“Wait, you reached out to the employees?” I asked.
“Yep. I sent them all a follow-up email detailing the points of that first meeting, just in case they didn’t make it. At the end, I told them to hit me up with any suggestions they might have for the company,” he said.
“You didn’t say ‘hit me up’ in the email, did you?” I asked, grinning.
“No,” he said, chuckling. “But, that was the biggest suggestion: an online store for those who find it difficult to get into our physical location.”
“Those are actually good ideas.”
I couldn’t believe I had said that. I couldn’t believe I was agreeing with my airheaded stepbrother on everything that just flew out of his mouth. Who the hell was this and what did they do with the Christian I knew?
This was the type of thinking and planning that could help this company thrive. He was displaying the kind of work ethic and dedication the company needed to keep progressing into the future.
I noticed Christian’s strong jawline and broad shoulders. Those strong features would serve him well in meetings like this. It would give people the idea that he knew what he was talking about. The slope of his nose and how it stopped just above a perfect set of lips would keep them entranced with what he had to say, and if he could turn on the intelligence like he was right now, he’d be unstoppable.
“We would need to get you another suit,” I said. “You look ridiculous right now.”
“Yeah. It’s the only one I own. I figured I’d have to go shopping sometime this week before the meeting,” he said.
“Do you know how a suit is supposed to fit?” I asked.
“I’m a man, Stella. Of course I know how a suit is supposed to fit,” he said.
“Alright. Then where is the leg cuff of a suit supposed to hit a man on his legs?” I asked.
“At his ankle?” he asked.
“It’s supposed to grace the tongue of his shoe without breaking down to his heel,” I said.
“Who the fuck made that rule?” he asked.
“A gentleman who knew what a good suit looked like on a man. I’ll take you shopping Wednesday.”
“You’re going shopping with me,” he said.
“Yes. Wednesday afternoon. We’ll get to work early in the morning, then take a long lunch. You’ll only need one for now, and once you see how the process works, you can take it from there.”
“Alright. But, I’m not wearing any funky colored suits. No reds, no oranges, and no whites.”
“What the fuck kind of suits have you seen all your life?” I asked.
“You don’t want to know,” he said, chuckling.
I sat there staring into his eyes while I lost myself in the conversation we just had. My grip tightened around my coffee before I brought it to my lips, and I couldn’t help but watch him as he took a sip of his.
“Holy shit, this coffee is phenomenal,” I said.
“It’s Todd’s latest creation,” he said. “Elderberry and some other shit.”
“Elderberry and some other shit. Sounds tasty,” I said, winking.
“He should open his own place. He’s excellent at what he does.”
“And it seems he wouldn’t be the only person who qualified that statement,” I said.
I watched his eyes light up before a small grin tugged at the sides of his lips. Where the hell did that statement just come from?
“Well, I’ve got some phone calls to make and some numbers to run for projects and such. I’ll get back to you when I have those numbers,” I said as I hopped up off his couch.