Chapter 6—Bobby
Having her in my space again feels right. A complication I wasn’t expecting, especially with the life I lead. Yesterday, something felt like it was missing. And now I know exactly what it was.
Her.
One chance meeting, and I feel something I don’t recognize.
She and her girls drifted through my brain all of yesterday.
I thought of them longer than I should have allowed.
Really, if we were playing the should game, I shouldn’t have stayed for dinner.
I shouldn’t have taken her home. I shouldn’t have had a full report drawn up on her.
And I definitely shouldn’t have read it twice, reviewing it enough to have memorized her life.
She isn’t a native New Yorker. She only came here when her ex-husband’s job moved them here, two weeks after she gave birth to Lily. It was only two years later that she filed for divorce once she learned he was sleeping with someone from the office. Cliché in all the wrong ways.
Her parents died when she was nineteen, and other than some ailing grandparents, she has no one to go home to.
So she stayed and made a life for herself and the girls.
The custody is mostly in her favor, and I half expect he set it up that way so she’d come crawling back when things got hard.
I had a full write-up done on him as well.
Some guy she met while earning her CPA license. They dated for a short time before she got pregnant, and they chose marriage. Something I suspect she doesn’t regret, since it gave her the girls. She seems the type to take the good with the bad, based on what I saw of her place on Saturday.
I find her determination to make her way in the world endearing. Her life isn’t easy, and instead of relying on help, she carries it all herself. She even takes more buses than the average New Yorker and gets from point A to point B with little fuss. Except today.
When she wasn’t at her desk, I might have gone harder on Spencer than necessary.
If Marco hadn’t texted me that he saw she’d arrived at her desk when he had Spencer escorted out of the building, I was already considering tasking one of Danny’s guys with tracking her down.
Would it be excessive to scour the city for a single woman? Guess we’ll never know.
“How was the rest of your weekend? Was Ivy able to get her project finished?”
Ivy had spent most of dinner explaining to me all about her jerboa class project while Lily tried to entertain me and her mom.
“Yes. She even brought it to school this morning.” She smiles at the mention of her girl, but it withers away as she looks down at her food.
She sighs, shaking her head. “The only issue now is that the jerboa she made out of a toilet paper roll yesterday fell on the sidewalk, and someone stepped on it.” She shakes her head and pastes a smile on her face as she looks up at me with a small shrug.
“Thankfully, we have time to remake it, as it’s not really due for another month during the ‘meeting with the experts.’”
“Why did she bring it in so early if it wasn’t due yet? And who stepped on it?” How quickly I go from a semi-casual tone to something darker shocks her based on the look on her face. Not fear, but almost amazement. She’s probably wondering if I learned it or was born with it.
“Um, just someone walking by. Our bus broke down, and we had to walk the last few blocks. New York is known for many things but not wide sidewalks. And the displays were due early, but she still has to write up the report that they’ll do in class together.
Trust me, she has time. I already sent her teacher an email after it happened to get her an extension.
She understood, as she was late for work herself because of another bus. ”
Willow laughs to ease the tension, but I don’t find it funny. Instead, I pull out my phone and let Marco know we’ll be leaving early today so we can escort her and the girls home safely. Overstepping? Maybe. Do I care? No.
She takes a sip of her coffee, licking her bottom lip as she sets the cup down. She’s focused on her own thoughts and doesn’t see me gazing at her lips, wondering if they’ll taste like coffee or something more addictive.
“What did you want to see me for, Mr.—” My eyes snap to hers. Not in a glare but narrowing just a twinge. “Bobby.”
“Better,” I grunt with a nod.
I wipe my mouth with the corner of a napkin, stalling for a second. I like hearing her say my name. She found a way to keep from saying it on Saturday for most of the night, but I intend to hear more of it from her this week. I push my seat back to rest my arms on the chair.
“I wanted to say thank you. With your diligent work, we were able to stop the embezzlement.”
“Was it Mr. Folly?”
I nod as I sip my coffee.
I suspect she saw the arrest, considering Marco said he’d found her at her desk.
I also suspect that she had the same thought about him being involved in it when we first spoke about it on Saturday.
Willow isn’t someone who would dismiss the obvious or struggle to make assumptions based on the evidence in front of her.
“Was it just him?”
This has me adjusting once more in my seat. I push my empty plate farther from the edge and rest my forearms on top of the table. “No. He was only one of three that we know of. I suspect there are more, but until we speak with him under different circumstances, he’s not giving us anything else.”
Does she think I mean the police station?
That I’m going to let some cops interrogate him and not my team?
Has she heard the rumors about me and my family name?
Is she worried about being tied to someone connected to the Mafia?
Either she doesn’t know or doesn’t care.
Only two options explain why she let me get close to her girls.
“I’m sorry to hear that.” And I can tell she’s genuinely upset on my behalf that someone stole from my company.
“You really are something else,” I let my words slip out, knowing I said them for her to hear and wanting her to know that’s how I see her. That she’s different from most people, and I’m not against it.
She tilts her head down, and my lips tip up at the corner as her cheeks redden.
“I’m giving you a job.” I stand and grab both our empty plates, then walk to the trash can to dispose of them.
“Sir?”
I turn back and fold my arms across my chest as I perch on the half-shelf that covers most of my walls. I like looking out at everything, but I also like to have a place to sit when I feel the need to.
“Bobby.” I pause long enough to let her know I caught that she used my title and not my name.
I prefer to hear my name from her lips rather than some silly word everyone uses for anyone these days.
“And I think you’ve proven yourself well enough to take on a bigger role.
Unless full-time isn’t something you want.
” If she can’t because of her kids, I won’t force her.
I’ll still give her the bonus I plan to, and a pay increase, but I won’t put more on her plate if she can’t handle it without sacrificing her time with the girls.
“Full-time would be a dream, but I still need to make arrangements to drop off and pick up my kids before I can agree to anything.” She speaks like she’s in Wonderland and isn’t sure if she should believe what’s in front of her or not.
I silently commend her on thinking quickly and recognizing that a full-time position comes with a change in hours. I’m a stickler for hours. I’ve fired a few people for not showing up when they should or not staying for the full time required. I don’t make exceptions.
Though something tells me I might for her.
I bow my head to her in understanding. “Of course. I would also recommend looking over the new contract and thinking on it before you agree to the terms.” I wave off my own words and feel like an idiot for saying them.
It might seem like I’m trying to hint that I added something I shouldn’t have or that I’m patronizing her. Neither is my intent.
“Forgive me.” I hold up my hand, halting her from speaking as I close my eyes and shake my head before looking back at her.
“Habit. I usually have to remind my brothers to read before signing something. More than once, they’ve gotten us into some crazy shit because they missed the fine print.
I remind everyone of it constantly without thinking that they already do so without my advice. ”
“I was going to say thank you for the reminder. I tend to get caught up in the moment sometimes, especially when something sounds amazing. It’s how I wound up with six credit cards when I was twenty for all that elusive store credit only to end up in debt.
” Her smile is genuine and warms part of my soul.
She and her girls keep doing that. I never thought I was an unfeeling monster or anything, but until they came into my life, I never felt this heat inside me before.
It’s not heartburn. I’ve checked. Nor is it a heart attack.
It’s a warmth in my chest, and the only way to describe it is like something frozen finally thawing out. Like a heating pad slowly turning on.
Whatever it is… it started with her.
I’m curious if it will continue growing the longer I know her or if it will stop at some point. Either the heat dying out or me reaching the capacity to handle it.
“Wonderful.” I move to my desk with ease and pull out the contract I wrote for her earlier this morning, during my first breakfast. I was up too early not to eat something, but I wanted to share a meal with her. It seemed only right, since she shared hers with me.
“Please take your time looking this over. I’ll be back in a bit to discuss any questions you have.” I hand her the papers and walk out. Forcing her to stay in my office and not scurry away to some other area of the building keeps me from having to track her down if I need her again.
When I hand her the papers, I realize it’s the first time I’ve been close to her. Before, we had a table between us, and I thought I caught something when I took her plate, but I wasn’t sure until I walked past her just now.
Honeysuckle.
There were hints of it at her place, but I was too overwhelmed by so many things to focus on that one detail. Until now.
She smells like the garden on top of my penthouse.
I paid a fortune to have a lush garden take up most of it so I could find peace after a hectic day.
I usually spend time up there on the weekends, reviewing emails as I sip a coffee and let the lush surroundings sweep me away to a time of ease.
And during spring, the honeysuckles come out in full bloom.
It’s a sweet scent, never overpowering no matter how many we plant.
It reminds me of home, where Mama had one honeysuckle bush next to a tree my brothers, my sister, and I used to climb when we were kids.
It’s a calming scent that reminds me of easier times, when I could just worry about Mama’s wrath if we ever broke a window from playing ball or Father’s disapproving stare if I didn’t thank Mama for making brussels sprouts.
Which I hate with every fiber of my being.
Funny, really. Out of all the women I’ve met—and there have been several, either pursuing me on their own, through the famiglia, or Mama trying to set me up—no one has ever smelled of honeysuckle.
A chance meeting with a woman who captures my attention with her level of detail and saved my company millions in potential lost revenue is serendipity at its best.
Alfonso, my secretary, looks up and pulls back in alarm. I’m not known for coming out of my office when a guest is still in there, left unsupervised.
His mouth even hangs open a bit at this impromptu visit.
Walking closer to him, I nod at the organization on his desk. I’ve always appreciated that about him. “I need a list of after-school programs that are close to Chadwick Charter School in Brooklyn. I’d also like a list of programs close to the office.”
“Sir?” Alfonso looks beyond confused, but it’s not because of how I’m speaking to him.
More that I care about after-school programs. More than once, in a few memos, I’ve said family comes second to the job. I’ve never looked into this before, and I know that’s what he’s questioning.
I don’t answer him. And I don’t explain. Alfonso might be a pompous asshole, but he gets shit done and makes a point to only present the best to me when I ask for something.
I dismiss him as I turn. Marco’s already standing when I face him.
“You were late this morning,” I comment. It happens, but not often.
He nods. “Maranzetti problem.”
With those two words, I move on, knowing that business topic isn’t for this building.
“Any issues with the change in schedule?” I ask.
He shakes his head but adds, “If we’re planning on making this a regular thing, might I recommend a car service.”
He’s not questioning me on wanting to help Willow and the girls. He probably already has one set up, if I know him. It’s a smart move. Access to and from her place and the children’s school. It would allow her and the girls to arrive on time, and I would know where she is when I need her.
I’m not a man who loses control. But this feels close.
Real close. This morning felt like I ran up ten flights of stairs on repeat when I had no idea why she was late.
To prevent that from happening again, I think it would be wise if I kept tabs on her.
Just until I understand my reaction to her a bit more and can compensate for it.
Something about her has captivated me. I’m not to the point that I’m about to turn my entire life upside down for her and the girls, or even introduce her to my mama.
But I’m man enough, and old enough, to know not to ignore what I’m feeling.
Different isn’t always bad, but it’s not always good either.
“Let’s set that up starting tomorrow. I also want to have time to stop by a hardware store this afternoon.”
“Is there an issue, sir?” Marco straightens, misunderstanding my words.
“Not that kind of store. Ivy’s project was stepped on this morning, and I want to make sure she has enough supplies to rebuild it.”
“Who was it?” His words are almost unintelligible, but I speak “growl” often. Habit from growing up with Vinny and Danny, and occasionally Tommy, when something pisses them off.
The murderous look on his face matches the one I felt when I learned about it as well. “Some pedestrian. No one we can track down.”
“Give me some time. I’ll find them,” Marco mutters, and I grin, knowing he’ll find out who dared to ruin something of Ivy’s. Lily might have asked him to be her protector, but I have a feeling that Ivy got a giant protector as well.
I turn away and pull out my phone. Changes are coming, and that means I need to let at least one person know. Danny will not be happy, but I’d rather deal with him before he grumbles about a change in plans and not having enough men on my security detail to watch over me and those under my care.