She grins. “I appreciate your eye for my art. The idea came to me designing another building for a client who wanted a Portland theme. The man was a restless financier who missed his home out west, and he wanted an upscale look with plenty of greenery to make it feel right. Since it worked out so well, I’ve tried to make all of our projects eco-friendly when possible. No one ever complains.”
We step into the elevator together.
“They shouldn’t. You do a stellar job,” I gush. “And I’m glad you pioneered a lot of corporate green designs. If it’s not made by God, then—”
“—it must be a Brandt,” she finishes. “That slogan was Ward’s idea. I thought he was out of his mind when he first pitched it, but now...it has a nice ring to it. How did you get to work today?”
I smile until my cheeks hurt.
“Oh, the El. It’s pretty far from my place, but I wasn’t sure about the parking situation here,” I tell her.
Translation: I didn’t want to pay for parking.
Sure, I’m comfortable, and I’ve been freelancing while I looked for the perfect job on top of my old job over the past year. I’ve done okay, but I’d be a lot poorer if I jumped at luxuries like paid parking in downtown Chicago.
The elevator dings open. She steps out and I follow behind her.
“Take the company car home,” she says matter-of-factly.
“Company car?”
She leads me out the luxe glass double doors with a nod.
Then she grabs my arm and points at a sleek black town car. “Those wheels belong to Brandt Ideas and they’re forever at your service. You should try it since you’ll be making plenty of rides with the C-level team. It’s only unavailable when my grandsons or I need it.”
“Really?” I’m not sure how kosher it is for an assistant to use the company driver—Sabrina always did, but then again Brina married her freaking boss—but it would beat walking several blocks on my busted ankle, then being crammed into an L-line car for twenty minutes and walking another dozen blocks once it stops. “Well, okay.”
She walks over to the flawless Lincoln with me. “Go ahead and climb in.”
I get in the back seat. Beatrice opens the front passenger side door. “This is our new EA, Paige. Take care of her please.”
The driver turns and smiles. She’s a brunette who looks almost younger than me, pretty, and definitely not what I expected to find behind the wheel.
“Nice to meet you!” she says.
Beatrice waves to us, steps away from the curb, and the car takes off.
“I’m Reese,” the driver says with a cheery look in the mirror.
“Paige,” I say. “Paige Holly.”
“Fresh meat, awesome. How was your first day?” she asks.
“It was good. I really love working with Mrs. Brandt. She’s an exceptional woman and I live, breathe, and eat art.”
“Lucky you. You’re also lucky the boys weren’t there to make life interesting since they were at a conference all day.” She laughs. “I’ll ask you how much you like the Warden in a week.”
“Warden?” I repeat, sinking into my seat.
“He’s earned the name after expecting everybody to pull long hours and has no chill for mistakes. Oh, then there’s his brother, Nick the Prick. He’s kinda...special,” Reese huffs with a labored tone that says she’s dealt with him plenty.
“Do I need to worry?” I venture.
“Nah, don’t lose any sleep over it. The Warden keeps to himself if you’re hunkered down at work, and Nick, the worst that might happen is he’ll mistake you for a dude for months before he finally bothers to pay attention.”
“Come again?”
“Never mind, it’s...a long story,” she says with a strangled laugh. “Like I said, special.”
I blink, wondering what kind of men the Brandt boys are.
“Nick is really harmless, though. Just ignore his dumb jokes and punch him if he flirts. He doesn’t really mean it. He’s just set in his ways. The Warden, on the other hand, can be a real bosshole if you get on his bad side.”
“Uh-oh,” I mutter.
“You’ll be fine! He is a senior partner, just like his brother, but remember this. Beatrice makes it clear to everybody that she’s still queen bee. So, if Ward ever gives you hell, don’t be afraid to get Granny on his butt.”
I giggle. “Does she know you call her Granny?”
Reese laughs. “I’ve done it to her face a few times. She’s a sweetheart. Trust me, everybody loves Granny Bea, and the boys aren’t that terrible if you give them a chance.”
For my sake, I hope she’s right.
Now, I’m too curious.
I pull a pizza from the oven, pour a glass of iced mint tea, and sit down to do some serious Google-fu on my new employers. After what Reese told me about the Warden and Nick the Prick, I want to have an idea of who I’m working for, and what landmines might be up ahead.