Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 89666 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89666 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
Giving Hope Long-Term Care Facility was fifty miles down the road, and they could more than manage Ronnie’s needs without the strain. Dr. Willard had suggested it more than once, and I trusted his opinion. The best part was that he could still be part of Ronnie’s care team, since he worked at both locations.
After sucking in a deep breath, I steeled myself for the long walk to my car. The tears that I’d held back were kind enough to wait until I was sitting in the driver’s seat. Seeing Ronnie still hurt. I wanted the best for him. I wanted him to have the life he’d dreamed about. The football star with the hot girlfriend. He’d had plans to attend a technical school after he graduated high school. He’d still been deciding between being an auto mechanic and an electrician when he was in that accident. Maybe he wouldn’t have been a billionaire, but he would have had a damn good life.
If not for that stupid accident…
With a shuddering breath, I roughly wiped away my ridiculous tears. Ronnie didn’t need my tears or someone feeling bad for him. He needed someone to look out for his best interests, someone to make sure he could live the best life possible. That was my fucking job.
And thanks to my bargain with Sebastian, I had three years banked for Ronnie at Giving Hope. Maybe I could talk to Sebastian about getting an advance on that first year. There was a lot of planning to be done, but if we started now, we could get Ronnie moved to his new home and improved care within the next month.
Yes, this was a good first step.
13
SEBASTIAN COURTLAND
Monday arrived far too quickly. I never got the chance to see Byron again during the weekend. He’d texted me once in the early evening on Saturday to say that he’d arrived home from visiting his family and that he was going to bed. But he’d at least ended the day with three amazing words.
I miss you.
On Sunday, I had a few of my own obligations to deal with—namely visiting with my sister and her family. It was good to see my niece, but I couldn’t deny that I very much wanted to escape to see Byron.
But in the blink of an eye, the weekend was over, and I was back to being the boss. Normally, that wasn’t a bad thing. I enjoyed being the CEO of Courtland Enterprises, leading us to bigger and better things. The problem was that I couldn’t be the boss and Byron’s boyfriend. Or rather, I couldn’t be his boss and his boyfriend.
Things appeared to be progressing in the right direction. It wasn’t just me initiating things. He’d taken the time to text me first on Sunday, sending along some playful, non-work-related memes. Maybe Declan was right in that I needed to start taking steps to protect Byron in the event we decided that dating and being in an actual relationship was in the cards for us.
Unfortunately, that next step was preparing for him to no longer be my assistant, which I dreaded both personally and professionally. He was my rock. He was the one who steadied me on those crazy, frantic days. Byron was the one who made me smile first thing in the morning, and it wasn’t just because I was hopelessly infatuated with him.
Not to mention, the man was a mind reader. He always seemed to know what I wanted before I asked for it. He was fast, efficient, and professional. As far as I knew, all the managers and executives loved him. He’d be a rock star no matter where in the company he ended up.
“You don’t have any managers scheduled for a lunch meeting. Is there anyone you’d like me to reach out to and see if they’re available?” Byron’s gentle but firm voice broke through my mental meandering, pulling me back to what we were doing.
My schedule. Meetings. Planning.
“Can’t I have you for lunch?”
Byron narrowed his eyes at me over the edge of his tablet in a look that was half warning and half hunger, like he couldn’t decide whether to punish or devour me. I was happy to enjoy either option. “I need to run a brief errand during my lunch hour today. If you don’t want to have a specific lunch meeting, is there something you’d like me to have delivered today?”
I waved my hand, my gaze wandering to my calendar on one screen. “Nah. I’ll figure it out later.”
“You have a lengthy break following lunch, and I’ve marked that as time to review the Paris contracts.”
“Already done. I have one more thing to check; then they’ll be ready to be turned in to legal.”
“The leisure division’s cost-cutting plan?”
I nodded. “Yes, that’ll be this afternoon, along with the Canadian marketing plan for the new winter gear.”