She pushes her phone out of the way and straightens her back. “Is he expecting you? Andr—Mr. Wainwright doesn’t like to be disturbed.”
“Yes, I have an eleven a.m. meeting with him.” I shift the strap of my bag on my shoulder, wishing I could set it down. Sometimes in my meet-and-greets, clients want to hire me to start working right away since they’re busy, so I always carry my portfolio with me, along with some linen samples and various pamphlets for different caterers and decor companies.
The young woman looks nervous and fiddles with her hands.
“Is there a problem?” I ask.
“I don’t know.” She bites her lip. “Mr. Wainwright is very specific for me to never interrupt him before noon unless it’sreallyimportant. Or if a messenger is here with delivery papers. Right. I must remember that.” She says the last part almost to herself.
“He set the meeting with me for eleven, so I’m going to say that he thinks it’s important, so if you wouldn’t mind bothering him…”
She bites her lower lip again and a pained look crosses her face.
The door behind her whips open and Andrew stands there without his suit jacket. His pressed shirt tapers at his waist. His tie is tight around his neck. But it’s his wavy hair, as if he’s already run his hands through it a million times today, that’s the only thing not completely in place and I hate that he’s making me slightly breathless.
“Darla, did I hear—” Andrew’s eyes shift to me and he stops talking.
“Hi.” I give him a little wave that makes me feel juvenile.
Darla spins around in her seat. “I didn’t know if I should tell you she was here or not.”
Andrew’s forehead wrinkles, disdain clear in his features. “I told you I was expecting someone.”
“Well, I don’t know. I can’t keep all these rules straight.” She throws her hands in the air out of frustration and looks as if she’s a minute from breaking down in tears.
“It’s fine. It’s no problem, really.” I look from Darla to Andrew with wide eyes.
With a shake of his head, Andrew steps back in his office and comes out with his jacket in his hands. “The meeting is in the conference room. C’mon.”
I give Darla a small smile before catching up to Andrew, who is already straightening the collar of his jacket.
“Here, I’ll carry your bag.”
“Oh, you don’t have—” But before I finish my sentence, he has the strap in his hand and over his shoulder. “Thanks.”
“Thank me later when I’m seeing a physical therapist with a back injury. Seriously, how are you holding this up?”
“I guess I’m small but mighty.” I flex my bicep, but he never looks over, so I slowly lower my arm, hoping he didn’t notice.
He opens a door down the hall and reveals a room with a long wood table surrounded by chairs. No one else is inside, and he sets my bag down in the chair at the head of the table. “Bethaney should be along soon. She came by my office earlier to let me know how excited she is to get things going with you.”
“You didn’t tell her I was definitely taking the job, did you?”
He shakes his head, a deep groove forming between his eyebrows. “No, I told her you were coming here to discuss the possibility, but just like Darla, she doesn’t hear everything that comes out of my mouth.”
“Okay.” Some of my tension eases.
Andrew goes to stand by the large windows overlooking Manhattan with his hands in his suit pants pockets, while I walk to the chair to the right of the head of the table. After unbuttoning my jacket, I slide it over the back of the chair then look up to ask Andrew a question.
But the words die in my throat when I see the way his gaze roams over me. His avid interest makes me feel as if my dress is made out of Lycra, not wool. I mean, it’s a fitted dress, but it’s not revealing or inappropriate.
“I clean up pretty well, don’t I?” I smile at him, and he clears his throat.
“Hmm.” He looks toward the doorway. “Bethaney, hello. I’d like to introduce you to MacKenzie Montgomery.”
I turn to find a woman much younger than what I’d conjured in my mind. When Andrew had said she was engaged to one of the partners, I pictured a more mature woman, but Bethaney can’t be any older than me. Younger even, if I had to guess.
“Kenzie, please. Great to meet you, Bethaney. Thanks for having me today. I’m excited to hear what you have in mind for the firm’s holiday party.” I step over to her with my hand extended.