Page 38 of Hopeless Romantic
“Of course. All these things can be discussed at our next meeting. I’m afraid that over the phone, I might miss an important detail,” Beckett said, reminding herself of the big payoff if this move went well. “So did you decide Monday at seven or Thursday at three?”
“I decided on Sunday, but you don’t seem to be listening.” Beckett closed her eyes and counted back from three. It was a trick she’d learned during a support group for caretakers that she belonged to. It was meant to clear the head and lower stress levels. When she reached one and opened her eyes, she found Levi watching her. And next to her planner was a long white plate with eight mini slices of cake.
“You already picked out the cake flavors?” she whispered.
“You seemed a little hangry,” he said. “I got you some protein.”
“Kevin, I’m going to have to call you back. My next meeting just walked in.”
“This is a team effort, Beckett. We all need to do our part, sacrifice what needs to be sacrificed to make this new position possible,” Kevin said, as if she were benefiting from his promotion. “You came highly recommended, which is why my boss hired you to begin with. It is also why he is paying you so much. Can you meet tomorrow, or do I need to notify work that we need a concierge with the time to dedicate to this project?”
Kevin was 5’5”, balding, and as excitable as a Jack Russell at the dog park. When he felt slighted, his words spiked, and his voice traveled farther than a carrier pigeon. So it wasn’t a surprise when Levi lifted a brow, which translated asDo you need me to punch someone?No doubt he could hear every word.
“That won’t be necessary, Kevin. I can swing by tomorrow morning.” That would still give her the afternoon to herself.
“I have an early tee time, so eleven would be better.”
Not for Beckett, it wouldn’t. By the time she addressed all his needs and answered his questions, she wouldn’t get home until after two, leaving her little time to relax before starting dinner. She’d been thinking more along the lines of eight, but Kevin had already disconnected.
She penciled in eleven on the next day’s page, even though she might as well have used pen, since she doubted she’d be able to get Kevin to agree to an earlier time. God forbid he should miss his tee time.
“Do you always let your clients speak to you like that?” Levi asked.
“Yes, when he stands between me and a potentially huge corporate client,” she shot back, hoping the surge of shame she felt for giving in to a bully didn’t show on her face. “Plus, right now, he’s my only corporate client.”
“It still doesn’t give him the right to talk to you like that.”
No, it didn’t, but honestly, she hadn’t noticed the level of disrespect until Levi said something. And wasn’t that embarrassing.
When had people started speaking to her like that? More importantly, when had she started allowing people to speak to her like that? And it wasn’t just clients. Her dad and brother were no better. Jeffery never raised his voice like Kevin, but his constant dismissal of her efforts was equally troublesome. And even though Thomas had a hard time controlling his emotions, there were times he knew better and dismissed her anyway.
What was most concerning, though, was how angry Levi looked. Not at her, but on her behalf. Which was new to her. She was comfortable with her role as protector. Shielding her family, her friends, her animals-in-training, and the families she worked with. Even her job placed her as a caretaker.
“Maybe you need to find some new prospects,” Levi suggested, as if she hadn’t had the same idea a dozen times over the last ten minutes.
“I’m working on it.” She held up a stack of papers that had to do with the wedding. “Kind of have my hands full right now.”
“Does the bride-to-be know you’re stretched thin?” Beckett’s hackles came up. “Annie doesn’t have to worry. There’s no way I’d let her wedding suffer.”
“My concern is for you,” he clarified. “Most brides struggle to plan a wedding and keep life together without dropping any balls. You’re trying to do bothandgrow a business.”
“I’ve juggled more in the past.”
“You shouldn’t have to.”
The concern in his voice made it hard to maintain eye contact, so Beckett studied the plate of cakes. “Is that carrot cake?” she asked, pointing to the first cake in the lineup. “Annie hates carrot cake.”
“Yes, but I happen to know that you love carrot cake.” He slid her a fork. “After that call, I figured a selfish slice was in order.”
When she didn’t immediately dig in, he cut off a big bite, then handed it to her. Her belly growled loudly, and he chuckled.
She wasn’t trying to be stubborn, but being cosseted by Levi was as unfamiliar as it was unsettling. It left her feeling vulnerable. And she hated feeling vulnerable. Thankfully, right then, she was too hungry to feel anything more than cream-cheese frosting with a hint of nutmeg hitting her mouth.
“So good,” she said, licking the frosting off her fork.
“I would have asked what Pecker’s preferred cake of choice was, but”—Levi made a big deal of looking on the surrounding chairs and under the table—“it appears you don’t bring pets into other people’s establishments?”
“Nope. I save them just for you.”
