Marrying My Billionaire Hookup - Nadia Lee Page 0,101

her to dump more of her relationship stories on me.

“Don’t you agree?” she prompts me.

“Yes.”

“So can we meet in an hour? At my place? I’ll treat you to lunch.”

I hesitate. I want to say no and just hang out with Edgar for the rest of the day. Before I can give in to the impulse, a small voice in my head stops me.

When did you become so irresponsible and careless about your career? Maria is a good client. Okay, so she’s a little self-involved, but she pays on time and gives you a lot of referrals. And Edgar isn’t like many of your boyfriends who were fun but lacked substance. He actually has to manage a huge company, and he’s already spent a lot of his morning with you, rather than working.

Shame slowly courses through me, and I fidget as my neck and face grow warm. I shouldn’t just be thinking about what I want. When did I become so cavalier? If I already had an appointment, I’d reschedule Maria for sure…but I don’t.

I’ve already blown a meeting with David Darling’s assistant Erin, and I shouldn’t be ignoring Maria.

“Sure. I’ll see you then.”

“Thank you! You’re God’s gift to me!” she says before hanging up.

“What was that?” Edgar asks.

“A client. She has a purse emergency. But she did call me God’s gift.” I shake my head at her theatrics.

“At least she’s a good judge of character.” He smiles.

My heart does a dozen cartwheels as I wonder if he thinks I’m God’s gift to him as well.

“When are you going to be back?” he asks, driving toward the penthouse so I can get my car.

“Before dinner for sure. Want me to pick up something on the way?” I ask. “There’s a great pizzeria I’m going to drive past.”

“Great. Then grab a pizza. Whatever you want is fine.”

He takes my hand and kisses the fingertips. Somehow those kisses reach all the way to my heart, making my toes curl. And I know I’m going to carry this feeling with me all through the day.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Edgar

After dropping Jo off, I return to the penthouse and instruct one of the interior designers Rick recommended to bring her proposals over so I can review them later with Jo. Then I go into the home office and spend the afternoon reviewing reports, sending instructions and attending teleconferences. Late in the day I get a call from Heath, who wants to know if Nora is joining the project. I pinch the bridge of my nose.

“I’m not sure,” I say, a mild headache developing.

“I see.” He pauses for a moment. “Okay, well… I, um, might turn down my position in the new project.”

This is unexpected, and a frustration I don’t need with someone who I thought had great potential. Did I misjudge him? “Why? It’s a great opportunity for you.”

“Not enough to put up with Paul Fontenot.”

Fuck. I didn’t see that coming. Dad and I agreed Paul wasn’t a good fit for this project. When did he change his mind? “When did he get added to the team?”

“Today.”

My teeth grind together. “I see. Well, don’t turn anything down just yet. Let me look into it first.”

“Okay.”

We hang up. I really don’t want to have another call with Dad…but now I have to.

Why is he doing this, anyway? We agreed on the team members yesterday.

I hit the button and put it on speaker.

“Lane Blackwood.”

“When were you going to tell me you put Paul Fontenot on the exploration project?”

“When you were back in town.”

He isn’t even trying to hide the fact that he’s being manipulative. And he has the gall to call women emotional and passive-aggressive.

“But now that you’re calling, I guess I can tell you,” he says like he’s about to discuss the weather in Tempérane.

I keep my tone level. “We agreed not to put him on the project.”

“He came by this morning and made a convincing case. The man only wants a chance to prove himself.”

“He’s been with Blackwood Energy for over ten years. If he doesn’t think he’s proven himself, he should’ve resigned, instead of taking a promotion he doesn’t deserve.”

“Paul has a child in college.”

“A son he had by his own choice. The company didn’t issue him that child, and it isn’t our responsibility.”

The words are unnecessarily cold and harsh, but I’m tired of this bullshit. If I’d had it my way, Paul would’ve been fired years ago when he was mouthing off at a manager—a woman—he didn’t like. She eventually resigned, and she didn’t have to