12. Sterling
CHAPTER 12
Sterling
L ike she requested, I give it a week before I try to get in contact with Emilia again. Seeing as I don’t have her number, I decide to call her brother—not just to ask for her number, but to feel out how she’s been and the situation right now.
Carson picks up on the third ring. It’s late evening on a Monday and he could either be at home or still at work.
“Yo, Harrington,” he greets. “How are you, man?”
“I’m good. You?”
“All things considered, I’m good, too. It’s been a little hectic over at my company in the past few weeks. Which is why I haven’t really come over there.”
“It’s alright. Listen, have you talked to your sister recently?”
“Which one?” Carson questions.
“Emilia,” I reply. “I just wanted to find out how Paige is doing.”
Carson doesn’t speak up for a long minute. When he does, his voice is tinged with suspicion.
“And how do you know about Paige?”
“Because I was with her when everything went down. I drove her to the hospital.”
“And why were you with her?”
I roll my eyes before answering. “Because we were discussing the possibility of her selling her café. By the way, do you know if she’s changed her mind about selling to pay for Paige’s surgery?”
I wanted really badly to offer to pay for it, but I had a feeling she’d have shut me down without hesitation.
Carson huffs out a breath, “No, she hasn’t. We’ve all tried to talk her out of it. I even offered to pay for the surgery but Emilia’s always had a bleeding heart and a lot of pride. I admire her strength, and while a part of me knows that selling the café’s the right thing to do, I don’t want her doing it because of something like this.”
“Yeah, I get it.”
“Why would you want her to change her mind, Harrington? Doesn’t this benefit your company?”
Since I don’t have a good answer to that question, my jaw tightens.
“Stop interrogating me, Carson,” I state. “Now tell me how the girl is.”
“I think she’ll be okay. I talked to Em last night and she said they’re going to transfer Paige to a hospital in the city. Her mom’s going with her. The doctors are all sure she’ll be okay after the surgery, and with a lot of physical therapy she should be able to walk again.”
“That’s good,” I murmur.
“Yeah, I’m glad it all turned out okay,” Carson agrees. “Now back to you being so question-y about Emilia.”
“Question-y’s not a word,” I say drily.
“Whatever, man,” he retorts. “Remember our pact in high school?”
“What pact?”
“The one where we both promised not to go after each other’s sisters.”
“Considering I don’t have a sister, I’d say that agreement referred only to me.”
“Exactly. But the point is, you agreed.”
I vaguely remember making the dumb promise when we were buzzed one night. It’s not like anything was ever going to happen between me and Anika anyway so I didn’t think much of it back then.
“Yes, and?”
“Emilia might not have been in our lives then, but she is now, and she’s still my sister. So stay away, okay?”
“You’re being dramatic, Carson,” I tell him.
“And now you’re not giving me a straight answer,” he states, his tone growing even more serious. “Listen, dude, I don’t know what’s going on between you two. But one minute I’m thinking you’re, like, mortal enemies or some shit. And the next you’re driving her to the hospital and asking how she is. It’s a little weird.”
“Nothing weird is going on. It’s a business transaction and I think we’ve gained some mutual respect for each other in the process.”
“Mutual respect,” Carson repeats, amusement coating his voice. “Anyway, just be careful, alright. Especially with Emilia. I don’t know what’s going on, but if there’s anything between you, shut it down. I can’t think of two people that would be worse for each other than the two of you.”
I stiffen. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Carson grows silent for a beat. “Just that the two of you already have a lot of shit going on in your lives. You’re really similar in the sense that you hide your emotions and you’re both hardheaded as fuck. I just don’t think your personalities would work well together.”
“We get along,” I say coldly.
“That’s good. Just keep it friendly,” Carson states. “Now, is that all? I’ve got a shit ton of reports to go through before I have to bed.”
“No, I need Emilia’s number,” I tell him in a low tone. “Before you say anything, it’s business related. If she’s really ready to sell her café, I need to get the documents ready for her to sign.”
“Uh-huh,” Carson says cautiously. “If you say so, Harrington. I’ll send it to you after the call.”
“Thanks.”
He hangs up and I let out a deep breath before lying down on my bed. That was a draining conversation. I’d like to tell Carson to fuck off and reiterate that there’s nothing going on between me and his sister. But then I think about the way she looked at me right before I left the hospital and I’m not sure that wouldn’t be a total lie.
I might be screwed.
Unsurprisingly, Emilia hasn’t changed her mind. I text her as soon as Carson sends her number over, but I can tell she’s distracted because she only provides short answers to my questions. Then she says the reason she’s so distracted is because Paige has just been transported to the city.
She assures me that she’ll be ready to sign the contract in two days. I tell her she can come to the office any time and I’ll have the documents ready by then.
I’m on a call with a potential investor for the new project when I get another call through the office phone. I inform the man on the other end that I’ll arrange a meeting so we can talk about the deal and he agrees. After he hangs up, I pick up the office phone.
“Hello?”
“Mr. Harrington, Ms. Cameron is here to see you,” the receptionist informs me.
“Okay, please have someone direct her to the lounge on the first floor.”
I need some water anyway, and it’ll be less intimidating if we meet there instead of a stuffy office. I step out of my office, heading to the lounge to wait for Emilia. I grab a bottle of water in the meantime, drinking some before placing the bottle on the small white table in front of me.
Emilia walks through the doors of the lounge soon enough. She smiles when she sees me and the sight of it causes a flutter in my heart. Maybe because I hadn’t been expecting it. I rise to my feet.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“Yeah I’m fine.”
“How’s Paige?”
Emilia beams. “She had her surgery yesterday. It went well.”
“That’s great. I’m happy for her. Have a seat,” I say, gesturing to the chair opposite mine.
“This is a pretty cool company,” she informs me, taking her seat.
“Thanks,” I mutter. “I didn’t build it.”
“Yeah, but you contribute to it every day. It’s impressive,” she states.
I need to remember not to look into her eyes because they’re incredibly distracting and it’s the last thing I need right now. Emilia seems to have come to the same conclusion because her gaze is fixed somewhere on the table when she speaks again.
“Anyway… I heard you’ve got a contract for me to sign?”
I’m momentarily distracted by the sight of her legs in the dress she’s wearing.
“Uh, yeah,” I say, placing the documents on the table so she can go through them. “Are you sure you don’t want to have a lawyer here or anything?”
“No, it’s fine. I can read.”
I smile before leaning back and we both sit in silence for a couple of minutes while I let her go through the three-page document. She finishes pretty fast but I can tell she took in every single word.
“So? What do you think?” I ask once she sets it back down on the table.
“It’s good. I don’t have a problem with anything in there,” she replies easily.
Thank fuck. “So, are you ready to sign?”
She crosses her legs, her blue eyes roaming over my face in a way that makes me feel exposed.
“Maybe,” she drawls.
My eyebrow rises. “What more could you possibly want, Emilia?” I made sure her contract was iron clad and that she receives appropriate compensation as well.
She shrugs but doesn’t reply. I shake my head, a little impressed.
“You know, you’ve got good instincts and are a masterful negotiator. We could use someone like you working at our company.”
“Okay, I’m in,” she says with a smile, surprising the hell out of me.
“What?”
Emilia leans back, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “Without my café, I’ll be effectively jobless with nothing to do. Let me work with you here at Harrington Holdings.”
My brows furrow. “That was a joke, not an invitation.”
“I’m adding another card to the table,” she announces. “We haven’t signed the contract yet so take it as another one of my conditions. A temporary position at Harrington Holdings.”
I stare at her for a moment before realizing that she’s absolutely serious.
“Where is this even coming from?”
She smiles before shrugging. “Honestly, I just came up with it and I’m rolling with it.”
“Life is that easy for you, isn’t it? Just deciding to jump into a career you know nothing about out of, what? Boredom?” I say, my tone a little harsh.
“Calm down, Tin Man. I’m not coming for your position or anything like that. This is just me being spontaneous, free. I haven’t had the chance to live like that so far. Might as well start now.”
“How wonderful,” I bite out. Then I’m sighing, rubbing the middle of my forehead. “Do you even have any qualifications that merit you a job at Harrington Holdings?”
“No, I do not,” she replies, and it’s a little amusing how flippant she’s being about this.
“I feel like I’m being blackmailed right now,” I mutter.
“We’re simply conducting a business deal,” she says innocently.
“I’d have to think about it,” I state.
“Sure. You do you, Tin Man. But I’m not agreeing to the sale until you give me a job. Remember, it’s only temporarily until I find out what next to do with my life.”
She gets to her feet, pulling her dress down. Then she smiles at me and I feel my heart do a little backflip.
“Choose wisely, Sterling. I’ll see you later.”
She walks out, leaving behind the floral scent of her perfume and a blossoming headache as I consider how best to deal with this new situation.
I don’t have to think too hard about it, though. By the time morning rolls around, I’m sending her a text asking her to show up to work before 10 a.m. It doesn’t take her more than a couple of minutes before she replies.
Emilia: You already have a job for me?
Me: Sure, how do you feel about being an assistant?
Emilia: Whose?
Me: Mine.
She said the job would only be temporary, and considering I’m about to get really busy with the development plans taking off, I’ll be in need of an assistant anyway. It’s like killing two birds with one stone.
Emilia starts to text, then the dots disappear before they reappear once again.
Emilia: Why does this feel like a bad idea?
The openness of the text surprises me a little bit. Because she’s absolutely right. I can’t think of anything worse than spending time in close quarters with her every single day. But you live, you learn. There’s also a part of me that really wants to spend time in close quarters with her every single day.
I text her back a couple simple words.
Me: Where’s your sense of adventure, Emilia?