Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 78304 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78304 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
“And if you aren’t selected,” Dad says to me, “would you still like to work for Kingston?”
I never considered not getting the position, but now that he’s mentioning it, my first thought is yes. Now that I’m home, I want to stay. I want to get to know this new version of my dad and hopefully work through our issues so we can have a relationship again.
But then I glance at Julian, whose jaw is tight.
“If my fiancé will have me,” I say, half joking.
I glance up at him and flutter my lashes playfully, and his jaw untightens. And if I’m not mistaken, a hint of a smile quirks in the corner of his mouth. His small smile shouldn’t send butterflies fluttering through my belly, yet it does. I need to be careful because my body is clearly refusing to get on the same page with the rest of me.
“I’ll have to find my place here, like anyone else just hired,” I say to both of them when Julian doesn’t respond, “but if Kingston is a good fit and Julian’s okay with me staying on, I’d like to work for Kingston.” I glance at Julian, meeting his gaze. “It’s our family business.”
Julian clenches his jaw once again, understanding the words I’m not saying. He might be close with my dad, but at the end of the day, only one of us has the last name Kingston.
Breaking eye contact with him, I look back at my dad. “I’m not going anywhere regardless of the outcome.”
We have a long way to go to mend our relationship, but I’m done running from my past. I never should’ve stayed away as long as I did, and now that I’m home and it’s clear my dad has changed his ways, I don’t want to be stubborn and miss out on having a relationship with him. I thought I had many years with my mom, but I was wrong. Life can be taken from us at any moment.
A bright smile spreads across my dad’s face, and before I know what’s happening, he’s engulfing me in a hug. It’s the third time he’s hugged me since I’ve been back, and I don’t know how I went all these years without them.
“I love you, sweetie,” he murmurs. “And I’m so glad you’re finally home.”
When we separate, Dad clears his throat. “Okay then, instead of you working directly with the marketing department, I think it would be best if you work on this floor. I have an office for you that I had maintenance clean out last night. With me planning to announce my replacement at the end of the year, that only gives me less than six months to decide. To keep it fair, I’ve decided to see how you both handle the situations given to you, starting with Ronan Flynn.”
“The musician?” Julian asks as I try to figure out who that is.
Thanks to living in the UK, I’m put at a disadvantage regarding all things American.
“Yep,” Dad says. “Selene’s daughter, Ingrid, works for his record label. He’s been blowing up on the charts, and he’s a hometown boy, born and raised in Rosemary. After confirming he’s got a good reputation, I’d like to get him on board for a collaboration. Which is where you two come in.”
Dad crosses his arms over his chest and grins like he’s enjoying this way too much. “You’ll both present your ideas to the team on Friday.”
Julian chuckles. “Sounds good.” He leans over and kisses my cheek, shocking the hell out of me. “I’m going to head to my office to do some work. I’ll let you spend some time with your dad.”
I watch him saunter out, trying not to notice how nice his ass looks in his charcoal-gray pants, knowing this was strategic on his part so he can get a head start while I’m stuck here, hanging out with my dad. But that’s fine because his little bit of a head start isn’t going to mean shit when I present the better idea on Friday.
“All right, Anastasia,” Dad says, shaking me from my thoughts, “you ready to see your office?”
“More than ready.”
chapter ten
ANASTASIA
“It’s late.”
Dad’s voice has me jumping out of my skin as I look up from my computer and control my breathing to slow my heart rate.
“It is?”
I glance at the clock. Six o’clock. Hardly late. Hell, some days at Benson, six o’clock was when I would down some espresso, get a second wind, and work until ten or eleven.
“Your fiancé left over an hour ago,” he points out. “Did you two not carpool this morning?”
Shit, I didn’t even consider that.
“We weren’t sure how it would all work with today being my first day. I didn’t want to hold him up.”
“Go home,” Dad says gently. “Tomorrow is another day.”
I want to argue, but I bite my tongue, knowing he’s testing me. This is what he doesn’t want—his CEO working until all hours of the night instead of being home with their family.