His gaze turned even frostier. “You think I owe you?”

“We both know you do. You talk about respect and the law all the time. Show me the same courtesy.”

For a moment, I was certain he was going to refuse. Then he nodded. “Fine. I expect you to do your job well.”

I stood. “I expect you to be a decent human. I think one of us will have more difficulty in meeting the other’s expectations.” I strode to the door, turning as I grabbed the handle. I looked over my shoulder. “I’ll be using my study time this afternoon. I won’t see you again today. Have a good weekend.”

Something almost like pride flitted across his expression, then his face once again became impassive.

“Good night, Grace.”

I shut the door firmly behind me and gathered my things before I left. I didn’t trust myself to stay there any longer.

Heather grinned as she sipped her wine. “That is some basket we got them.”

I agreed. “They’ll love it.”

Heather had picked me up in the morning, and we had gone to a fabulous shop and picked out lots of items for the basket. The company would make it up fresh, along with the small trinkets we added, and deliver it straight to the winery the day before the wedding. I had already contacted them, and they had promised to take care of it for us.

After doing a little more shopping, we went to lunch.

Heather sat back in her seat. “It feels as if I haven’t seen you for ages.”

“I saw you at the dress fitting.”

“That was days ago.”

I lifted a shoulder. “I have no time to come into ABC, Hedda. Between the articling and studying, I’m stretched pretty thin. You’ll see me every day soon.”

“I just miss my sister.”

I reached for her hand and clasped it, squeezing her fingers. “I miss you too.”

“Ronan finished the plans for the new building. They plan to break ground in the spring if all the paperwork goes through. Summer at the latest, he hopes.”

“Wow. That was fast.”

She chuckled. “Addi was pretty clear on what she wanted. Her concept was simple, and Ronan used clean lines and made it look great. Party house at the front and very much work house at the back.”

I lifted one eyebrow. “I highly doubt anything Addi would dream of would be a ‘party house.’”

She winked. “You know what I mean. The offices are awesome, great views, the odd-shaped lot used perfectly. The back of the building is simpler, with lots of bays for trucks and all.”

“I guess I’ll see the design next time I come to a meeting. Knowing Ronan, it will be amazing.” His eye was impeccable. All three Callaghan men had talent, but Ronan’s flair for design and style was distinctive.

“How’s the articling going?” Heather asked.

I sipped my wine to buy some time. The waiter brought over the sandwich we were sharing and set the divided lunch in front of us. I eyed my plate. “Did this get bigger than the last time we shared it?”

Heather shook her head. “You got smaller.”

I rolled my eyes and picked up my sandwich, refusing to acknowledge her statement. I had no appetite, but I wasn’t going to give her any ammunition to use against me. If she was worried, she’d tell Mom, who would tell Dad—and that was never a good thing. He would be on a plane faster than I could blink, and I had no desire for him to show up on my doorstep.

“Well?” she asked.

I chewed and swallowed, tamping down the twist in my chest before I spoke. “The articling is good. Challenging. I’m busy from the moment I get there until it’s time to go home. It’s a hectic place, and I’m working all the time.”

“Addi says your boss is hard to handle.”

“Demanding,” I agreed, not wanting to talk about Jaxson. “But I’m learning a lot, which is what I am supposed to do. He makes sure I get my study time in, so that’s a good thing.” I had a feeling he was going to make sure I got extra study time added so he didn’t have to see me in the office.

She paused, the sandwich partway to her mouth. “Gracie, you okay? You look—” she bit and chewed, swallowed, and set down the sandwich again “—you look sad.”

“Sad?” I repeated. “No. Tired and maybe a bit sentimental. Addi getting married, Christmas coming, all that.”

That got her going and off the subject of the office. We talked about the wedding and holiday plans. I told her about the glasses I found. She said she ordered a special bottle of scotch for Dad. We discussed what to get Mom and who we had to buy a gift for with the name-drawing for Christmas.

“I got Shelby.” I grinned. “I ordered her a bunch of the art supplies she loves and extended her membership to the Art Gallery of Ontario. She was easy.”

Tags: Melanie Moreland Vested Interest - ABC Corp Romance
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