my voice low enough so it’s just the two of us in this conversation. I know Margaret, our secretary, is right down the hall and close enough to hear if we talk loud enough.

“Few months?” he asks me.

I stare at him, feeling my expression hardening. I stopped talking to my father a while ago. I know this is a necessary evil. I’m caught between wanting to do what’s right, and knowing for sure that I’d be doing the right thing. So instead of acting, I’ve been avoiding him every chance I got.

It worked my entire life up until now. Until he told me what I already knew, confirming it and forcing me to face the truth.

“Don’t worry about it.” I give him a tight smile. “It’s got nothing to do with the business.”

“And what about you?” he asks. “I can’t be worried about you?”

I shake my head. “I’m fine.”

“Yeah, you keep saying that,” he says then turns his shoulder like he’s going to head back into his office as the phone rings.

“Go get it,” I say and nod past him toward the inside of his office. “I’m just picking up a Reuben.”

“Alright,” he mutters and starts to head into his office, but before I make it another two steps he’s popping his head outside of the door again. “Will you get me a Coke?”

I look over my shoulder at him, the sounds of everyone else working getting louder and louder. “Yeah.” I don’t break my stride as I head down the hall. Our company owns this floor of the Rising Falls Building; it’s a tall office building that’s made for businesses just like ours. The second I stepped in here I knew this was where I wanted to work. There’s clear glass everywhere. So much natural light and the views of the city give constant inspiration.

Even the cubicles have plexiglass walls.

“Out to lunch?” Margaret asks as I walk past her.

“I’ll be right back,” I say and nod, again not breaking my stride and head past all my employees to the elevator.

“Yes, sir,” Margaret answers with a light-hearted tone. I’ve never seen that woman not smile. It's as if being our secretary is the highlight of her day. She’s damn good at what she does, too. At first I was opposed to letting anyone step in and take control of scheduling and inventory, but as we grew, I just couldn’t handle it all.

I push the button for the elevator and when I hear the ping, I’m reminded of Jules’ text. The irritation and anger that surfaced from thinking about my father nearly vanishes.

Just the thought of what was going through her mind when she texted me back makes me smile. She’s a testy little thing. I didn’t expect that. There’s more to Miss Summers than I thought there was, and I’m definitely intrigued.

I check my Rolex as the elevator dings and the doors slowly open. There’s no one inside so I walk right in and hit the button for the ground floor. Only six hours until dinner.

My chest feels tight, and the small smile leaves me. It’s fucked up in so many ways, but she’ll never know. I’ll make sure she never finds out.