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)
“Got it.” Byron stood, tucking his tablet under his arm. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll go finish my final preparations for this morning’s meetings and—”
“Actually, I was thinking,” I said, as an idea formed. “I want Kaylan to accompany me to the meetings during the first half of my day and handle the note-taking.”
I glanced up to see Byron wobble and reach back as if to catch himself on the chair he’d risen from, but he remained standing. His eyes were wide, and new lines of strain snaked across his brow and bracketed his mouth.
“I’m sorry, sir. Is there a problem?”
“No problem.”
Byron swallowed hard, and I frowned. “But if I’ve done something to make you dissatisfied with my performance…”
“I didn’t say that. I think that it’s time we gave Kaylan some more experience in tackling other tasks. This will also give him a better understanding of the company. Besides, I’m sure you have plenty of other tasks that are demanding your attention. The break from meetings will be nice for you.”
Except Byron didn’t look grateful for the break. I couldn’t quite explain what his mood was. Strangled? Confused? That had to be it. Byron wasn’t a fan of changing the schedule, but Kaylan needed more experience. Especially if he was going to one day replace Byron as my assistant. There was no time like the present to get that training in.
“Of-of course, I…I will talk to him—”
“Wait a second.” I held up my hand, cutting him off. I didn’t want to, but I also didn’t want to brush this under the rug. Something was wrong. Was it that I was including Kayan, or was there something else that was bothering him? “Talk to me. You have a problem with this, but I don’t understand. We talked about it, right? If we’re going to date, you’ll need to move to another position within the company. I’m still going to need an assistant. Kaylan would be the best choice to slide into that role, right?”
Byron’s eyes became so wide while his pale cheeks turned pink. “That’s what you’re thinking?” he demanded in a harsh whisper.
“Yes, what were you thinking?”
“That you were mad at me. That you were disappointed in my work and wanted Kaylan to handle it because you had more confidence in his work.”
My mouth just hung open. The thought had never crossed my mind. “Never. The quality of your work has never wavered. And if it did, I’d talk to you about it. I wouldn’t just replace you.”
Byron scrubbed a hand across his face before just staring down at his tablet. “I’m sorry, sir. I-I don’t know what’s come over me.”
“Byron,” I murmured and then pulled the Friend Egg out of my pocket. As I held it up to him, he shot me a dark look, but I wasn’t deterred. “Seriously, are you okay?”
“You can’t keep pulling that out at work,” he growled.
I waggled my eyebrows at him. “It’s better than me pulling out other things.”
Byron hissed and glanced across the room at the open door. “Sebastian, behave yourself. You promised.”
“Fine, but are you okay?” I repeated, holding the egg in front of me. I wasn’t putting it away until I got a proper answer.
He huffed. “I’m fine. Just…distracted, I think. It was a hectic weekend.”
That wasn’t a great answer, but I knew there was no point in trying to pursue this in the office. Thankfully, we were supposed to have a dinner date tonight. I could get to the bottom of what had happened over the weekend and try to help him feel better.
“Okay, we’ll talk later,” I murmured, wondering if we could chat prior to lunch even as I stuffed the egg into my pocket. I hadn’t expected to use it today, but it was a good thing I’d brought it.
Byron cleared his throat and turned his attention back to his tablet. “I’ll give Kaylan a heads-up about the meeting. Also, the agenda for the ten thirty meeting states that various departments will give brief proposals for new products. There was an idea that I wanted to present, if there was time.”
That was unexpected. Byron had never made a proposal before. I wasn’t even sure how the other managers would take that. Would they think he’d get preferential treatment because he was my assistant?
“Is there a specific department or division you’ve been working with?”
“No, sir. This is an independent idea that stretches across several divisions.”
“Send me the proposal. I’ll review it. If I think it’s good enough, I’ll move it along to the final decision stage for discussion.”
“Oh.” That didn’t sound like a good “Oh,” but I wasn’t sure how to explain that I was trying to save him some pain. He seemed so fragile from our other misunderstanding that I didn’t want to stomp on his sensitive feelings. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance because Byron nodded once. “I’ll go inform Kaylan that he needs to prepare for the meetings and what he needs to do.”