Page 27 of Picture Perfect Love

Joshua

Iwoke up just before the alarms on our phones started going off, drawing us out of our deep sleep. I loved the feeling of waking up next to her warm body entangled with mine. And I was starting to get used to starting my mornings off without a hangover after a good night’s rest.

“Good morning, sunshine,” I smiled down at her as she switched off the alarm and stirred in my arms.

“Hello handsome,” she moaned, lifting her head to kiss my lips. “Up and at ‘em.”

I contemplated trying to tempt her into some morning sex, but I had found that she liked it best when we hit the ground running first thing. We spent most nights together now. Mornings were for bouncing out of bed for a quick workout, shower, and breakfast before parting ways to start our separate days. Leaving each other was the hardest part, but we always more than made up for it when we reunited again in the evenings.

After sharing a bagel and some coffee at my kitchen island, we kissed and said goodbye. I was dressed in one of my best casual suits and strolling into the office at eight AM sharp, just in time to catch the meeting Lucas had set up for me and my siblings on our shared calendar.

“Joshua,” my older brother gaped when I walked into the conference room. “I’m surprised to see you here.”

“Why’s that?” I replied, taking the seat across from him. “Wasn’t I supposed to attend?”

“Well, yeah… but that’s never been enough incentive before.”

Jada greeted me with a stunned smile. “You even made it here before Camille. She’s going to be pissed.”

Sure enough, Camille came rushing in seconds later. Her wide eyes landed on me as she was putting down all of her things. “Joshua. You beat me here?”

“Yes, which seems to be the only item on the agenda for this meeting so far,” I quipped.

“Sorry I’m late,” she sighed, looking frazzled. “Laundry disaster.”

I wasn’t buying it. I knew her being late in the mornings usually had more to do with a late morning in bed with her fiance. But I was sympathetic to that kind of thing more than ever now that I had Abby.

“Since we’re all here, let’s jump right in,” Lucas announced. He caught us up on the latest numbers and updates on the company. When it came down to dividing up certain tasks for the week, I couldn’t help but notice the way my name was still skipped right over. I sat back and kept my mouth shut until I realized he was rounding off to adjourning the meeting.

“I have a pretty open calendar this week,” I interjected. “Surely there’s something I can take off your plates.”

Lucas froze, looking like he was trying to formulate a polite excuse.

“He’s right, you know,” Camille defended on my behalf. “You may not have noticed, Lucas, but Joshua has really stepped up lately. He’s been coming in every day on time. There haven’t been any gossip articles put out on him in weeks. If we have one of our own executives here and ready to work, and he’s perfectly capable… we should use him.”

Lucas blew out a breath and sank back down into his chair. “I guess you’re right.” He rubbed his finger across his chin, his lips pursed in thought as he stared me down.

“What ever happened with that guy I asked you to check up on?” he asked finally. “The one who had been blocked out of his account and was complaining to customer service.”

My heart seized for a moment as I tried to think of an excuse. Of course I hadn’t followed up on that guy. I couldn’t risk Christopher the doctor popping up right now when everything was going so well between Abby and me.

“Yeah, I looked into it,” I lied. “That guy is full of it. He was harassing a woman on the site, and that’s why he was blocked. We shouldn’t be feeding into his complaints. We don’t need men like that using our service. I’m working with the IT team on it.”

His face relaxed into an impressed expression. “Very well then. Camille, Jada, delegate some of your tasks to Joshua. Let me know how he does. I’m proud of you, brother.”

He gathered up his things to leave, along with Jada, but Camille lingered behind. She swayed in her chair, smiling at me.

“Sounds like you need to keep Abby around for a while,” she noted once they were gone. “She seems to be good for you.”

“My thoughts exactly,” I nodded, patting her shoulder before returning to my office.

The rest of the day went smoothly, other than the nagging concern about Christopher. I couldn’t help but feel guilty for lying to Lucas about it all just as I was starting to make headway with him. He was finally coming around to trusting me, and I was botching the first big thing he asked me to handle. More than just botching it, it was my fault the problem existed at all.

By five o’clock, I was eager to see Abby again. I knew being near her would overshadow all the uneasiness. I hopped on the phone to make special dinner reservations, then dialed her number next, knowing I would catch her just as she was leaving her last class of the day. I told her to wear something nice and I’d pick her up in an hour.

Just as I predicted, any bad feelings of the day dissipated the moment she came to her door in a tight red cocktail dress that clung to the curves of her perfect body and popped against her pale porcelain skin and bright blue eyes.

“All is right in the world again,” I sighed as I pulled her in for a kiss. “Did you have a good day?”

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