Chapter One
Adora
I answer the phone, eager to escape the melancholy that’s crept over me while I wander the five-star hotel, waiting to be summoned.
“Hey, sis.”
The sound of my younger sister’s voice and the smile on her full lips is a break from my intense homesickness. Jenay is a breath of fresh air in a beautiful city. I have no time to explore my surroundings and no one to assuage the loneliness. By definition, my job is to be invisible but always present. It’s a perilous tight rope walk on soft-soled shoes. Being the personal assistant to CEO Weston Rogers requires more than keeping track of his schedule and phone calls. I keep him fed, watered, and supplied with what he needs to be the best, whether it be a last-minute mint before a meeting or a shot of espresso after a long night of schmoozing his potential clients the night before.
“Hey, sissy. How are you?” I ask, excited to get a chance to talk.
“You’re the one staying in the swanky hotel in London. Why are we starting with me?” Jenay’s wideset, dark eyes twinkle with mirth and excitement. I wish I had a quarter of her enthusiasm. These days I’m so worn out by the end of the day it’s all I can do to wrap my hair in a silk bonnet before I crash. “How is the Waldorf treating you?” she asks with a thick British accent.
I laugh. “It’s one of those work trips where I don’t get to sightsee.”
“Boo.” She gives a thumbs down, and I laugh. “Speaking of work, how’s Mr. Fine Ass doing?”
I shake my head. “Really?”
“What? I’m not allowed to talk about him? My, your jealousy is unbecoming.” She clucks her tongue, and I roll my eyes. You get drunk and tell your sister you’ve fallen for your boss once, and she never lets you forget it. “Does he know how you feel yet?”
I clear my throat as I walk out onto the balcony and view the city below. I love the unique structures of older buildings. All of the brick and stone warm my history-loving heart. “It hasn’t exactly come up in our daily conversations.”
“Adora.” Her high-pitched screech makes me flinch.
I scowl. “It’s not that easy to bring up.”
“You admitted your feelings like six months ago. Which means you’ve had them for far longer.”
“I know,” I mumble. I might be three years older, but I’m a million times more reserved than my younger sibling. We’re wired entirely differently. Jenay came out of the womb, screaming and ready to take on the world. I had to be pulled out with forceps a week late because I didn’t want to leave my comfy little pocket in my mom’s belly. I like to research and weigh things out. She jumps and lets the chips fall where they may.
It’s a trait I’ve always admired and resented about her since I was the one getting her out of the majority of the scrapes. According to my mother, Mrs. Juanita Whitt, I was my sister’s keeper, and if I didn’t stop her or rat her out, I was equally as guilty.
“You can’t go into the new year like this, Dor. How many times have you dismissed a man because your heart was already occupied?”
I snicker. “Ha. Like I have the time for dating, let alone a relationship. Between work and getting my illustrating business up and running—”
“Why are you still there? You’ve busted your ass for years to get the clientele and online presence you have now. When are you going to chase your passion full time?” Her words grate at my nerves. Mostly because they’re true.
I smack my lips. “When I feel ready.”
“You never will. That is life’s cruelest joke. You can plan and plot all you want, but at some point, you have to take a risk and jump. You double majored in school to do what you love. To feed your belly without giving up feeding your soul. You’re fortunate enough to have the soul food become enough to fill your body and your heart. So why are you waiting?”
Her words sting me like a bee, nailing another nail in my coffin of weak excuses.
“Because I’m scared of what will become of West if I leave. Ebenezer Alby works that man to the bone. If I’m not here to remind him he’s human, I don’t know what’ll become of him. Is that what you wanted to hear? Are you happy now?” I snap.
“No, and neither are you.” She points her finger. “Which is why I’m speaking up. Every time we talk, you’re more exhausted and less engaged. It’s time for you to stop taking such good care of Weston Rogers and focus on you.”
“You’re right.”
“I’m what?” Her eyes bulge, and I smile.
“I don’t need you to remind me that I’m flirting with thirty-three, single, and in a job that no longer serves me. I’m good at what I do. But I don’t love it. I don’t plan on going into the new year hanging on to dead weight. This is why I’ve chosen this trip to tell West how I feel.”
Her jaw drops. “What brought this on?” she asks softly.
“I’ve spent too long letting his life dictate mine. The owner’s close to retirement, and with no children interested in the company, it’s only a matter of time until he names a successor. It’s between Weston or Porter. I felt like I was standing by his side until it hit me. If he becomes an owner, it’ll do nothing for me. I mean, he’d pay me more, but I’m not a part of his life.” My heart sinks. “Not really.”
“I’m sorry, babe.”
I perk up and smile slyly. “There’s another reason ... the contract I just landed with a book company.”
“What? You wench! Why didn’t you tell anyone?”
I laugh. “Because I just finalized it yesterday.”
“Congratulations!”
“Thank you.”
“I am so damn proud of you! And here I thought you needed a healthy dose of tough love,” she says, exasperated.
My phone chimes, and Weston’s name pops up. “I have to go, the boss beckons.”
“Go get him, tiger.” She makes a clawing motion with her fingers, and I laugh.
I click over from my FaceTime conversation with my sister to the phone call. “Yes, Weston.”
“We’re going to end the meeting in about fifteen minutes. Can you find us a local spot for dinner and make reservations?”