Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Noah
I stand in my new office and take a breath.
And then another. I love it, of course. It’s large and has great views over the city.
Also, it’s mine. I want to personalise it in a way I never did in the two years I was at ANC.
I’ve already ordered some bookshelves, as I want to keep and display my clients’ books.
Maybe I’ll also get some plants, especially if I can task someone else with remembering to water them as I don’t know if I will.
The enormity of the someone crashes down on me.
An assistant, a responsibility, someone I need to earn enough money to pay as well as myself.
As well as this grand new office with its reception area and kitchenette.
I suck in another breath trying not to let it get to me, this huge task I’ve taken on.
A part of me wants to run upstairs and seek out Chase and get him to tell me it’s all going to be okay.
Then I remember he’s not here. He’s back at his house after saying he wanted to focus on his book today, and suddenly I’ve never felt so alone as I do right now.
I know I’m not, but despite the investing and helping me with setting everything up, Chase made it clear this was mine.
I make the decisions, so its success or failure rests with me. I’d better get to work, then.
I set up my laptop first and check my emails.
All of the contracts for the four who have followed me are signed and returned—I will forever be grateful for their belief in me—and I start reaching out to their publishers about the change in contact.
But those four, five now with Chase as well, are not enough.
I’m going to need a lot more. I make a list of all the places I need to market myself and anyone I feel I can reach out to personally. Then I start going through it.
“Hello, Noah, how are you?” A voice makes me jump and I clutch my chest as I see Elsa standing by the door.
“Hi, Elsa, you scared me there.”
“I did knock,” she replies. “Four times.”
“Oh, sorry.” I grimace and she smiles kindly.
“Your first candidate will be here in ten minutes.”
“Is it that time already?” I glance at my watch and see that two hours have passed already without getting even a quarter of the way through my list.
“I thought you could use some help to welcome them.”
“Don’t you need to be working for Chase?” I don’t want to take up too much of her time, though I am grateful to her for coming to remind me.
“Nothing that can’t wait for a few hours. Now, shall I make you a coffee while you organise yourself? And then the first person should be here.”
“Thank you, Elsa, I really appreciate it. Can you like, clone yourself and save me the trouble of finding someone? Or do you have a sister? Brother? Anyone who’s as efficient as you?”
She just shakes her head and laughs as she leaves to make good on her promise of the coffee.
I push my list to one side and pull the stack of CVs towards me to remind myself quickly of the candidates.
I’d narrowed it down to four, and all were able to come to an interview today, which is great, as I want to get this part over quickly.
In truth, I’ve never had to hire someone before, but Chase gave me some advice and tips last night, which of course, I can’t recall right now, but I hope I will when I’m actually in the interview.
Elsa returns with my coffee and lets me know that the first candidate has arrived.
I ask her to give me a few minutes and take a few gulps of coffee while I try to get my head in order.
The first person is well qualified on paper, but I don’t sense a great vibe.
The second seems pleasant but has no knowledge of the publishing industry, which isn’t a requirement but I can tell they don’t have a great interest in it.
Once she leaves, Elsa brings me another coffee and also a sandwich.
I hadn’t asked for one. I haven’t even thought about food, but now it’s in front of me I’m suddenly starving.
“You have twenty minutes until the next interview and Chase would never forgive me if I let you starve,” she gives as an explanation.
“I thought you were looking after my best interests. But you’re just looking after Chase’s,” I grumble without any real feeling.
“Actually, I’m looking after my own,” she replies, showing just how smart she is.
“You’re truly amazing. Are you sure about the cloning thing?” I ask and she grins. She knows her worth, as well she should.
She leaves me alone with my lunch and I pick up my phone, which has been on silent, to see three messages from Chase.
I read through them quickly. They’re mostly just checking in with me and “miss you” messages.
I’m missing him too. It was hard to say goodbye to him this morning, especially after spending a second night with him, slowly exploring each other’s bodies, teasing and edging each other.
Being with Chase isn’t like any of my previous partners, not that I should compare.
But he seems to get as much pleasure out of pleasing me as I do.
I get lost in thinking about how sexy the smattering of grey on his chest is and how I like to run my fingers through it when Elsa disturbs me again with news that the next interviewee has arrived.
I gulp down the last of my sandwich and chew quickly while I send a reply to Chase.
A flirty but also slightly soppy one. I don’t care.
Then I put my phone away and try to concentrate.
“Hey, I have a mug like that?” Are the second words out of Darren’s mouth, right after he says hello and introduces himself.
“You like spreadsheets?” I ask, because well, they’re an acquired taste.
“Love them.” He smiles broadly and then leans in a bit closer. “I think I actually get withdrawal symptoms if I can’t use one regularly.”
Then he sits back and looks slightly shocked.
“Sorry, I probably shouldn’t have led with that.
It’s not a good look, is it? To appear enthusiastic to the point of fanatical.
It makes me sound mad. And I’m not mad, I assure you.
” He scrunches his face up in a wince, thinking he’s made it even worse, and I can’t help but laugh.
He reminds me a little—okay, maybe a lot—of a younger me.
I talk through his previous work and experience, which is at least relevant despite his ability to rattle on, and I can’t fault him for that.
He does appear to know how to be professional and is well organised.
“So, is there anything you’d like to ask me?” I end with. It’s the part of the interview I’ve been most nervous about, in case they ask me something I can’t answer or some employment technicality. I would say I can get back to them, but it always fills me with apprehension.
Darren looks at me and a small smirk comes over his face.
“What’s Rafe Rowell like in real life?”
“You know Rafe?” My eyes widen, as that definitely wasn’t what I was expecting.
“Yes. No, obviously not personally. But I have read all of his books and I’m a huge fan.
I missed coming to the book signing the other week as I was called in to work an extra shift at my previous job.
” He looks so downcast at the end I almost feel sorry for him.
But there’s no way I’m talking about or gossiping about my clients.
However, I like Darren a lot, and he seems far more suited to the job than the candidates I’ve seen previously.
“Well, all I can tell you is, if you do get the job, you might get to meet him, and he might even sign your books.”
We talk for a while about Rafe’s books, and he really is an enthusiast, which I like.
In fact, being a reader should be a requirement for the job.
I’m always surprised how many people don’t read a single book nowadays.
We chat easily, moving on to other authors we like, and we do have some common tastes.
“Sorry to bother you,” Elsa says after knocking on the door and coming in. “The last candidate is here.”
“Oops, sorry.” I jump up and hold out my hand to Darren.
“Thank you, I’ll be in touch shortly,” I tell him while Elsa shows him out and the final person in.
They seem alright, but I didn’t feel the vibe I got from Darren, and by the end of the sessions I’m willing to offer him the job.
Elsa calls the rest of the candidates but I make a point of calling Darren myself.
He’s thrilled and can actually start the next day, which is both a relief and another source of anxiety.
I have to spend time teaching him my systems as well as trying to get new work.
Not to mention I need to make sure he has a contract of employment.
I don’t have any time to waste, and now that there’s definitely someone else who has to be paid by this business, I double down.
I still have a lot to do when Grant knocks on my door at the end of the day.
“I don’t need driving anywhere,” I say. “I can make my way home.”
“But you don’t have to. That’s what I’m here for.” Grant nods assuringly.
I pack up my laptop and grab my papers and notes to work on later. When we’re in the car, Grant looks at me in the rearview.
“Where to?”
I stare at him. For some reason I thought he’d just whisk me back to Chase’s house.
But he’s not, he’s giving me a choice. Suddenly I want to be alone, at home.
I want to finish my work. Although being with Chase will be comforting, he’ll ask me about my day, and I don’t want to talk about it right now.
And we’re never truly alone, with Macy and Grant.
It’s been an overwhelming few days, and I want to sit in my comfortable and familiar chair and just be me. Right now I want some solitude.
“Can you take me home to my place?” I say quietly and he nods and sets off.
I send Chase a text to explain, and of course I receive one straight back to check I’m alright. I put his mind at ease and he appears to accept it as Grant drives silently across town to my flat.
I get to work immediately, first making sure I have everything set up for Darren so he can have what he needs straight away, and then I continue my list. I finally stop when my head hits the keyboard. Then I crawl into bed and into an exhausted sleep.
“Hey, sweetheart. How are you feeling today?” Chase says as he walks into my office and comes round my desk.
I stand and step into his open arms. I lean into the hug he gives me and burrow my nose into his neck.
I know that going home to mine was the right decision last night, but I still missed him.
“I’m good. Much better, thank you,” I say when he releases his grip just a little.
I don’t tell him I’ve been up since five and in the office since six.
“I can’t wait to hear how much progress you made on your book.
I’m going to start putting the premise together so I can go to all the publishers who contacted you next week and see if we can get them to bid for it. ”
“Sounds good, and I’ll tell you. But first. . .” I don’t know if he was going to say anything else, as his lips meet mine and I melt into the perfect kiss.