Alex wrapped up the interview and headed to the break room. She had a fifteen-minute break to use the restroom, refresh her drink, and situate herself in the larger conference room. Her phone showed a missed call from Fin. Alex intended to call him back, but when she walked into the conference room, everyone was already gathered and waiting for her. She sent him a quick text that she was in a meeting and would call later.
“Okay, thanks everyone.”Alex addressed both the people in the room and those on the big screen whom she’d met with last week. “I appreciate y’all taking time from your schedule to fly over and meet with me. I’m excited to work on the plans. The feedback from the past two weeks will help tremendously. The next step is to coordinate with management on rounding out the team. With the holidays coming up, you probably won’t hear back from me until after the break. Safe travels.” Alex wrapped up the meeting and gathered up her things.
“Alex.” She looked up at Troy, the area sales manager from the Asia/Pacific region. “I wanted to thank you again for giving me a chance. My boss didn’t understand, and I was afraid I’d be given the boot before I could apply.”
“No problem, Troy. I will admit that a resume coming from the sales division surprised me, but your experience is unique, and you certainly have solid ideas around setting up new offices. That’s an area that needs attention. You flying home tonight?”
He nodded and extended his hand. “Yes, I need to get back and it’s a long flight. Apologies for missing dinner later. Talk to you soon?”
“Definitely.” She shook his hand and followed him out of the room.
As she walked back through the building to the visitor’s office, she noticed the quiet buzz going around. Every person whose gaze she met looked away as soon as she made eye contact. Okay, something was up.
She found Ben and Paul, her primary contacts in the London office, waiting in her temporary work space. “Hello, boys. What’s up?” she asked as she laid her stuff down.
Ben took the lead. “So, Alex… you’re entirely circumspect regarding your personal life. So guarded in fact, that no one here knew you even had a personal life. We just assumed you worked all the time. And now we learn that you’re dating Scotland’s own superstar.”
Alex froze. “Wh-what are you talking about?”
“Finley McAlister, of course. Your fiancé?” Paul added.
“No, it didn’t say he was her fiancé, just that they were madly in love,” Ben chided as he scrolled on his tablet.
“What. Are. You. Talking. About,” Alex repeated through clenched teeth.
“Oh, you haven’t seen it?The New York Timespublished an article about you and the ‘Hottest Man Ever.’ Page one of the entertainment section.” Ben handed her the tablet.
Alex read the title and groaned. “Scotland’s Favored Son Finds Love” was displayed in large text on the screen. She scanned through the feature, stopping short when she read her name.
“Oh, my god.” The article listed details about her parents, her hometown, and even her place of work. “Oh, come on.”
Ben and Paul perked up. “You mean it’s true?” Ben’s voice squeaked on the last word.
Alex ignored him and kept reading. Everything was out there. Even the time they’d spent in Galveston. She sank into the chair behind her desk.
Paul commented to Ben, “They have pictures, don’t they?”
“I assumed they doctored them.”
“Shut up,” Alex told them. They did indeed have pictures. Some she’d seen, but a few new ones were mixed in. She thought they’d been inconspicuous in New York. Ben’s excited voice finally penetrated Alex’s absorption in the article, and she looked up to find several folks crammed around her doorway, all eyes focused on her.
She handed Ben’s tablet back to him and asked him to please send her the link to the article. She clamped her lips together and puffed out her cheeks as she gazed back at the people looking expectantly toward her.
“Well, shit. Okay, yes, I’m dating Finley McAlister. Happy?”
Alex covered her ears at the loud cheers that rose around the office. “Seriously, guys?”
The cheering died down as the barrage of questions hit her: What’s he like? How long have you been seeing him? Are you getting married?
She made a motion with her hands for them to quiet down. “Guys, let me finish up here and then let’s get a drink. We were planning on dinner tonight. Should we meet at the pub earlier than we planned?”
“Excellent idea,” an authoritative voice from the back called out. Everyone scrambled back to their desks as the director of finance for the eastern hemisphere walked into her office with a pink newspaper tucked up under his arm.
“Oh my god, don’t tell me it’s in theFinancial Timesas well.”
One side of Matthew’s mouth rose. “It’s never dull when you’re in town, Alex. Usually it’s because you’re bringing me extra work or happy results of extra work. This is the first time it’s ever been your personal life that’s spicing things up.” He laid down the paper and flipped to the life and arts section, where the British-based paper referenced and summarized the article from the U.S. paper.
Alex put her head down on her desk. Not only was Matthew Richards the second highest ranking man in the financial department, he was also a perfect representation of the polite English gentleman. Andhewas giving her grief over this! Her colleagues at home would be ten times worse. They weren’t so polite.
