9. Garrett
GARRETT
F inally.
After a month of keeping everything on the down-low, of slowly and stealthily moving Paige into the office beside mine, we get to stop sneaking around at last. If the past few weeks have done anything, it’s given me a newfound appreciation for Dominik and the fact that he has kept his relationship a secret for nearly four months. I’m not even dating Paige, and after not being able to talk freely to her about her new job, I can’t even imagine keeping a personal relationship with her hidden.
Hell, if Paige gives in to this chemistry between us, I’ll be showing her off and shouting it from the highest rooftop in the Tampa skyline. There’s no way I could keep being with Paige a secret for even one day.
I’m so excited for the announcement, that for the first time in a long time, I’m the first one to the conference room for the team’s Monday meeting. As my knee bounces beneath the table and I look around the empty room, I wonder for the first time if I should have brought a special treat for everyone. I want them to know this is a good thing. That the expansion, as well as Paige’s and Eva’s promotions, are going to benefit everyone in the long run.
As I pull out my phone to check the time, Donovan walks in.
“Mornin’ boss man! How was your weekend?” he asks, taking his usual seat a few chairs down from mine.
“Good.” I smile, thoughts of Paige not denying she’s attracted to me flitting across my mind. “Yours?”
“Good! I was actually feeling very inspired over the weekend and made two premades.” He turns on his tablet and taps the screen a few times. “This one might be one of my favorites.”
He slides the tablet over to me. At first glance, the cover is stunning. The mountains and frozen lake blend together beautifully. But two things stand out and my brows scrunch together.
“Who came up with the title ‘Puckered Love’?”
He glances down at the screen, his smile falling slightly. “I did. It’s meant for a hockey romance, so I wanted to insert a cute pun.”
I nod, almost feeling bad for the fact that I’m about to burst his bubble.
It’s a really good cover, which I would expect from Donovan. He’s one of our best designers. I could probably leave it be and hope that Paige or Eva catch these things. However, having grown up with my best friend playing hockey, it would be wrong of me not to point out the things that jump out at me.
“And what’s with the sticks?” I inquire.
“They’re hockey sticks…” he explains with a hint of exasperation.
“Hockey players tape the blades of their sticks, typically with white or black tape. It helps protect it, give them extra grip, and also prevents moisture build-up,” I explain gently.
Donovan shakes his head, flipping the tablet back so he can look at it. “I mean, do you really think people would notice the sticks not being taped?”
I’m about to answer and explain that even if no one else did, covers under our design should strive for accuracy, not just looking pretty, when Paige walks in with a couple of blue boxes. She sets them down at the opposite end of the table and I catch her eye. Deciding to get her opinion now, I motion toward Donovan. “Paige, what’s your first impression of this cover, in one sentence.”
He holds it out for her and she takes the tablet. She barely looks at it for ten seconds before she answers.
“Butt stuff and minimal to no hockey in the story.”
“Oh, come on!” Donovan squeaks, snatching his tablet from Paige. “How could you possibly get that from this ?”
Paige flinches, the same guilt that’s eating away at me written clear across her face as she shoots him an apologetic smile.
“It’s a really good design. I especially love the reflection of everything in the lake. The mountains are even a good touch. But the hockey sticks on the ice are all wrong. There’s no tape. So if that detail isn’t right, I wouldn’t expect any of the hockey information to be right, if there was even any at all.” Paige continues on as she crosses the room to sit beside me. “And ‘Puckered?’ All I can think about is a butt hole. Which, seeing as how romance is our number one category and what we predominantly focus on, you’re practically taunting butt stuff in my face.” She pauses for a second, thinking something over before shrugging. “Although that’s not necessarily a bad thing. If the sticks get fixed, I would buy the book out of curiosity.”
And now I’m getting hard simply from hearing Paige saying she’d be curious about butt stuff. I shift in my seat, trying to subtly adjust myself as she continues.
“If you switch it out for the right kind of sticks, you could totally get that posted today. With how gorgeous everything else is, I don’t imagine it being available for long.”
That seems to perk Donovan right back up. “Thanks, I’ll make those changes as soon as we’re done here and send you the mock-up before I post it.”
Paige nods, glancing at me, and I can read the thoughts on her mind just from the expression on her face.
By the end of the meeting, he’ll officially be sending things like final approvals to Eva. I grin at her, hoping to silently show her just how excited I am about this.
While the rest of the team slowly filters into the room, grabbing pastries from the boxes Paige brought before they take their seats, I rest my elbow on the table and lean in to whisper to her.
“Are you ready for this?”
She plays with the edges of her notepad but shoots me a small, exhilarated smile.
“Yeah, I mean, I’m still nervous, but this feels…” She pauses, looking around the room at everyone getting settled. “It feels right.”
Muscles I didn’t know were tense relax at her words and there’s no denying the lightness that settles over me. While I might have known all along that Paige was ready for this step, she didn’t. Hearing her admit that and seeing her look this happy only solidify that I was right.
Now to work on getting her to give me a shot to be more than just a partner.
The last of the team finds their seat and I take that as my cue to get the meeting started. We go through our typical checklist, following up on projects and deadlines, making sure that everyone has the resources they need quicker than normal.
There’s a light hum of energy in the room as we finish updates. Or maybe that’s just the five cups of coffee I’ve had this morning buzzing through my veins as I wait for the design team to finish talking. As Donovan concludes, the team automatically starts collecting their things, but Paige speaks up, making them all collectively pause.
“Before everyone leaves and gets back to work, there’s actually an announcement.”
She looks at me, her eyes shining with excitement as she motions for me to continue.
“By the end of the week, SweetHeart Publishing will begin the stages of expanding and slightly rebranding. The changes we have planned will not affect anyone here right away outside of some slight management changes.”
A hushed murmur fills the space and I clear my throat to get their attention back.
“We will be absorbing an assistant company that caters to the one-off and temporary jobs. We will remain a publishing company. That is and will remain our main focus. The goal with the expansion is to be able to offer a wide variety of services, from publishing and design as we do now, to a temp fill-in for an assistant. If things go well, maybe even adding on services like PR management. The only obvious changes you will notice will be a slight name change and the shift in your chain of management.”
Sam leans forward, bracing his elbows on the table. “How so?”
“As many of you know, I have spent the last two years running this company on my own. However, the days of running things solo are dwindling to an end, and I’m excited to announce that I have brought on a partner.” I can’t fight the smile that takes hold as I turn my full attention to the woman beside me. “Luckily, it’s someone I think everyone will approve of.”
The room falls silent for a moment before Sam breaks the rising tension. “Oh, thank you to all that is holy,” he says on a heavy exhale. “I think if you had said anyone other than her, I would have rioted.”
A light pink tints Paige’s cheeks, but she keeps her head held high as congratulations are shouted for her.
“Who’s taking her job?” Asher asks when everyone starts quieting down a bit and I let Paige answer this one.
“Starting tomorrow, Evalyn will be taking over my role as Publishing Director. We are already working on filling her current job,” she answers smoothly. Pride fills me at the moment, at just how accepting and trusting this team is with the decisions.
Questions are thrown out faster than we can keep up with before Paige finally stands and gets the attention of the team.
“There will be an email sent first thing tomorrow to the entire team. In it there will be the answers to all your questions and details about the additions to the company. Garrett, Eva, and I will be around during normal business hours tomorrow to answer any questions that remain. After that, Mr. Walker and I will be out of the office to attend to some things in New York, but we will have our work phones and laptops with us and will respond to emails when we are able.”
Thankfully, everyone seems even more happy than we had expected. Slowly, the teams begin to filter out, taking the news with them and clearly ready to spread it. By the time the last person is out the door, leaving only Paige and me behind, all I can focus on is what’s next.
Paige drops into the seat beside mine and lets out a heavy exhale. She rolls her neck to the side, tilting her head and grinning at me.
“Well, that went better than expected.” She shrugs. “Not that I really knew what I was expecting to happen.”
“I knew they’d be happy with your new job.” I smirk and Paige rolls her eyes.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, save the ‘I told you so’.”
“Gwen should have sent you an email with flight details for the week this morning.” I don’t take my eyes off Paige as I watch for any clues toward how she feels about traveling with me this week.
She pulls out her phone, taps the email icon, and nods. If I weren’t so in tune with everything she does, I might have missed the way she stiffens and chews on her bottom lip before speaking.
“If you didn’t need me for anything Friday afternoon, I was actually going to have her cancel my flight home. My dad still lives in Vermont and I might get a rental and drive up to see him. Then I’ll get a flight back Saturday night or Sunday morning from the closest airport.”
I shake my head. “I’ll have Gwen change our flight plans and book us a rental. She’ll just need the town and she can handle the rest. It’ll save you the money of a plane ticket if we just use my plane anyway.”
Paige blinks. “You…have a plane?”
“Personally, no. However, I share one with Leo and his father.” I scratch at the nape of my neck and change the subject. “I can drive up with you or I can hang around the city and meet up with you to fly back. Whatever you’re comfortable with.”
I should probably be embarrassed that I’m basically inviting myself to her hometown, but I can’t find it in me to.
“I don’t want to make you wait or feel like you have to be stuck in a car with me to drive to my hometown. It’s fine. I can always go another time.”
Reaching out, I place my hand over hers on the table.
“I truly don’t mind. Truth be told, spending uninterrupted time with you sounds fun. Just tell me the town and I’ll have Gwen handle the rest for us. I could use a couple days off. Plus, I’ve never been to Vermont.”
Paige stares at me with wide eyes, anxiously nibbling on her bottom lip as she searches my face. When she finally nods in acceptance, all of my excitement from earlier feels tame compared to the immense anticipation running through my veins. I was already looking forward to this week in New York with Paige. Now, my mind races at the idea of traveling to her home and spending personal time showing her that I meant what I said the other night.
I’m willing to do whatever it takes to prove to her that I’m here for her in every way.