Page 24 of Under the Mistletoe
11
Donovan
I haven’t seen her today, and as I sit here waiting for my lunch date, I feel antsy.
“More coffee, sir?” the waitress asks, and I lift my hand to stop her pouring. Any more caffeine and I’ll be bouncing off the walls more than I already am. I’ve eaten two large handfuls of chocolate coffee beans and had two expressos. My blood might as well be black at this point.
I got a text message from Jessica this morning, so I know she got my gift. Gordon has also reported to me about her coffee shop run, specifically for the security team, and now I have my facility team running that down. I don’t need her traipsing around the city in the middle of winter, grabbing coffee for security guards. So I have instructed the team to build a whole new kitchen. One that’s closer to the security desk, with new barista machines, fresh meals, and anything else they need. All because I can’t wait an extra five minutes for her to be in the office each morning.
“Sorry, Donovan, I got caught up.” Bentley approaches me, albeit walking a little slower than I’ve noticed before. Considering he’s pushing late seventies, I guess he will start to slow down a little.
“It’s fine. I know what it’s like.” I stand, shaking his hand in greeting before we both take a seat.
“So, you ran out of the event quickly the other night.” He looks at me from under his brow as he gets settled.
“Yeah, well, Marcus was being an asshole.”
“When is Marcus not an asshole?”
I grin at that. I like Bentley. He says it how it is and doesn’t really sugarcoat anything. Along with my father, he’s taught me everything I know.
“Have you heard anything about their expansion into Asia?”
The waitress walks up and takes our lunch orders. Once she leaves, our conversation resumes.
“Only what everyone else has. I’m waiting to see if he makes me an offer.”
My eyebrow lifts. “Are you thinking of selling your ownership in APAC?” Because that’s an acquisition I would be interested in. I may hold market share, but Bentley has solid ownership there too.
“No. But I sure would like him to try and approach me about it. Besides, if I want to sell, you’ll be the first person I contact.”
My shoulders lower, happy with his statement. “I don’t know… there’s something about the strategy he’s using that feels off.”
“I agree.”
“Jessica thinks there's more to it. I mean, where the hell are they getting their capital from?”
“Your lady friend is a smart woman.”
“She’s not… my lady friend.”
His eyes shoot to mine. “She’s not your usual type.” He’s obviously ignoring my previous statement.
“She’s intelligent, quick, thorough… she’s a fantastic asset to my team.” I try to downplay my true feelings.
“How long have we been friends, Donovan?”
“A long time,” I answer him, wondering where he’s going with this.
“I might be old, but I’m not blind. You have feelings for the girl.”
I shake my head and scoff at him. “She’s my business advisor.” I cement the fact, more so for myself than Bentley, because as much as I want to spend time with her outside of the office, it’s a really bad idea. A bad idea I’ve already acted on by giving her a driver, a new scarf, and a morning coffee.
“She may be exactly that, and I dare say a fantastic hire, but I saw the way you looked at her. Your eyes followed her the entire night.”
“She’s my staff member at her first networking event; of course, I had to keep an eye on her.” That and I couldn’t keep my eyes off her. Working the room. Giving everyone her warm, genuine smile. I couldn’t take my eyes off her, even if I tried.
“She was looking at you the same way.”
