Brazen Bossman: A Hero Club Novel, стр. 39
Knock knock knock.
“Pipes? You okay in there?” My brother’s voice sounds from the other side of the door.
“Holy shit!” I scramble to pull my hand out of my pants, dropping my cell phone in the process. “Fuck. Fuck. Yeah. I’m okay. I’m coming.” I cringe at the unintentional play on words.
“What’s going on? Why is the door locked?” He rattles the handle.
I scoop up my phone and hold it close to my chest, and I yank the door open to reveal Oliver standing on the other side.
“I had a uh… work call. A client. Mr. Lennox was in a meeting and he had questions. I didn’t want to be disturbed.” The lie flows easily off my tongue but I’m not sure he buys it.
“A work call? Clients? That sounds like bullshit, Pipes, but honestly I’m not even gonna push. Ma needs your help up front with the computer system. You installed it, I figure you’d know best.”
“Yeah. Tell her I’ll be right there. Just let me wrap this up.” I motion to the phone still clutched against my boobs.
“All right. And just between us… I actually kinda like that Nathanial guy. He made you smile.” He gives me a tap on the head, like he has always done since I was a little girl before leaving me alone again.
I wait until the coast is clear then pull the phone back to my ear, instantly hearing laughter.
“Are you laughing at me?” I ask in a huff.
“I would have killed to see your reaction to getting caught with your hand in the cookie jar… literally.”
“Ha ha. Funny. As I’m sure you heard, my mom needs me. I’ll see you later?”
“I did hear, and yes… I’ll be there at seven on the dot.”
“Okay. Have a good afternoon. I’ll have my cell if you need anything.”
“Hey, Piper?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m glad to know I can make you smile.”
He heard what Benjamin said… and here I am… smiling again.
We end the call and before I can even shove my cell into my pocket, it buzzes with a notification.
I unlock it with my fingerprint and see a response from Ida.
Piper,
If I were a licensed therapist, you’d be all I’d need to stay in business!
I say that with all the humor, by the way.
What I will say about this is, if you are happy… stay the course.
There is no harm in a little exploration and fun.
Just protect your heart.
It’s easy to fall straight to the deep end without a life vest.
I’m hoping you can swim.
Ida
Oh, Ida, what impeccable timing you have.
***
“Is Nathanial still planning on coming tonight?” my mother asks, as we roll up silverware into cloth napkins at a booth in the corner.
“He is, but my question is why did you even invite him? Not that I don’t want him around, but it was a little aggressive on your part, don’t you think?”
“You can’t blame a mom for trying, though I do have questions about him.”
I have to fight to suppress my outward groan of exasperation. “Okay.”
“Lennox. So he’s your boss or at least related to one of your bosses?”
“He is the boss. He has been ever since his father retired.” I place a fork, a spoon, and a steak knife on the corner of a napkin, and without even having to pay attention, I roll it into a perfect burrito. I used to help do this nightly when I was a little girl. If I couldn’t help in the kitchen, my parents put me right here, in this booth to roll silverware.
“Have you heard anything about his father then? I know you were sad when he retired last year.”
“Not a thing. Nathanial doesn’t talk about him, ever, and when anyone brings him up in the office, he kind of shuts down. I’ve learned not to mention it. They don’t have the best relationship from what I gather from context clues.”
“So Nathanial hasn’t always worked for Lennox Publishing?” She starts to stack the rolled utensils into the container we house them in behind the bar.
She’s trying to talk about anything except the elephant the room, and I can’t say I blame her. She’s finally at the end of her rope. I can see the stress in her eyes, so I oblige her and keep the topic where she guides.
I shake my head. “No. He is an architect by trade and he owns NCL Properties.” I can see the confusion in her eyes, so I explain further. “It’s a real estate development company. He buys, demolishes and rebuilds property then sells it for a profit. Apparently, he’s very skilled at it. One of the best.”
“Then how is he qualified to run Lennox Publishing? Doesn’t seem like an architect would know the ins and outs of books.”
“I haven’t really talked to him about that, but I don’t think Mr. Lennox would put him in charge if he couldn’t do it. He does a nice job, even if he’s a bit brash sometimes.”
Brash? That’s the understatement of the year, Piper. He can be an absolute asshole more than he’s “brash.”
“You had proven your worth many times over to his father before he left. I’m honestly surprised he didn’t move you to a higher position instead of bringing Nathanial in.”
“What? No. I’m not qualified to run a publishing house, even if it’s only temporary.”
“That’s the biggest load of bullshit I’ve ever heard, and you know it. You have a literature and a business degree. You’ve loved books your entire life. What makes you any less qualified than anyone else?”
I let her words sink in for a moment. From the moment I accepted the job at Lennox, it was always my goal to move up the ladder within. I love the staff and the type of publishing they specialize in. Does it need a facelift and modernizing? Yes, and I have ideas, but I’m an assistant. It’s not my place to speak up, and certainly not to Nathanial, even now that our relationship, personal and professional, is evolving faster than I