Ethan leaned back in his chair, and it didn't tip over. His chair spun exactly the amount a chair should. He smiled, closed his eyes, and let himself relax for a moment. There were still meetings to go to, and he'd only come into his office to g
rab a file, but it he was enjoying his moment of calm.
“Ethan?” Becky opened his door and put her head in. “You've got five minutes before your meeting.”
“Thank you, Becky,” he replied, not opening his eyes. He could reach out and find exactly what he wanted in his desk from this spot. He didn't even have to think about it. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed his organization here.
“I wanted to thank you for my anniversary dinner,” Becky said, leaning against the door. She smiled at him. “Katie loved eating at Le Chat. I don't think she stopped smiling the entire time.”
“Le Chat? That’s a nice place. Good pick. I'm so glad you had a good time,” he said, opening his eyes and smiling at her. “That reminds me, thank you for my tie. It was perfect.”
Becky frowned. “What tie?”
“The tie. The green one you sent to my hotel,” he explained. “It was perfect.”
Becky shook her head slowly from side to side. “I didn't send you a tie. I know you said you needed some, but the ones I ordered haven't shipped yet. I didn't think you needed them until you were back in the office.”
He sat up straight in the chair. “You didn't send the tie?”
She shook her head and shrugged. “You must have a secret admirer.”
“I guess so,” he replied. He thought for a moment, but it didn't really bother him too much. “I'll figure it out eventually. It was probably Carter. Or Mia.”
“I'm sure you will. Four minutes, now,” Becky warned, heading out of the office. Ethan chuckled. He'd missed having her around. He leaned back in his chair again, enjoying the moment of quiet before he had to head back out and work again.
The door opened again, but instead of his secretary, it was his head of security in his office. Bruce Flagg was a big man, and he'd run Ethan's security for as long as Ethan could remember. He had a bald head and his arm still wrapped in a sling from his injury.
“Hello Mr. White,” Bruce greeted him. “How did Colorado treat you?”
“It was great,” Ethan replied, standing up to greet him. He shook the man's non-sling hand. “I've missed this place though.”
Bruce chuckled. “This place is a good one,” he agreed. “How did Craig do for you?”
“He did fantastic,” Ethan answered honestly. “He was a model employee. Why? Is there something wrong?”
Bruce shook his head. “No, nothing wrong. He's just got a lot of overtime hours already this month. It's going to kill my budget. I wanted to check with you before I cut back on his hours.”
Ethan frowned. “You're in charge of scheduling. I don't want you going over budget. You know you have complete control.”
Bruce frowned slightly. “Craig said that you'd be upset. That you'd requested him.”
Ethan raised his eyebrows. He couldn't remember ever actually saying that, but it was certainly possible. The two of them had spent a lot of time together. “Well, Craig is great, but I can take someone else with me on the next trip if it keeps the budget. It's not a big deal.”
“You sure?” Bruce's face lightened. “It would help out my scheduling mess until my arm's better.”
Ethan waved his hand through the air. “Of course. It's not a problem.”
Bruce smiled. “Well, that was easier than I thought,” he said wiping his brow with his good arm. “I'm glad it's going well in Colorado. I'll let Craig know you'll be taking someone else back.”
“Make sure to tell him he did a great job,” Ethan replied.
“Will do,” Bruce assured him. He looked out the door and chuckled. “Becky's pointing at her watch. Have a great meeting.”
“Thanks, Bruce,” Ethan said, standing up from his desk as Bruce headed out of the office.
Ethan picked up a pen and the file he needed, loving that he knew exactly where both were and he didn't have to search for them. It was so nice to be back on his home turf. He smiled and went to pick up his personal phone.
He sighed and went to check the messages and was glad to find there weren't any new ones. He still couldn't believe Laura had messaged him six times for a one and a half hour flight. He understood that she had some fears about flying given her parents’ history, but this felt extreme.