Ashton
I shake Marc Brentley’s hand. “I’ll be in touch.”
He nods. “Are you free on Thursday night? We’re holding our annual charity gala. I’d like you to be there.”
“I’ll make it happen.”
“Good.”
As he leaves my office, my mind wanders to his proposal. It was a good one, and I’m almost certain we’ll do business together.
“He looked happy.” I glance up to find Jessica entering the office.
“He should be.”
“You think you’ll say yes to him?”
“I’d say so from what I’ve seen today, but we’ll do the research and see if it pans out.” Marc’s group is heading a multi-million dollar development in the heart of Sydney.
“I heard it would be the tallest building in Sydney if it goes ahead. Is that true?”
“It is.” I hand her the documents he left with me. “Can you get the ball rolling on this?” Jessica will begin the research, and after she presents me with her findings, I’ll finalise it. In the years we’ve worked together, I’ve trained her to know what to look for. And she’s damn good at her job.
“I’ve already started.” Of course she has.
I check my watch. The meeting with Marc ran over, so I’m more than ready to get out of here. Giving Jessica my attention again, I ask, “Anything urgent come up this morning?”
“Alessandra called and asked for you to phone her back. And your new real estate agent returned your call from yesterday.”
I reach for my phone and car keys. “Did you finalise my plans for today?
”
“I did.” She grabs my phone off me and presses the button to light up the screen and check the time. “Lorelei will be receiving her first delivery right about now.”
I take the phone when she hands it back. “Call me only if absolutely necessary.”
“And you still want me to work from your place today so I can be with Jack?”
“Yes.”
“What about tomorrow? How long do you envision this gig will last?”
“Let’s play it by ear. I’ll assess his frame of mind tonight and let you know. We might need to work from home tomorrow, too.”
“You do know that at some point you’re going to have to ease up on this, don’t you? You can’t spend every minute of your life watching him, Ashton.”
I purse my lips. “I’m going to be there for him as long as he needs it, Jessica.”
“Yes, but—”
“No buts. Don’t argue with me on this because you won’t win.”
She sighs. “No one ever wins against you.”
My phone rings, interrupting us. I glance at it to find Alessandra’s name flashing on the screen. “I need to take this. Was there anything else?”
“No, you go. And don’t worry, I’ll take care of Jack.”