“Well, at least you stayed sober enough to be a decent groomsman.” Derek laughed. It was the first wedding party I’d ever been in, but I couldn’t tell Derek or Hayden no.
“Okay, that’s enough about me.” I nodded at Cooper. “Hope the leg gets better soon.”
Cooper waved. “Thanks, man. Good luck this season.” The Cougars were going to need all the luck they could muster.
Chapter 2
Bristol
“About ready to call it a day, Ms. Thomas?” Mrs. Blanton asked, peeking her head through my door. She was in her late sixties, with white hair that she always kept up in bun. I had to say she was probably the best receptionist around, and luckily, nowhere close to retiring. Our boss, Galen Matthews, would probably go insane if she ever did.
“Almost.” I laughed, lifting my gaze to hers. It was getting late in the afternoon, but I had a lot of work to do.
“Okay, dear. I just wanted you to know I’m about to head out for the day. Is there anything you need from me?”
I waved her off. “Not at all, go. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Her smile brightened. “Okay, but I know you’re excited about tomorrow.”
My focus landed on the picture of me and Ryan on my desk. I couldn’t wait to see him; he was moving here from Texas to take his place as quarterback for the Carolina Cougars. “Very excited,” I replied. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen Ryan. I’ve missed him so much.”
“And I’m sure he’s missed you. But I must say, M&M has been lucky to have you.”
M&M Architectural Design was the most prestigious company on both the East and West coasts. “And I’m lucky to have this company,” I said.
When I graduated college, my main goal was to work for M&M. Starting out at the top was a stretch, but I was ambitious enough to believe I could do it. So after I finished school, I put in my application and waited. I’d won various awards in local magazines in Texas and even one in California. Most of the stuff I’d done was on the West Coast, so I knew Mr. Matthews hadn’t heard of me. Fortunately, a co-worker at the West Coast office had and passed my name on to him along with my résumé. My first choice would have been to work at the California office, but there were no openings there. The North Carolina one was a lot farther away from home, but I knew the opportunity would never arise again to work for such an amazing place. In the end, I took the job a year ago and have not regretted it one bit.
Mrs. Blanton smiled and waved. “Be safe going home tonight, child.”
I waved back. “Thank you. You too.”
She gently shut my door and I went back to my pictures of a house on which I had to do a complete remodel. My client, Georgia Lowery, was a divorcée who wanted no trace of her ex-husband in her house whatsoever. She gave me the complete reins on the project and I was excited about it. It was a lot of work, but I welcomed it. Ever since I moved to Charlotte, I hadn’t had time to go out and make new friends, but luckily, there were several girls my age in the architectural department who I went out with from time to time.
“Bristol?”
Mr. Matthews’s voice came over the intercom on my phone and I jumped. “Yes, Mr. Matthews?”
“Good, I’m glad I caught you before you left. Do you mind coming to my office for a minute?”
“Uh-oh, I’m not in trouble, am I?” The words came out so fast I couldn’t stop them. One good thing about Mr. Matthews was that he wasn’t much older than me and he had a sense of humor.
He chuckled in response. “No, you’re not in trouble.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Awesome. I’ll be right there.” My office was on the side of the building opposite his, with an amazing view of downtown Charlotte. My phone was filled with pictures of the skyline during sunset. I’d never seen anything so beautiful.
Straightening my skirt, I made sure to look presentable before going to his office. After sitting at my desk for hours, it was hard to keep my clothes wrinkle-free. His door was shut when I arrived, so I knocked.
“Come in,” he called out.
I opened the door to see him standing there with his tie disheveled and his shirt untucked. I didn’t feel so bad about my skirt being wrinkled. “Long day?” I asked, wishing I’d learned to keep my mouth shut. He could totally hear the assumption in my voice and laughed.
“How can you tell?” he asked, lifting his amused gaze to mine.
I pointed at his clothes. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you not look perfect.”
Grabbing his tie, he slid it off and tossed it on his desk. “That’s because it’s after five o’clock and my vacation starts now.” Galen Matthews was a good-looking man with ash-blond hair and bright blue eyes. Mrs. Matthews was a very lucky woman. Her name was Korinne and she was an interior designer just like me. They were college sweethearts who’d separated for a few years and then found their way back to each other. I loved hearing Korinne tell me stories about it. I was a hopeless romantic at heart.
“Vacation? I didn’t know you were going anywhere,” I replied.
He filtered through the papers on his desk. “I am—that’s why I wanted to talk to you.” He searched a little more and found what he was looking for. “Ah, here it is. Korinne gave me this earlier and I meant to ask you then, but time slipped away from me. I know it’s last minute, but do you think you’d be able to meet with these clients next week while we’re gone?”
I took the paper and there were four people on the list, along with their phone numbers and appointment dates. “I don’t mind at all. I’d be happy to.”
He breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks, Bristol. I’m sorry to throw this on you, but we decided to take a last-minute vacation. It’s more like a celebration.”
“Oh yeah? For what?”
His eyes lit up and I could practically see him glowing. “Korinne’s pregnant again.”
I gasped and clapped a hand over my mouth. “Oh my goodness, congratulations. I know this is huge for you two.”