Page 6 of With a Broken Wing
She took a deep breath, followed by an overly dramatic sigh. “I think I can help you. You need someone to travel with you for the app, and I know the perfect woman for the job.”
“I’m listening.” It was too early for me to humor anybody. I tended to make important phone calls early because most people knew that and didn’t try to ask me for anything extra. I’d learned my new sister-in-law was ballsy, though.
“Andy is looking for a new—”
“No.” I wasn’t going to hire the fire-haired woman with the attitude to match. She knew how to push every last button, and to work with her would only end in disaster. It wasn’t a challenge I was willing to take.
“What? You didn’t even let me finish!”
I groaned. “I’m not hiring your friend just because she’s your friend.”
“Then hire her because she’s a damn good travel agent and needs a job. Ask William. She’s good at what she does. Just give her a chance.”
The minor headache I’d had at the beginning of the call was now throbbing behind my eyes, and I squeezed them shut. I could preemptively taste the dread in the back of my throat before the word was formed. “Fine.”
Jules squealed on the other line, practically singing into the phone. “You won’t regret it. I’ll send you her number.” The line went dead, and I threw my phone onto my desk.
“Goddamnit!”
The rest of the afternoon went by quickly, and I picked up my phone several times. I stared at Andy’s number, hovering over it with my finger but never hitting call. Irritation rolled through me. This woman had better be the best damn travel agent I’d ever met in my life.
Generally, I handled my own arrangements; I was the only one who ever got it perfectly right. My assistant, Erin, was great with a schedule, but I’d rather control the travel and she was busy enough. Hiring Andy would test every one of my limits, but it’d free up time to focus on promoting the app.
“Hello?” Her voice was as bright and cheerful as I could expect from someone like Andy. She was basically a built-in cheerleader, something I knew I’d have to put a damper on when she started working for me.
“Hello, Andy. How are things?”How are things?Small talk was a specialty of most businessmen, but frankly, I’d rather skip pleasantries. I didn’t think she’d be as open to my offer if I cut to the chase, though, and as much as I hated to admit it, I was going to need the extra set of hands. It was a guarantee. If she was as good as Jules claimed, then it would be a benefit to us both.
“I’m sorry… who’s this?”
I took a deep, irritated breath, letting it out slowly through my nose before speaking again. “I’ll let it slide that you don’t recognize my voice, sunshine. Should I be offended?”
She let out a small gasp, and I could almost hear her swallow her nerves. “Demetri?”
“Yes.”
“Why are you calling me? How’d you get my number?” The waiver in her voice from a moment earlier disappeared, replaced with a hint of distrust and annoyance.
“I have an offer for you. I’ll be traveling quite a bit this summer, and I could use someone full-time to handle the arrangements. I hear you arethe best, so naturally you would be a good choice for my team.”
“No, thank you.”
I sighed and closed my eyes, almost willing to take her no and move on, but I’d never been good at losing. People didn’t turn down my offers. “For somebody who needs a job, you’re awfully quick to say no. Maybe you take a second to reconsider. I pay well, and your travel is covered.”
“My… travel?”
“Yes. You will need to be present on these trips to ensure everything goes smoothly.”
“I haven’t accepted your offer.” Her voice softened, dropping to a near whisper.
“You will, sunshine. You need this job, and I need a travel manager. You start Monday. I’ll text you your flight information for that morning, and I’ll have a car waiting at the airport.”
There was a stunned silence on her end, and I almost laughed. Maybe working with Andy would be more fun than I expected. “Okay. Um… thank you.”
“You shouldn’t thank me yet.”
I swirledthe wine around the glass in my hand, feeling satisfied when the red liquid kissed the rim of the glass but didn’t spill over. Auston cleared his throat from the armchair across from me. “Earth to Andy. Are you even listening?”
“Are you still rambling on about why it’s a bad idea for me to take a job traveling with Jules’s brother-in-law?”
