Chapter 4
Chapter
Four
IRIS
Groaning, I tip my head back and press my fingers into my eyes. Staring at these numbers is giving me a headache. Honestly, I don’t mind crunching numbers and double-checking people’s work because I’m good at it. Math and I have always been friends, but I never thought my life would be this.
Most of the time I don’t even know how I ended up here.
That doesn’t mean I’m not thankful, though. Meeting Max changed things for me in a way I didn’t even know was possible.
Max.
He’s the reason I’m here, or should I say, still here.
That man could ask me to do almost anything, and I would jump in blindly. He’s earned my trust and has become one of my closest friends over the years.
My phone rings, pulling me from my thoughts.
“This is Iris,” I say when I answer.
It’s so weird jumping into a call right off the bat and forgoing formalities, but if people are being pushed to my line, they are calling for me directly.
“Hey Iris, It’s Jo. Did you get the email I sent you?” she asks.
I roll my eyes. “Yes, I was actually just looking at it when you called.”
“Does everything look to be squared away?” the woman pushes, her tone bordering on rude.
Jo is one who likes to rush her work, which means she makes mistakes. She always calls after sending her work to me in hopes I have reviewed it quickly and not found anything. It’s annoying.
I keep my voice stern. “Again, I just started looking at it. I’ll get back to you no later than tomorrow and let you know if I need anything else.”
Jo huffs but keeps her mouth shut. We quickly get off the phone, and I shake my head.
Some people’s impatience will never cease to amaze me.
They see it as being gung-ho and shit, but to me it’s a giant red flag.
When someone doesn’t give you time to properly look something over it screams that they are hiding something.
At least to me. She should know she is just painting the target on her back quicker.
I only need two more write-ups before I can formally fire her.
Being in corporate really fucking sucks sometimes.
Sighing, I start to reach for my mouse when the phone rings again.
Tylenol. I need Tylenol.
“Iris speaking,” I murmur as I slide open my drawer.
“Hi Iris, this is Julius from the Astor Conglomerate. How are you doing today?” he asks.
I frown, wondering why he is calling me. This is out of the ordinary.
“I’m doing great, Julius. What can I do for you?” I ask, keeping my tone light.
I open up the bottle and pop a couple of pills into my mouth and then reach for my water.
“I know this is unorthodox, but I wanted to run something by you,” he starts.
“Okay…” I trail off.
“I guess I should ask, you’ve heard of us before, correct?” he says.
“Of course,” I say, rolling my eyes, not that he can see it.
To say the Astor Conglomerate is one of our biggest competitors would be an understatement.
As of right now, they have more European hotels than we do, all more exclusive then the last. Meanwhile, we are concentrating on expanding not only in our backyard but also our island retreats.
That doesn’t mean that our hotels abroad aren’t doing phenomenally, though.
“Look, I’ll cut to the chase. I’ve been following you for a while now. Your story is truly inspiring. You’ve literally worked your way from an assistant to the CFO. Frankly, it’s impressive.”
“As much as I love being flattered, Julius, and not to be rude, but could you please get to the point? I am a busy woman. I am surprised they even put you through to my desk.”
He chuckles. “I told them it was urgent, but I’ll cut to the chase. I want to offer you a job.”
“Excuse me?” I ask, completely off guard.
“I know this is out of the blue, but we have a job opening, and I think you would be perfect for it.” He rattles on, telling me more about the job while I sit, listening in stunned silence.
“Look, I know this is a lot and unexpected. Why don’t you send me your personal email, and I’ll send you over the details?” he says.
“Sure,” I tell him, feeling numb, and I rattle off my email.
“Great. I hope we will be working together soon,” he says before hanging up.
I shake my head and blow out a deep breath.
That was…unexpected. Flattering, but unexpected.
London.
I would be based in London.
One of my favorite cities in the world.
I could get a place in SoHo or Mayfair. I could spend my time in central London. I could go to North London and live in Camden, where some of my favorite markets are. My options are endless.
I smile as I think about the milder winters there compared to here on the East Coast. All the gardens and markets I could visit on the weekends. The shows I could see.
I could be a quick train or plane ride from so many other countries. I could travel on the weekend and see so much more than I already have. Especially since the job would be a lot less than my current one.
The job wouldn’t be a CFO job like I currently have, but one that’s more interpersonal. Something that I’ve been missing since I took this position. I miss being out there and working behind the scenes with everyone else to make sure everything stayed smooth and there were no hiccups.
London.
My heart races at the thought.
Could I? Could I really take the job and move there? Nothing’s holding me here. Well, there is one thing.
Max.
I can’t leave him, or could I? Didn’t I just tell myself to start creating that distance?
I love working for The Williamson Group. I love the friends I’ve made. This is my home. Or well, Boston is, but we aren’t in Boston anymore, and I could still talk to them and see them as much as I do now.
I can’t leave, can I?
I could start fresh…
My phone rings again, making me groan. This time, though, I see the extension for Max flash across the screen.
“What’s up?” I ask as I pick up the phone.
He’s quiet for a minute.
“Everything okay?” he asks quietly.
“I’m good. What did you need?” I know my tone is brisk, but I’m spiraling right now.
I feel like he knows about the call and is waiting for me to confess. I feel like I am cheating on him. God, I hate this.
“You were supposed to be in my office five minutes ago. You hate being late,” he tells me.
I look down at my watch and wince.
Shit, I am. I got so distracted by the phone call, and then thinking about it, I lost all track of time.
“Yeah, sorry I was on the phone. I’ll be there in a minute,” I tell him.
“Are you sure you’re okay? We can reschedule,” he tells me.
He is too kind. If only he knew why I was so distracted. I can’t tell him about this job. Not yet. Not until I’ve made my decision.
“I am. Promise. I’ll be right there,” I tell him.
Before he can ask any more questions, I hang up.
My stomach rolls with guilt. I hate hiding things from Max, but I can’t tell him.
He doesn’t need to worry.
Not yet, at least.
MAX
I hang up the phone and frown. Iris is never late. She’s the most punctual person I know.
It’s the middle of the workday, idiot. Knowing her, she got sucked into some sort of report.
I can’t help but smile as I think about the little line she gets between her eyebrows and the way she puckers her lips while she’s knee-deep in a project.
I’m sure that’s it. Besides, it’s not like what we have to talk about is important. Hell, if it were anyone else, it would have been an email.
When it comes to Iris, though, I will take every chance to spend time with her I can get. Especially if we are alone.
Iris walks into my office with a look on her face I can’t quite name.
“Hey,” she says absentmindedly as she sits down on the couch.
Leaving my desk, I walk over and join her. I fight the urge to pull her into my arms. She looks like she could use a hug, but when we are at work, we try to keep the small levels of affection we show in private to a minimum.
“Hey, are you sure you’re okay?” I ask instead.
She waves her hand through the air. “I’m fine.”
Somehow I know she’s lying, but I also know Iris. She won’t tell me anything unless she’s ready.
“So travel…” she says, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“Yeah, Jamaica and then London.”
Her eyes widen for a split second before they go back to normal, making me wonder if I imagined it.
“Two different climates. I hope you are ready for all my bags,” she jokes.
“If I’m not used to how much shit you travel with by now, we have bigger issues than I thought,” I deadpan, making her laugh.
“You aren’t wrong, but I would like to point out that I don’t travel with as much as I used to.” She grins.
“Thank God for small favors,” I tease.
The woman used to travel with two checked bags plus a carry-on and a backpack. Why she needed that much shit was beyond me, but to each their own. She has gotten better, though, and she doesn’t bring as much home with her from our travels anymore either.
After our trip to Melbourne, Australia, though, I always make sure I have extra room in my bag, just in case…and that happened five years ago.
“We are going to be gone for a while. Is your dating life going to be able to handle that?” I can’t help but ask.
I need to know if she is dating anyone else. It has consumed all of my thoughts. I know she said things with Pete didn’t work out, but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t found anyone else.
“Yep. Don’t worry about it. My dating life won’t affect work,” she mutters.
“Hey, that’s not what I meant,” I try to explain, but she shakes her head.
“What’s the goal in Jamaica?” she asks, getting us back on topic.
“We need to approve designs, and there is a hold-up with one of the permits. Our site manager thinks it might be good if we go in person ourselves.”
Iris nods. “That shouldn’t be too bad. Then what’s the plan in London?”
“Annual check-in,” I lie.
Next to Boston, London is the city we visit the most, only because I know it’s her favorite. The first time Iris and I went to London together, she was like a kid in a candy store. She became obsessed with it. She loved going on the Tube, the markets, and everything that came with the city.
She is her happiest when she’s there, which means I take her as often as I possibly can.
I’ll do anything to make her happy. To make her smile. Even if she doesn’t know it.
“Sounds easy enough.” She nods.
“Regret taking this job yet?” I joke.
Iris rolls her eyes. “You know I don’t.”
We talk for a few more minutes, and when we are done, we sit in silence. Neither of us wanting to get up and get back to work. When I went to Mason and offered to change jobs with him, I knew this job would stretch me thin. I just didn’t realize how drained I would become.
All the traveling and peopling is mentally and physically draining.
Iris opens her mouth and then closes it. I can see the indecision all over her face.
“What is it?” I ask.
“I was just about to ask you a dumb question, but then I remembered the answer.”
“Right…”
Iris doesn’t ask dumb questions. She never has.
What was it she was going to say?
“All right, I better get back to my office. You know where to find me if you need me,” she says as she gets up.
“Later,” I say absentmindedly.
As she walks out the door, my mind starts to spiral.
What the hell is going on with Iris?
I swear, lately it’s as if I don’t know her.
Iris and I have never kept secrets from each other.
We’ve only ever been open and told each other everything.
At the end of the day, she’s my person. She’s the one who never drains my battery.
When we aren’t together, I’m constantly thinking about her and wondering what she’s doing.
I have to stop myself from picking up my phone and calling her at the end of the day once we’ve gone our separate ways, just because I want to hear her voice.
But now she’s dating and keeping secrets. I fucking hate it.
I want to ask her what’s wrong. I want to beg her to confide in me like she used to, but I can’t. I can’t push her.
Which means my hands are tied.
My phone rings across the room, pulling me out of my thoughts. Standing, I walk across the room.
“This is Max,” I say as I pick up the phone.
Work. I need to focus on that and nothing else.