Page 24 of A Bossy Roommate

“Oh…I wish I had. Sounds quite the spectacle!” I hear Eden snort-laugh.

“It may well have been Myrtle causing a ruckus. She has a habit of hunting mice when sleep eludes her, and then shekindlystashes her trophies under my bed.”

Eden laughs and says her goodbyes before closing the door. “That woman is a trip,” she says, joining me at the table. “She’s officially the sweetest and funniest person I’ve met in the city so far. Actually, probably the sweetest and funniest person I’ve ever met.”

Wait ’til you meet my aunt.

“You must have lived a very sheltered life.” I’ve barely picked up my fork to scarf down my egg-white veggie omelet with cheese and grilled whole-wheat toast before my phone rings. Knowing only one person who calls me this early, I answer it immediately.

“What do you want, Bradley?” I ask, spearing a piece of omelet onto my fork.

“Is that any way to talk to your best friend?” he asks.

“It is when he interrupts my breakfast.”

I’ve known Bradley Everhart all my life. He and I had started working at Legacy around the same time. After several years, he was transferred to the Connecticut office where he continues to thrive under the CEO, Nathan Bernie. Just like me, he’s not on the board yet. We’re in the same boat, both in senior executive positions, overseeing the day-to-day operations, waiting for the older generation to retire and pass the torch.

“I’ll be there in person for the meeting today,” he says. “Don’t make any plans. I’m taking you out to lunch.”

“Why, what did you do?”

“Always so suspicious.”

“I’ve only known you for too long.”

“And yet it’s still not long enough, right? But you’re dead on. I’ve heard somewhispersthat I think you’ll be interested in.”

I know precisely what Bradley is trying to convey. “Whispers” is code for him having information about the partners that he doesn’t want to discuss out in the open. Bradley knows I hate gossip, and he knows better than to bring it up to me unless there’s substance to it.

My interest piqued, I say, “Works for me. I’ll have my assistant make lunch reservations at Giuseppe’s.”

“Ohhh, you finally got a new assistant? How is she?”

I glance across the table at Eden who is busy eating her breakfast and scrolling on her phone. “We’ll talk later.”

“See ya, bro.”

I end the call and put my phone down. Eden glances up at me. “Everything okay?”

“It’s fine.”

“But has anyone told you that you work too much?”

My eyebrows shoot up. “Old news.”

Eden shrugs, focusing back on her food. “Old news? It’s timeless. It’s just my observation being around you for the last thirty-plus hours. You’re on your phone with work all the time.”

“Just because we’re technically engaged doesn’t mean you get to play the nagging wife.”

“Fakeengaged. And just because you’re my supervisor doesn’t mean you can play the grumpy boss when we’re not at work.”

“Another ground rule,” I say, picking up my ringing phone again. “I don’t want to hear a peep about how many hours I work. Speaking of which, make sure the partners are clued in that I won’t be reachable this weekend due to family business. Keep my schedule open Saturday and Sunday. If there’s something on my agenda, reschedule it.”

Eden only nods in response. I quickly finish my food while I answer several more phone calls. I’m out the door at my usual time, heading into the office before everyone else. I like getting there early. Usually, that’s my only time to get work done without being constantly interrupted. Though now I have an assistant, I expect things to run more smoothly.

Legacy Builders is a large firm and growing larger by the day. We’ve recently acquired several smaller firms throughout the city and our reach continues to expand. I’ve overseen at least a dozen mergers and takeovers, one of them particularly huge, with several more in negotiations. We’re on the verge of becoming one of the leading construction firms in the state.

I know we can do that and more.

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