Rory (Hope City #7) - Maryann Jordan Page 0,63
his family, or his bank account, or his portfolio, or his career. So, either Dad—”
“I’ll talk to your father. Honestly, Sandy, it’ll be fine. Your dad just wants you to be happy.”
“Okay, then let me know when you want us to come. But I’m warning you, Martha, if Dad doesn’t behave himself, we’ll skedaddle out of there. I don’t care what Grandmother taught me about a lady always staying through the whole meal.”
“Oh, sweetie, I only wish your dad and I had met earlier! By the time I got to be your mother, your grandmother had filled your head with so many old-fashioned rules, and I felt like for the few years I had with you before you went to college, I was doing nothing but trying to undo all that she did!”
“Well, I wish you and Dad had met earlier, too. But just because I would’ve had you in my life longer.”
She heard the quick intake of breath from Martha. “Oh, honey, you’re going to have me crying. Now, I can’t wait to meet your man, so I’ll text you dates and we’ll get this set up very soon.”
Disconnecting, she smiled, her gaze drifting back to the sunflowers on her desk. She couldn’t imagine that it would be difficult to have dinner with Rory’s family sometime since she’d already met them all at Sean and Harper’s wedding. But thinking about dinner with her dad had her worrying her bottom lip.
After a quick knock on her door, it opened, and Todd popped his head through. “Are you heading to Partridge Tower this afternoon? Barbara said she was meeting a client there, and I thought you might want to go as well.”
She jumped up and grabbed her coat and bags. “That sounds perfect. It’ll give me a chance to check on things and see how the offices we designed are progressing.” Heading out the door, she fired off another text to Rory.
Get ready for dinner with my parents.
Receiving a wide-eyed emoji in return made her laugh as she slid behind the wheel of her SUV.
Stepping off the elevator, she walked around the sixth floor of Partridge Tower. There was now a wide, tiled space directly in front of the elevators that extended to the windows in front, showing off the Hope City skyline and harbor. Turning to the left, there was a hall leading to three separate business office spaces. One for an attorney’s group would be quite large with individual offices for four attorneys and their various employees as well as conference rooms, workrooms, bathrooms, and a kitchenette. She walked through the area, the interior walls, windows, and doors in place. The carpet and tile were scheduled to be installed tomorrow. Clicking items off her tablet, she breathed a sigh of relief that everything was perfect.
Checking through the other two smaller offices, she was equally pleased. Barbara had finished ordering the décor for one of them and they conferred by the elevators before saying goodbye. As Barbara took the elevator down, Sandy decided to go up to the seventh floor by stairway instead of waiting for the elevator to come back up. Heels clicking up the concrete stairs, she pushed open the door and walked into a lobby area similar to the previous floor. Here, there were only two businesses that had signed leases with the Partridges so she checked on their progress quickly.
As she walked out of the last office toward the elevator, she stopped to peer at the sunset coming through the expansive windows. The silence indicated the workers had left for the day, offering her a chance to continue her appreciation of the view.
Suddenly, the sound of voices from the other side of the floor caused her to turn toward the un-rented side. She had designed generic office spaces there and they were just in the process of being completed. She started to walk toward that side to check on the work when the voices turned louder, with a distinct angry tone, and her feet stuttered to a halt.
“You think I don’t know what’s going on? What you’re doing?”
“If you know what’s good for you, then you’ll stay quiet.”
“And what’s in it for me?”
“Maybe your continued good health!”
“Are you threatening me?”
“Fuck, just settle down. Listen, there’s plenty for you, too. Just play along, no one knows, and you’ll benefit.”
“How many people are in on this? You keep adding and there won’t be enough to go around.”
“Quit bitchin’. There’s plenty. More than you can imagine, so it’ll be