“Alright.” She got to her feet and grabbed her purse. She picked up my lunch too, probably so I could eat on the drive. “Do you know the name of the machine? I can start looking up stuff in the car.”

I got my things together and headed for the door. “I’ll text him on the way.”The drive to his building didn’t take long since it was outside the city and so was mine. Ronnie dropped us off at the front, and we headed to the double doors.

Emerson read the company name on the door. “Hamilton Pharmaceuticals… Does your dad own this company?”

“Yes.”

“I guess science and business both run in the family.”

“No. We’re forced to handle the business side of things in order to pursue science correctly. Only way to get past all the bureaucratic nonsense.” We entered the lobby, and the assistants at the front recognized me and greeted me.

We got into the elevator and took it to the top floor, where my father’s office was.

I continued to carry the bag of tools, all the supplies I might need to fix this.

“It’s nice of you to help him like this.” Emerson stood with her bag over her shoulder, facing me during the ride, her brown hair pulled back and out of her face. She was in a skirt and blouse, wearing high heels that gave her enough height to be eye level with me. “You hate being interrupted…”

I shrugged and forced my gaze to shift to the metal doors, so I wouldn’t stare at her so intently. “If it’s for my parents, I don’t mind. My dad made the same sacrifices when I was growing up, so…”

She smiled. “That’s sweet. Not very many people understand all the sacrifices parents have to make.”

We reached the top floor, and the doors opened. After I checked in with his assistant, I let myself into his office, opening the door so Emerson could go first.

She hesitated for a moment because I usually went first, but then she walked inside.

I followed behind her and saw my father sitting behind his desk, wearing jeans and a t-shirt because he was supposed to be in the lab instead of in his office. His head was tilted down as he scribbled something, and he finished his thought before he rose to his feet and lifted his chin to regard me, his eyes already filled with affection before he even saw me. “You got here quick.” He came around the desk, not noticing Emerson because his entire focus was on me. It was the same way my mom looked at me…like I was the most important thing in the world, regardless of my age.

“When you need me, I’m here.”

He smiled then placed his hand on the back of my head, cupping me affectionately. “Means a lot.” He moved his hand to my back and patted me before he looked at Emerson, whom he didn’t seem to notice until now. He had a slightly quizzical look before he figured out who she was. “You must be Emerson.” He extended his hand then gave her the same smile he’d just showed me. “It’s great to meet you. I’m Deacon.”

“You too.” Emerson shook his hand. “Derek speaks so highly of you that it’s an honor to meet you.”

Dad looked a little embarrassed as he pulled his hand away. “I guess that’s better than horror stories.”

“I’ve told her a few of those, actually,” I said. “Like that you think a salmon burger is a real burger…”

He chuckled as he looked at me. “If that’s the worst thing you’ve got, I’ll take it.” He looked at the bag of tools over my shoulder before he turned to the desk and grabbed the manual for the machine. “I’m sure you’ve already got it downloaded, but here’s a copy if that’s easier. I tried to figure it out myself, but…I’m no engineer.”

I took it from his hands and glanced at it before I handed it to Emerson. “We’ll figure it out.”

“We?” he asked, leaning against the desk and crossing his arms over his chest.

“Emerson and I are a team.” She helped me with everything else, so I wouldn’t be surprised if she helped with this.

A soft smile moved onto his lips. “It’s on the second floor, the synthetic protein lab. You can’t miss it.”

“Got it.” I turned away with Emerson, and we walked out, returning to the elevator and heading down to the second floor. We made it to the lab, which was empty, and found the machine right away because it had a big sticker on it that said Out of Order.

“I appreciate your confidence in me, but I’m not going to be much help with this.” Emerson pulled up a chair and sat down with her laptop and the pamphlet Dad had given us. She started to flip through it.

Tags: Victoria Quinn Soulless Billionaire Romance
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