Alex filled Melissa in on her weekend activities, slowly relaxing as their conversation shifted to her friend and other noteworthy happenings in their lives.
After Melissa left, Alex cleaned the kitchen then slipped in to bed, reviewing everything her too-wise-for-her-years friend had brought up. Melissa was right. Alex’s past relationships had contained an inequity to them. Alex had always been in charge. She’d decided to engage, and she’d inevitably broken it off when the arrangement no longer suited her. Arrangement. That was the right word. They weren’t relationships; they werearrangementsshe had with guys who also wanted the company without the commitment.
Fin had asked for more than that. And Melissa was right about the balance of power, too. Fin was a strong, commanding person who could handle her independence. Her career ambitions wouldn’t be off-putting for him, given what he’d accomplished in his.
Two external downsides she could see were the interference from outside and coordinating schedules. One she didn’t know enough about, and the other was what she did for a living. The big unknown was how dating a celebrity would affect her career and how people at work would treat her. This one made her the most nervous.
She decided she would play it by ear and see what this coming week brought. As if guided by fate, her phone rang with Fin’s face on the screen. The image wasn’t one from the Internet, but a photo she had taken while they lazed around in bed Sunday morning. His tousled hair framed his face and the laughter in his eyes spoke more about his mood than the smile on his face.
“Hey,” she answered softly. They talked more about his ideas for his production company, shared stories about their families, and never strayed into the dangerous territory of relationships. Two hours later, her yawns signaled the need for sleep and they said their goodbyes. She drifted off into a world filled with soft Scottish brogues and soft, sleepy kisses.
Chapter17
Monday Full Throttle
Alex finishedher early morning conference call, then walked to the office kitchen to refill her drink. She felt light and airy this morning, like nothing could bring her down.
“You’re awfully cheery this morning.” Grace fell into step beside her as they headed back to their wing.
“I had a rejuvenating weekend at the beach. Just what I needed. How about you?”
“Oh, I did some gardening and puttering around the house. Very boring.” Grace waved her hand as if pushing the topic aside. “I came to tell you Frank came around earlier looking for you. You might want to follow up with him. He had a strange look on his face. Is everything okay?”
Alex realized she hadn’t debriefed her team on what had gone down last Friday.
“Should be. I need to update you guys on what we discussed on Friday, but let me check in with him first. Then I’ll tell y’all what we talked about and how they pissed me off.” Alex smirked at Grace before turning and heading towards Frank’s office.
“We’ll be waiting!” Grace called after her.
Alex found Frank in his office making a call. When he noticed her, he hung up the phone. “Good, you’re here. I was just calling you.”
“Grace said you were looking for me. What’s up?”
“Jeff wanted to follow up with you this morning. You available right now?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“And what’s your temperature like?” he asked cautiously.
“Did I make you nervous on Friday, Frank?”
“Absolutely,” he deadpanned.
“Look, I’m fine. He caught me off guard and he hurt my feelings. I do have them, you know.” Alex shrugged. “I didn’t like feeling unappreciated or being treated that way by someone I respect. And—if I’m being honest—it also hurt that you didn’t stand up for me. That I had to defend myself.”
Frank stood up. “You’re right, Alex. I’m sorry. I should have spoken up.”
Alex smiled, accepting his apology. “It’s fine, Frank. I’m good now. It’s behind me.”
“Okay, then. Let’s go see him.” Frank gestured at his door and she led the way across the hall. Alex knocked on Jeff’s open door, then walked in when he waved them in and pointed to the two chairs in front of his desk. He finished signing the paper his assistant had in front of him, handed it back to her, waiting until she left before speaking.
Jeff nodded at Frank, then turned to Alex. “Alex, before we go any further, I want to express my sincere apologies again for my actions on Friday. I discussed this with my wife and she gave me a thorough talking-to. Apparently, I am an idiot.”
Alex’s eyes twinkled at the idea of someone lecturing Jeff Davis and putting him in his place. And she had to admit that him needing to bounce the situation off his wife mollified her sense of outrage over the exchange.
“Aside from being a ‘sexist pig,’” he continued, making air quotes with his fingers, “I also owe you an apology for dismissing the hard work you’ve put into this initiative, as well as your ability to handle it. I’m sorry. I know you are more than capable of getting this off the ground.”
“Thank you,” she responded. “We’re good.”
