Chapter 12

Aubrey

By lunchtime, I finally hear back from Lola.

Lola: ​Hey. I had an early morning prepping for another meeting with the investigators.

Me: ​I wish I could be there with you. You shouldn’t have to go through this alone.

Lola: ​GRRL, I got this. Plus, I got a HOT man helping me prep!

Me: ​A hot man? TELL ME!

Lola: ​All in due time. Let’s call him Mr. H for now.

Me: ​Well, I hope Mr. H is treating you well or I will have to come back to Chicago and kick his ass!

Lola: ​Oh, he is treating me WELL!

Me: ​LOL I want to know more but I messaged you this morning for a reason. Is there any way I can get my hands on the blueprints I did up for Thrive?

Lola: ​Let me see what I can do and get back to you.

Me: ​Thanks Lola.

I am leaving the building, planning on heading to Mable’s for a quick lunch when I run into Harper in the parking lot. “Aubrey, do you have any lunch plans?” she asks.

“I was just going to run to Mable’s for a sandwich, did you want to join me?” I say as I motion to the car.

“I would love that.” We drive the short distance to the restaurant and take a seat in one of the corner booths. The lunch rush is just about to start so we quickly get our order in.

“How was your morning? You settling in well?” Harper asks as she takes a sip of her Coke Zero.              

“Pretty good so far. I met a lot of the staff I will be dealing with and got to see Honey again,” I say with a smile on my face. “Why is Honey always in the office?” I have been curious about this, but this is the first time I thought about asking anyone about it. Harper puts her drink down and leans back.              

“Honey is a rescue. Jack got her about two years ago and he had a rough time getting her to trust people again. Her previous owner was very abusive and neglected her for years. She was just fur and bones when he got her.” I can feel my heart breaking for her.

“The poor thing!” I cry.

“I know. Jack managed to get her weight up and finally started to trust him, but she has really bad separation anxiety. Wolf found out what was happening and told Jack to take her to work with him. She comes in every day with Jack now. If he goes out of town, I take her to my place.”

“It was Wolf’s idea for Honey to come to the office? Well, I suppose he would have a soft spot for him since they are kin.” I chuckle to myself. Harper looks at me, confused. I try to explain my humor. “Kin? You know, dogs and wolves are related.” I shrug my shoulders. It takes her a second and then she starts to laugh.

“What is so funny?” a familiar voice says. We both look up to see Jack with a to-go bag in his hand.

Harper speaks first, “Aubrey is just making fun of Wolf’s name.”

“Harper!” I say embarrassed. Jack laughs and sits next to me in the booth.

“It’s a pretty interesting name. I asked him once where his parents got it from. It has something to do with the Navy, his dad was a submariner. His brother and sister were lucky, they have normal names. I better go, ladies. Honey is in the truck. See you back at the office.” He looks at me. “If you are free this afternoon, I have a few things I want to run by you.”

“I will be around. You can drop by my office any time.” And with that, he leaves the restaurant.

“He is going to ask you out,” Harper says.

“What?” I say, not sure if I heard her correctly.

“We were talking about you earlier. He wants to ask you out.” She takes a big bite of her sandwich.              

“You were talking about me earlier? Why?” I ask. She finishes chewing and wipes her mouth with her napkin.

“He came to me for two reasons. I have been friends with Jack for years. We have been each other’s wingmen for almost as long. He wanted to know what I thought about you, obviously good things, and he wanted to make sure that an office romance would be okay. Since he is not your direct boss, you roll up to Rusty, it’s okay.”

“Why are you telling me this?” I say still a little in shock from how bluntly she is talking.              

“Because Jack is a chicken-shit around women he really likes. This way if he doesn’t have the guts to ask and you are interested, you can take that final step.”

I laugh. “You are his wingman, aren’t you?”

She smiles proudly. “Yes, yes, I am. He is a good guy, and he has a good heart. I would like to see him happy.”

I finish my sandwich and say, “Thanks for the heads up and your approval.” We both laugh again. I feel at ease with Harper. I miss Lola but I am happy that I have connected with someone here.

There is something I had been thinking about and I decide to ask Harper. “This is going to be an odd question, but have you noticed that most of the women in the office are blond and quite thin? I am the biggest woman on staff. Don’t get me wrong, that doesn’t bother me. I am confident in who I am, but I find it very noticeable.” Harper takes the last bite of her sandwich and washes it down with her drink.

“I noticed a trend about a year ago or so. We have interviewed many women. There was this one woman that was perfect for a job in finance but never got it.”

“Why?” I ask.

She shrugs her shoulders. “I am not sure. Wolf gets the final say. She was gorgeous though, a golden complexion, dark hair, curvy.” Harper stops and looks at me.

“What?” I wipe my chin in case I have something on it.

She shakes her head. “Nothing. We better get back to the office. I have a meeting in fifteen minutes.”

Back at the office, I finish a round of calls and met with the legal team. Hopefully, if Lola can’t come through, we have a legal plan of action. I stand up, stretch, and turn around to check out the bustle of the yard. Five stories down, the back lot is filled with crewmen, supervisors, and foremen, plus all the heavy-duty equipment they use for all the builds we are involved in. I haven’t met with any of the crewmen yet, but I can pick out a few faces I have seen over the last day.

I see Rusty, the man I will be reporting to, only recognizing him because of the team photos throughout the building. Next to him is Wolf. The way he carries himself, confident, and controlled, makes my heart rate pick up. I can feel a slight flush across my face when he looks up at the building. Oh shit. Can he see me up here staring at him? I quickly step back and trip on my chair and land on the floor, my butt cushioning the landing.

Before I can get up there is a large hand in front of me. I look up and see that Jack has come to my rescue. “Are you okay, Aubrey? That was a spectacular tumble.”

I groan. “Did you see the whole thing?” He nods. “Shit.” He laughs at that and grabs my hand to pull me to my feet. He pulls with a little too much gusto and now I am in his arms. I feel his firm chest, and the heat from his body as I look up into his eyes. He is handsome, and I could get used to this. There are no tingles, but they could come in time.

“Come to dinner with me. Tomorrow night,” he blurts out, his arms still around me. I push back a bit and his arms drop to his sides. I brush down my dress and then look up at him, his dark curly hair a little out of place. So much for being a chicken-shit.

“That sounds nice, Jack.” He smiles ear to ear.

“It’s a date then,” he says.

*  *  *

The next morning’s run is amazing. The weather is starting to warm up, so I don’t have to wear a sweater, which I find too bulky to run in. Dad left breakfast warming in the oven for when I returned. Breakfast was always his thing; he did this when we were kids too. I eat up and then shower for the day. Jack and I plan on leaving directly from the office so I pack some makeup so I can freshen up later. I choose a black pencil shirt with a slight slit on the right side, a red lace tank top, and a thin black blazer. It looks professional for the day and with the blazer unbuttoned or off it’s perfect for a night out.

My morning was filled with meetings and calls. I finally got to chat with both Sasha and Elijah. They were ecstatic that the merger was still on and that I was involved again. In a few weeks, I will have to travel back to Chicago when the construction begins. I can’t wait to see them and Lola.

I am sitting at my computer when a notification comes in. Finally! The paperwork I needed from Chicago is completed. I put some pressure on one of the clerks I know and was able to get some permits pushed through so we can make our deadline. I open the documents and they are perfect. I send them to print and hop across the hall to the copier room. The printer is flashing red with an error code on the screen, a paper jam. I try troubleshooting and end up having to hike my skirt up so I can squat down to reach the bottom paper tray. The feed is jammed, and I am struggling to get it cleared when I hear a throat being cleared. Tingle, fuck me. I close my eyes and take a deep breath.

“Do you need a hand?” Wolf asks. I don’t bother to look up.

“I got it.” I pull the paper once more and the jam clears. I stand up, push the tray in with my foot and my file starts to print. I turn around to see Wolf still standing there. His eyes rake down my body, but he quickly averts his eyes.

“You will need to wear more appropriate clothing to work, Ms. Bishop.”

I look down and see that my skirt is still hiked up from when I was squatting, my thighs are almost completely on display. I look back at him and he is still avoiding me. I straighten my skirt and say, “I’ve read the employee handbook, Mr. Lawson. My outfit meets your company guidelines. I didn’t see anything that said curvy women couldn’t wear skirts.” I raise my eyebrows at him and his head whips back to look me dead in the eye. His voice is stern, and his face is set with concern. 

“Who said being curvy was the problem?”

I steel myself and say, “Take a look around at your staff, Wolf. I am the only thick girl here and the rest of them wear some borderline risqué outfits. But that is okay, I know where I stand with you now. Just so you know,” I step toward him, there’s just a few inches between us now, “I don’t listen very well.” I tap his chest, turn to grab my items off the printer, and leave him standing alone with a look of disbelief on his face.