Chapter 28 – Harrison
TWENTY-EIGHT
HARRISON
Andrea stepped out of the town car on the private tarmac, the early evening light catching the glass of the terminal behind her.
Even from the bottom of the steps, I could see it.
Her eyes were red and puffy.
When she climbed the stairs and stepped into the aisle of my private plane, I set down my tablet.
“Are you sick?” I asked. “Have you been crying?”
“No, Mr. Cross,” she said. “I’ve been accepting.”
“Accepting what?” I asked.
“Reality.” She placed her bag in the closet. Then she settled into the seat across from me.
“Will there be any more passengers this evening, Mr. Cross?” the flight attendant asked.
“No,” I answered. “Just me and Miss Stone.”
She nodded and served us water and fruit before checking in with the pilot.
I waited for Andrea to elaborate—to explain herself—but she was simply glaring at me.
“As much as I’d like to play the staring game with you,” I said, “I’d rather use our time doing something productive. Do you have my introductory speech ready?”
She slipped a hand into her purse and held it out to me.
I hesitated before taking it, but I didn’t ask why it wasn’t in my cloud.
“Thank you.”
She didn’t say, “You’re welcome.”
I glanced at the sheet and stopped reading after the first page.
Good evening.
My name is Harrison Cross and I’m an asshole billionaire who dragged my CFO here. Pleasure to be amongst fellow evil tyrants.
“There better be another draft,” I said.
She opened a book.
“It’s going to be hard to communicate with my executive assistant if she’s refusing to talk to me.”
“I’m not supposed to be your fucking executive assistant,” she hissed, unbuckling her seatbelt. “I’m supposed to be more than that, and I’ll never forgive you for playing such a cruel game with my livelihood.”
“Miss Stone—”
“Don’t talk to me until we’re at the conference.” She stood up and drew an imaginary line between us. “Respect my boundary.”
She moved to the back of the plane and took a window seat.
She didn’t say another word for the rest of the flight.
And when we landed in Hawaii, she took a separate car to the hotel.
It wasn’t until I arrived after her that I realized she’d booked us in two separate suites.
On two separate floors.
I wasn’t sure why that made my chest hurt.