Two Men and a Baby - Isla Olsen Page 0,26

what is undoubtedly the firm’s offices. On the wall reads the words COX PROPERTY GROUP, and manning the desk is a familiar face—my brother-in-law Blake’s mom, Sunny.

Although “manning the desk” might be a bit of a stretch, considering she’s actually doing yoga on the floor in front of the desk.

“What…?” Esther trails off, clearly confused as she catches sight of Sunny.

“Just go with it,” I tell her, shaking my head.

As we approach, Sunny stops with her sun salutations and folds herself into the Buddha pose on the floor in front of the desk—yeah, that’s right, I know yoga. “Welcome to Cox Property Group, how may I…” Glancing up, she sees me and her face breaks into a bright grin. “Connor!”

“Hey, Sunny,” I say, offering an affectionate smile.

“Help an old woman to her feet, would you?” she demands, holding out her arm for me to haul her up. I’d hardly consider her an “old woman”, though—despite the long silver plait she wears, she’s probably in better shape than a lot of girls my age.

“Sunny, this is my boss, Esther Levine,” I tell her, gesturing to an incredibly confused looking Esther. “And this is Sunny. My brother’s mother-in-law.”

“Why exactly is your brother’s morther-in-law doing yoga in the reception of one of Manhattan’s biggest property developers?”

“Because, darling,” Sunny says, despite the question clearly being aimed at me, “yoga is excellent for maintaining vitality and flexibility. Derek likes to bend me like a pretzel when we’re making love so yoga is more important now than ever.”

“Derek?” I ask, my brow furrowed in confusion. I’m sure that wasn’t the guy she bought to Declan’s wedding. “What happened to your other guy…Conrad, wasn’t it?”

“Why must you assume something happened? Can a mature woman not simply enjoy the pleasure provided by two virile men?” she asks airily.

“Uh, yes?” I answer with some hesitance, not entirely sure whether the question was rhetorical or not. After a sharp glance from Esther, I decide to steer the topic away from Sunny’s sex life. “Um, Sunny, maybe you could just let Mr. Cox know we’re here for our meeting?”

“Of course, darling,” she says with a bright smile.

Before she can pick up the phone, however, a familiar figure emerges from behind the reception area.

“Esther,” Cox says, smiling at my boss and holding out his hand for her to shake. “Great to see you again.”

Esther takes his hand and then gestures to me. “This is Connor Kelly. He’s a promising new talent at our firm.”

“You look really familiar,” Cox says, scrutinizing my face. “Have you worked on a project for us before?”

I shake my head. “No. I actually only relocated to New York a couple months ago.” I know exactly why he finds me familiar but I’m not about to help him out. I don’t want to be the reason my firm loses this contract.

We follow Cox into the interior office area, which is just as sleek as the reception. I’m expecting him to lead us to a conference room or something, but instead we end up in a large corner office with incredible views of the city from its floor to ceiling windows. Jesus.

“Have a seat,” he says, gesturing to the sofas arranged by one of the windows. Esther and I both sit as Cox stands; I’m not entirely sure if it’s some kind of power move, or just because it’s easier to look at the drawings we have for him. Probably both.

“This is a really nice design,” he says, nodding as he studies the drawings.

“It’s still a little rough,” Esther says. “We’ll have a final pitch for you in a few weeks, and you’ll be able to see what the exterior will look like.”

Cox nods absently. “I like that you’ve been focusing on the interior. We need as many reasons as possible for people to visit this hotel.”

“That was actually Connor’s suggestion,” Esther says, a hint of pride in her voice.

Cox’s brow furrows in thought for a moment, before clearing with realization. “Wait a minute,” he says, his head snapping up. “You’re Connor Kelly?” He glances at me for a moment as if confirming something. “You’re Shay Kelly’s brother, aren’t you? You played against us in the sevens tournament last year.”

Damn it. I let out a soft sigh, glancing awkwardly at my boss sitting next to me. Shay and Cox are on competing rugby teams and are basically mortal enemies. Last year I helped Shay out by stepping in as a ringer for a big tournament, which his team won, at