Didn't Expect You (Against All Odds #2) - Claudia Burgoa Page 0,66
pretty good emotional support. He seems to do well financially and really, he is helping me sell my place and giving me a safe space to get away so I can relax.
Does it matter that he’s male model gorgeous with an amazing bone structure, captivating blue eyes, and a wicked smile that makes it hard not to smile back?
“Then, I’m happy to be here—as your friend.”
His grin widens, and God if it doesn’t make me weak in my knees.
I’m not sure if the last three words are for his benefit or mine. One of us has to remember that this roommate arrangement can’t go any further than maybe a couple of weeks. That we’re both vulnerable and we could easily confuse a heart twinge with falling in love.
When my gaze finds his, I freeze because the expression in his eyes is back to that wildfire burning from the inside out. My heart speeds up fast. Thankfully, I’m saved by my phone. I see it’s Pierce texting me. I shouldn’t answer, but this is the best excuse to walk away from this romantic discussion before he says something more or I expect more than an accidental caress.
Twenty-Six
Nyx
Pierce: Can we change plans?
Nyx: How?
Pierce: I need you here for more than just a Saturday afternoon. We have a lot to cover. Can you come on Monday? I’ll secure your transportation. I promise.
Nyx: What kind of transportation?
Pierce: A private jet to Portland and a helicopter ride to Baker’s Creek. You can stay with us until next Friday.
Nyx: That’s an entire week of work. What do we have to cover?
Pierce: Trust me, this is going to be good.
Nyx: I agree, but it better not be a face to face meeting with your mother.
Pierce: None of that, no worries. We’ll work on that lawsuit too.
When I give Nate the news, he doesn’t love the idea. But there’s nothing he can do to stop me—and he can’t join me. He needs to be in New York by Monday. We spend the weekend together. He drops me at the airport and makes me promise him that I’ll come back to Seattle instead of going back to Colorado.
I’m not surprised that the first words Pierce says when I enter his office are, “Let’s open a law firm. We can be partners.”
“Well, hello to you too,” I greet him.
He smiles and says, “You look like crap, sweetheart. I heard that pregnancy gets better with time.”
“Charming as usual. No wonder your wife is divorcing you,” I dish back. “Tell me all about this firm you want to open.”
There’s a lot more to the fact that he wants us to start a firm. He wants me to oversee his father’s company and Merkel Hotels, his brother’s hotel conglomerate, since none of them can leave Baker’s Creek until the end of next year.
First, he needs me to be in New York for the next couple of months so I can familiarize myself with Aldridge Enterprises, assist with the transition they are undergoing, and keep an eye on Merkel while they move their corporate offices from New York to Portland. After that, I can work from wherever I want as long as I can travel whenever he needs me.
“It feels like you’re hiring me as your spy,” I say as I stare at the page with all my duties for the upcoming months.
He runs both hands through his hair and says, “You’re doing two jobs in one. We need a person who we trust overseeing this. I trust you, blindly.”
“Your brothers don’t know me, and if I recall, you don’t know much about them either,” I remind him.
“Things change, and you need to keep up,” he states. “And yes, you’re our eyes and also my legal partner. So…what do you say?”
Before I sign on the dotted line and we become Aldridge, Brassard & Associates, LLP, we discuss the baby I’m expecting, and how that will affect traveling during the last trimester of my pregnancy. He hopes that by then we will have a strong team that can represent us anywhere.
I spend an entire week learning more about Aldridge Enterprises, handling some personal cases for his brothers, and working on my lawsuit against Bryant, LLP. By Friday, I not only have a job, but Sarah chooses to settle and pay the emotional damages she caused me by the highly unprofessional, unfair, and unexpected dismissal.
The only thing I have pending is the paternity test that hopefully will persuade Edward to sign away his parental rights.