Page 42 of The Executive Assistant

“Of course there isn’t,” he said. “We just finished Henry’s campaign, and now it’s the weekend.”

I knew it was unlikely there’d be any work updates, but it was a habit. “I can’t help it,” I said.

He reached for my hand. “Hey. How about we both turn our work notifications off?”

I stared. “Are…are you sure that’s a good idea?” To be honest, the thought of turning them off made me feel a bit anxious. It reminded me of the time I’d watched a movie at the cinema with Emilia and Brooke. I hadn’t been able to immerse myself fully into the film because there’d been a voice at the back of my mind worrying that I’d miss an important call while my phone had been off.

“We don’t have any current projects. No clients will be calling.” He shrugged. “We can still take calls from friends and family and only mute work.” He took a step closer. “That way, we can fully focus on each other.”

I inhaled. I did want to focus on Cameron, and if we blocked out work, then maybe we could forget we were boss and employee, even if only for a weekend. The truth was, I knew it was a good idea. I had an unhealthy attachment to my phone and my work inbox. It would be good for me to disconnect.

“Alright,” I breathed.

Cameron smiled, pressed a quick kiss against my lips and stepped back. We both took out our phones. I silenced my email notifications, as well as any contact labeled under work. As soon as I did it, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. I was already feeling more relaxed.

“Done,” Cameron said, popping his phone in his pocket. He took my free hand, our fingers twining together. “Let’s get dinner.”

We walked down the sidewalk as the sky slowly darkened, the streetlights and colorful outdoor building lights turning on. The fact that we could walk around holding hands made my heartbeat quicken. This was what it could be like if we could openly be in a relationship.

Since we’d been so busy with work, we’d yet to go on a proper date in the city. If we did, though, I’d probably spend the whole time looking over my shoulder. But if we weren’t working together…we could kiss each other goodbye in front of people. We could go to business galas together, and I could introduce him as my boyfriend. We could talk about how much we cared about each other to people we knew.

Like every other regular couple.

We arrived at the two-story restaurant, and Cameron requested a table on the balcony of the second floor that overlooked the ocean. We were led to a table which was covered with a white tablecloth and decorated with a vase of flowers and a flickering candle. We sat down acrossfrom each other and ordered a glass of wine each. After the waiter left, Cameron took my hand, brushing his thumb over the top of it. “I’m glad we did this.”

I nodded. “I was nervous about being so far away from the office at first, but I’m already feeling better.”

He smiled. “Out of sight, out of mind.”

“Thank you for arranging all of this,” I told him. On top of all his work responsibilities, he also set up this getaway for us, and it already felt perfect.

Cameron shook his head dismissively. “As long as you come with me, I’m happy to plan our little getaways.”

If this one worked out well, maybe we could do this more often. Maybe I could do what everyone had been pestering me to do for years — work less, live more. Enjoy life.

Once we got our glasses of wine and put in our orders for surf and turf, we clinked our glasses together and enjoyed our Chardonnay, looking out at the ocean as the sky darkened to black. A crescent moon and tiny stars glowed in the distance, reflecting off the rolling waves.

“Are you feeling relaxed?” Cameron asked me as he leaned back in his seat, soaking in the classy but comfortable vibe of the nice restaurant.

I smiled and took another sip of wine, pacing myself. I wouldn’t mind a nice buzz, but I wanted to be fully perceptive of everything going on. This was too great of a night to miss out on any details. “I am. It’s nice.”

Cameron nodded in satisfaction. “Good. Get used to it.”

“I’m guessing you have plans for us this weekend?”

“You would be correct, but I’m not telling you what they are.”

I cocked an eyebrow at him. “You’re supposed to inform me about all plans.”

Cameron wagged his finger. “Only at work. This isn’t work, baby. Standard rules don’t apply.”

I laughed. “Have you been here before?”

“Not here, specifically, but I’ve heard good things about it. I’ve loved the beach since I was a kid, though. My family went on a lot of beach holidays during my childhood.”

“Where did you go?”

“Too many to count, but my favourites were Hawaii and Australia.”

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