Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 75553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
At least, I was looking forward to it until Remy came running into my office with her hair flying behind her and her cheeks flushed from exertion. Her blue eyes were wide as they met mine and I knew something was wrong.
“Remy? Are you okay?” I asked as I set aside my laptop and look in her worried expression. “What’s happened?”
She let out a breath and pushed her blonde hair back from her forehead before she spoke. “Kelly and Isaac have just told me they’ll both be attending the meeting tonight with Mr. Washington,” she explained as she approached my desk.
“Well, they’ve been shadowing me at every turn, why not my last meeting of the week?” I remarked bitterly as I shook my head.
“That’s not all,” Remy added in a soft whisper.
“Oh?” I looked back up at her and wondered what more there could be.
“Kelly wants me to attend too.”
“What?” I blurted out. “Why?”
Remy leaned against the desk and sighed. “Kelly wants you to invite Mr. Washington’s wife as well, so we can make the meeting ‘Anderson-approved’ or something,” she continued. She lifted her blue eyes from the desk to meet mine and I could see the worry clear as day in them.
I shook my head. “Whatever will they think of next,” I commented and pushed away from the desk as I tried to come up with a reason why this was a bad idea. If only Mr. Washington had been divorced, but sadly, I knew all too well that he was happily married--something Kelly no doubt had dug up too. I couldn’t think of a way out of it.
“Kelly says it’s supposed to be couples only,” Remy said with a little roll of her eyes. “Except her and Isaac, of course. The rules don’t apply to them it seems.”
I tapped my finger against my chin as I processed everything. “I knew some things would change during the takeover, but this is going a bit far,” I stated with a frustrated growl. “Turning business meetings into family dinners just sounds like a recipe for disaster if you ask me. What happened to keeping business and pleasure separate?”
Remy was nodding along and agreeing with me. I wondered for a moment if she truly did agree or whether she was being polite because I was her boss. Then I remembered this was Remy we were talking about. She was no sheep. Over the years we’d worked together, I’d noticed her honest nature and how she wasn’t afraid to voice her opinion. I rather liked that about her.
Before I realized how dangerous my thoughts were becoming, Remy interrupted them. “I have to admit, Griff, I’ve never been to a client dinner before,” she said in a quiet, timid voice. “I honestly don’t know where to start!”
I stood up and made my way across to her. “What are you worried about?”
Her eyes were darting from left to right as though she were attempting to recall a number of issues--and she was. “For starters, what on Earth am I supposed to wear? Is it casual? Smart casual? Or maybe it’s formal, but I’m not sure if I have any formal dresses really… Then there’s how to act! I have no idea whether I should talk or keep my mouth shut. Is there a particular way I’ll be expected to behave? Not to mention the whole dinner thing itself! I hardly ever go out for dinner and when I do, it’s never to any fancy restaurants. I’m not going to know which fork is for what or how many glasses of wine is acceptable.” She paused for a moment and looked up at me horrified. “Or am I even allowed to drink wine? It’s a business meeting after all, what if I--”
“Remy,” I said and interrupted her panic. “Look at me.” I put my hands on her upper arms and I pulled her toward me a little. The disruption caused her to come back to Earth and she looked up at me with her eyes glistening as though she were about to burst into tears. It was clear that she was getting overwhelmed and I needed to step in to help her. After all, I was the one who dragged her into this mess.
“It’s just dinner,” I reminded her with a gentle smile. “You’re going to do fine. You’ve been eating dinner and socializing with others all your life. I don’t expect you to do anything except be yourself.”
“But, but,” she protested, “Kelly will be watching us remember. What if she’s set this up deliberately to try and catch us out? She’s been so suspicious right from the very start. Do you think we’ll have to do something more than what we’ve been doing in the office?”
She didn’t say it, but I knew what she was getting at. She was clearly worried that Kelly might expect us to kiss and display a little more affection than we do while we’re at work. It was a valid point. This would be us stepping outside of the boundaries we had established from the start. Still, I had no intention of forcing Remy into anything she wasn’t comfortable with, no matter if I lost my job or not.