CHAPTER EIGHT
NATHAN
I BUILT MY schedule so I didn’t have to think about it. Every call, every meeting, every shift in priority was filtered, organized, and handed to me in a way that made the day move efficiently.
Elise was very good at that. She didn’t just manage my schedule. She anticipated it. Adjusted it before it needed adjusting. Solved problems before they reached me.
I glanced down at my phone, scrolling through the mess of overlapping calendar notifications.
Now I was doing it myself.
And I understood, very clearly, why most assistants failed at it.
There was a rhythm to it. A balance between what needed immediate attention and what could wait. Between what mattered and what only seemed like it did.
I stepped out of the conference room on Friday, drafting a response to an email that needed my attention, when my footsteps suddenly halted.
Elise was back at her desk like she’d been there this whole time. Only, she wasn’t. She’d been gone all morning, that portion of her day purposely blocked off so she could work with Nia on her music video.
She had shown up on time as usual, wanting to make sure it was okay she would miss the first half of work, even though she’d been doing it all this week, worrying that I wouldn’t be able to handle a few hours without her, but I reassured her that I’d be fine, and I was, but I couldn’t deny that I was glad to see her at desk.
I was about to approach her to ask her how her last day was but Marissa reached her desk first.
“Missed you this week,” Marissa said, leaning a hip against Elise’s desk. “Where have you been?”
Elise smiled in response. “I’ve been working with Nia Knight on her music video for her latest single. Mr. Edge was nice enough to accommodate me in order to make it happen.”
“I heard the song. I know the video is going to be amazing, especially with you having a hand in it.”
“Not you trying to make me blush,” Elise giggled.
“Kingsley and I were about to grab lunch from Joan’s On Third. You in?”
“I would love to. But unfortunately, not coming in this morning has thrown me off, so I need to catch up.” Elise answered.
“Are you sure?”
Elise nodded her head. “Yes. Go ahead. I still have interviews for my replacement that I need to get through this afternoon. I’ll eat something afterwards.”
“Okay,” Marissa relents. “I’ll see you later.” She’s off with a parting wave before Elise turns and focuses on the files in front of her.
I didn’t move right away.
I probably should have. There was no reason to linger in the hallway when I had a meeting starting in less than ten minutes and three emails waiting for responses I should have already sent.
But I stayed where I was, my attention fixed on Elise in a way that didn’t make sense for a man with a schedule like mine.
Elise had slipped back into her role like she’d never left. Laptop open, files spread neatly in front of her, posture straight, already working through whatever had piled up in the hours she’d been gone.
I exhaled quietly and pushed off the wall, closing the distance between us before I had the chance to reconsider it.
“Elise.”
She looked up immediately, like she always did when I said her name. “Mr. Edge.”
There it was again. That slight shift in tone. Just enough formality to remind me that things weren’t exactly where I wanted it to be.
“How was your morning?” I asked.
“Good. Really good. We managed to finish shooting the dance numbers today, and the playback looked amazing. Now I’m just waiting on the final cut.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing it. I know you did a great job.” I stated. My words were simple enough, but they landed. I could see it in the way she held my gaze for a second longer, like she was still adjusting to hearing things like that from me.
“Well…thank you,” she said. “Again.” I inclined my head slightly, then shifted my weight, preparing to step away. “And how did your morning go?” she asked before I could retreat into my office. “Did everything fall apart without me?”
“I managed.” I answered.
That earned me a small laugh, the sound quiet but genuine. “I’m sure you did.”
For a moment, the tension that had been lingering between us over the past week eased just enough to make it noticeable.
I let it sit there for a second before stepping back.
“I have a call in ten,” I said. “Let me know if anything comes up.”
“Of course,” she replied.
I nodded once, then turned toward my office without looking back.
The moment the door shut behind me, the noise from the floor dulled into something distant.
I set my phone on the desk, then picked it back up again almost immediately, my thumb hovering over the screen for a fraction of a second before I made the decision.
I pulled up Joan’s On Third and placed the order without overthinking it.
Enough for the entire company. Enough that it would look intentional without drawing attention to any one person.
When I finished, I sent the confirmation and set the phone aside, turning my attention back to the work waiting on my desk.
***
THE DELIVERY ARRIVED within an hour.
I heard it before I saw it. The shift in noise carried down the hallway, voices rising over one another, the kind of disruption that didn’t usually happen in the middle of the workday.
A light knock sounded against my office door before it opened.
I didn’t look up right away. “Yes?”
“Did you order lunch for the entire building?” Elise asked.
I glanced up then, meeting her gaze evenly. “Yes.”
Her expression tightened slightly in thought. “Why?”
“A thank you,” I said. “The team’s been handling more since I took over.”
It wasn’t entirely untrue.
I could see it in her eyes that she didn’t believe me.
“Okay,” she said finally, though the word carried more observation than acceptance. “Well… everyone seems very happy.”
“That’s the idea.”
“Guess I can save the granola bar I was going to eat for another occasion,” Elise joked.
“I guess so.”
I brought my attention back to the desk in front of me, letting the file in my hands take priority even though I wasn’t reading a single word of it.
She didn’t leave right away. I could feel it without looking, the quiet shift in the room that came with her still standing there, still watching, like she was trying to decide if there was something she was missing.
After a moment, I glanced up.
Her expression had softened, just slightly. Not enough for anyone else to notice, but enough that it didn’t feel like the same distance she’d been keeping all week. There was something else there now. Curiosity, maybe. Or hesitation.
Like she was piecing something together and hadn’t quite landed on the answer yet.
She gave a small nod, almost to herself. “Thank you,” she said again, quieter this time.
I returned the nod, letting the moment settle without pushing it further than it needed to go.
Another second passed before she turned and walked out, the door closing softly behind her.
I stayed where I was, my gaze still on the file in front of me, though my focus had already shifted elsewhere.
Because there were two things I was certain of, one being that she hadn’t believed the explanation I gave her. And two, that hesitation? That was something I could work with.