Beneath the Surface (Bayport Cove #2)

Prologue

“Don’t forget you have that meeting with Mr. Pierson in twenty minutes.”

I chuckled at my secretary’s formality. Well, she was actually my dad’s secretary, but when I started at the law firm four months ago, he appointed her to keep me organized. Apparently, he didn’t think I could mark things down in my calendar myself.

“Brenda, for the hundredth time, you don’t have to call Gabe ‘Mr. Pierson’ in front of me. It makes him sound like my superior.”

“Technically speaking, he is your superior,” she said with an amused grin.

She had me there. Gabe’s name was on the building, after all.

But so was mine.

Pierson our dads didn’t put much into the aesthetic, and it still looked the same as it did the day they first opened their doors, right down to the furniture.

The wood flooring covering the space looked like shit, the white paint on the walls was faded, chipped, and cracked, and the buzzing fluorescent ceiling lights did nothing to help the overall appearance.

Honestly, I was surprised Gabe didn’t try for the office makeover sooner.

I think he was letting my dad adjust to him being his equal now as partner—Robert Callahan wasn’t a fan of change, and too much at once probably would have given the man a damn aneurysm.

After two years, Gabe couldn’t take it anymore, though.

He finally went to my dad, made the pitch with a budget, and got the go-ahead, but my dad didn’t care enough to be bothered with the process.

So, what did Gabe do? Roped me in. You’ll be taking over someday, so you should be involved and have a say. It got me out of digging through files that my dad didn’t feel like looking through himself or getting him coffee, so why the fuck not?

I caught up on a few emails and made a note to make a few calls when I returned to my office before leaving to meet Gabe.

“Hey, Callahan.” I looked over my shoulder to see one of the associates, Derrick, walking down the hall, and I nodded in acknowledgment as he fell into step beside me. “What are you up to?”

“I’ve got a meeting with Gabe and the interior designer for the office redesign.”

“Sounds fun…not.” He snorted.

“It gets me out of doing bullshit for an hour or so, so I can’t complain too much. Plus…” I smirked. “It helps that the designer is easy on the eyes.” I’d seen the blonde woman he’d met with to sign the contract for the job, and she was a smoke show.

“Well, how about we grab lunch when you’re done?”

“You buying?”

“Sure.” He chuckled. “I’ll get you this time. You get me next.”

“Asking me on a second date already?” I jested.

“If that’s what you wanna call it, pretty boy.”

“And you’re calling me pretty?” I smirked. “Flattery will get you everywhere, my friend.”

“Hate to break it to ya, but you’re not my type.”

I scoffed. “I’m everyone’s type.”

Derrick chuckled as we rounded the corner leading to the front lobby where I was meeting Gabe. We both slowed to a stop at the sight we were met with.

Gabe was there, but it was the brunette in the tight pencil skirt he was talking to who had grabbed our immediate attention.

“Goddamn,” he muttered under his breath.

“You can say that again,” I said, looking her up and down. I grinned, giving him a playful smack. “See ya at lunch.”

I started toward Gabe and the woman, lightly clearing my throat as I neared. “Ah.” Gabe smiled. “Here he is now.” The woman turned, and a pair of amber eyes met mine. “This is Wesley Callahan. Wes, this is Morgan Hayes from Life Styled Interior Design.”

She smiled politely, extending her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Callahan.”

“Please, call me Wes. Mr. Callahan is my dad, and he’s down the hall in his office.

” I flashed a charming smile as I shook her hand, and when I dropped it, I looked between her and Gabe with a smirk.

“I thought we were meeting with the hot blonde, but I can’t say I’m disappointed with her replacement. ”

Morgan’s brow arched. “My boss, Grace, had another project that needed her attention, so she assigned this one to me. But I assure you, Mr. Callahan, I’m more than capable, and I promise to leave you satisfied.”

I didn’t miss how she called me “Mr. Callahan” again or emphasized it like it was meant to be a slight dig. Oh, she seems feisty. And she had to know what she was doing with the latter part of her statement, right? “I’m sure you will.”

When I smirked again, I swore I saw her eye imperceptibly twitch. “Are you this charming with every woman you’ve just met?”

“Only a select lucky few,” I lied with a grin.

She leaned in slightly with a small, condescending smile. “I think it’s safe to say that you and I have very different definitions of lucky.”

Gabe cleared his throat. “Ignore him. Why don’t we head this way,” he said before turning.

I gestured to Morgan with a grin. “After you.”

She turned to follow Gabe, and I chuckled to myself as I trailed behind them.

When we stepped inside conference room A, Morgan glanced around. “This is our main conference room, so it sees the most traffic,” Gabe explained.

Morgan nodded and began rambling as Gabe listened intently. I wasn’t paying attention to anything she was saying. I was too busy looking at her.

“This space is great with these windows,” I registered her say. “And it’s not a bad view.”

“Not bad at all,” I mused from my chair. Spoiler: I wasn’t talking about the stupid windows.

Morgan gave me a sideways glance while Gabe shot me a look. “Please,” he gestured for her to sit.

When Morgan took her seat, she began by explaining the process and our options, from paint and flooring to furniture and artwork on the walls. Then, we started with the individual offices.

“Yeah, my office definitely needs a facelift,” I said. “All of them do.”

Morgan pulled out a binder from a bag she’d brought with her. “Okay, so for the flooring in the offices…you already have hardwood, right?” she asked, and when she pointed, it was down to the floor…or at least it was meant to be the floor.

Unfortunately for her and my gutter-minded brain, it was more in the direction of my lap.

I smirked at the door she’d just opened, unable to help myself. “Not yet, but for you, I could definitely make that happen.”

Gabe pinched the bridge of his nose.

Morgan slowly turned her head to look at me.

I was still smirking like the asshole I am because I couldn’t help but be proud of my joke, but also because I was partly serious.

Her lips tugged into a smirk of her own as she leaned forward. “If I wasn’t a professional and you didn’t hire me…” She leaned closer, and like some magnet was pulling me in, I did, too. “I would still tell you that the only wood of yours I’m interested in are the finishes within this building.”

Gabe outright snorted. “Sorry,” he wheezed, covering his mouth.

Morgan leaned back without glancing at me again. “So, let’s move on to the built-ins…”

Damn. Tough crowd.

We—and by we, I mean Gabe and Morgan—discussed a few more details and options before Morgan rose from her seat and shook Gabe’s hand as he grinned. “I’m looking forward to seeing how it all comes together.”

She was still smiling when she grabbed her bag, but it faded when she looked at me. “Mr. Callahan,” she said flatly before leaving the conference room.

I snorted when the door shut. “Jesus, she seems like a bowl full of fun.” Gabe turned, giving me a look. “Don’t give me that look. She talked right back.”

“Yeah, only because I warned her about you ahead of time and told her not to be afraid to dish it right back to you.”

“Warned her?”

“Yeah, warned her that you could come off as a bit flirtatious in hopes it wouldn’t scare her off or she wouldn’t take offense to it.”

“Offense? Who would be offended?”

“Wes, you know I love ya, man, but you’re in the real world now. Can we not sexually harass contracted employees…or anyone for that matter?”

I scoffed. “It was a little harmless flirting.”

“That’s subjective.”

“Alright, alright. I’m sorry.” I held up my hands in surrender. “You’re right. I was out of line, and it won’t happen again. And especially not with her. She may be hot, but she’s way too fucking stiff and uptight for my taste.”