Trade It All(32)
At half past eleven, he woke Clay with a phone call.
“Who is this?” Clay asked groggily.
“Lance.”
“She’s not here,” he mumbled.
“Good. We need to be clear about something. Willa is mine. She can work for you if she wants to, but if you so much as flirt with her I will feed you your front teeth for lunch. I don’t care if you’re Dax’s friend.”
With just a hint of sarcasm, Clay said, “Got it. Don’t fuck Willa. Anything else?”
Lance knew how to use a weakness, in buildings or people, to his benefit. If Clay was looking for a pet project, Lance could work with that. “I need to spend more time with her.”
“Are you asking for my help?” Clay sounded pleased with the idea.
Better to have him working with me rather than against. Lance had gone over all the possible ways he could spend more time with Willa and this still made the most sense. “Yes. I want you to bring her with you when you meet with me.”
Clay laughed. “I’ve never played matchmaker. Sounds fun.” In a much more serious tone, as if he had just thought of something important, Clay asked, “What are your intentions?”
“My intentions?” Lance asked in disbelief.
“I’m not setting the two of you up for anything less than the real deal.” He made a contemplative sound. “I feel responsible for her. She’s my first personal assistant.”
How is this ridiculous man Dax’s best friend?
“Just bring her with you later today.”
Lance hung up and stood. What the hell am I doing?
What I should have done a long time ago.
A thought occurred to him, and he buzzed through to his secretary. “Did you already send out the bouquet?”
“Yes, sir.”
Shit. “I forgot to tell you what to write on the card.”
“I improvised.”
“What did you say?” Do I want to know?
She cleared her throat nervously. “I’m here when you’re ready—Lance.”
“I guess that’s better than—I’m done being patient, it’s time to fucking forgive me.”
There was a light feminine laugh. “I thought so.”
“What’s your name?”
“Miss Oliviera.”
“Miss Oliviera, when my regular secretary comes back, apply for a position in my office. We’ll find something for you.”
“Thank you, sir.” After a moment, she added, “I still won’t lie to the police for you.”
Lance laughed without humor and hung up. Hopefully it wouldn’t come to that.
Chapter Eight
Three minutes before noon, Willa stood next to the desk of Kate, Dax’s secretary. “I’m meeting Mr. Landon. He’s using an office here.” She smiled apologetically. “I tried to call and confirm the location but . . .”
Kate smiled back in understanding. “Mr. Landon lives by his own schedule. Is today your first day?”
Willa nodded and adjusted her suit jacket. After leaving Lance’s office that morning she’d gone for a long walk. Despite how her feet protested the high-heeled abuse, she felt calmer. Now that she knew her feelings for him were still there, bubbling below the surface, she would make sure she didn’t put herself in a vulnerable position again. All she needed was distance for things to get back on track, to keep the past contained. “Do you know which office we’ll be using?”
Kate referenced a notepad beside her computer. “Looks like the one right next to Mr. Marshall’s.”
Only because Kate was so easy to talk to, Willa said, “I get the feeling he wants to keep an eye on us.”
Amusement twinkled in Kate’s eyes. “He’s becoming quite the family man.”
Family. Until recently Willa would have said hers consisted of only Lexi and Kenzi. When Kenzi married Dax, and there was no doubt that it would happen, it would make him a brother of sorts. “I’ve never had a big brother watching out for me.”
“Not even all those Barringtons?”
Willa shrugged. It hadn’t been like that. Kenzi used to avoid her family as much as possible, so Lexi and Willa had also. Even after moving to Boston to be closer to Kenzi, actual interaction with her family had been minimal. That had changed this past year after she met Dax. Kenzi was doing more and more with her family. It was good for Kenzi, but it did make things uncomfortable sometimes for Willa. None of that was appropriate to share with Dax’s secretary, so Willa didn’t.
“I suppose I should go see what the office looks like,” Willa said.
Kate snapped her fingers and stood. “I can’t believe I forgot about it. A box came this morning with your name on it.”