Chapter 20
Back to reality. Those were the words that buzzed through Drew’s head as soon as he walked through the doors of Berkley and Parker Financial, Inc. His assistant, Anita, beamed when she saw him. “Good morning, Drew, and welcome home.”
“Hello, Anita.” Anita Berkley was in her midtwenties and a very hard worker. Drew gave her a lot of credit, since her uncle owned the firm. Some would try to coast by when a family member owned the company they worked for, but not Anita. She put in just as many hours as Drew.
He settled behind his desk and fired up his computer. A few moments later, Anita walked in and sat across from him, tablet in hand.
“How’s the day looking?” Drew asked, opening his calendar on his laptop and scanning the appointments that were already scheduled.
“Well, I hate to say this, but as you can see, your vacation is definitely over. Your day is full of meetings.” She winced, but she wasn’t to blame. This was par for the course. Tax season was coming, and even though Drew wasn’t a CPA, people tended to freak out when they realized their previous year’s expenditures were higher than they planned—and what he always advised against.
Anita started rattling off information. “Mr. Webster has a call scheduled for ten to discuss second-quarter projections. Jenna Pendleton wants you to call her before lunch so she can access some of her mutual funds.” Anita rolled her eyes, and Drew couldn’t help but smile. Jenna did this once a month, and since she’d probably emptied her account over the holidays, it wasn’t a surprise she wanted more money. “Mr. Taft has an investment he wants to discuss at one p.m., and since your voice mail was full, I have these messages for you.” Anita reached over and handed him a stack of numbers.
Drew flipped through the stack like a deck of cards and groaned.
“You have a lunch meeting today with Jeremy Marks, but if you want me to reschedule that, I will.”
Jeremy was the president of his fraternity their senior year and most likely wanted to discuss their upcoming reunion, since Drew was the vice president. Immediately his thoughts went to Pete Carson. Drew hoped Lacey’s meeting with him would go smoothly. Despite promising her he wouldn’t interfere, a part of him wanted to call Pete, but if Lacey ever found out about it, she would be more than offended.
“No, that’s fine. Can you set up a meeting with Mr. Parker for this afternoon? There are a few things I’d like to speak to him about.” She nodded. “Thank you, Anita. And thank you for holding down the fort while I was away. I appreciate it.”
Anita flashed him a smile. “You’re welcome, and thank you for my Christmas bonus. You know you don’t need to do that. None of the other assistants get one. It’s not that I don’t appreciate it—I do—it’s just… it’s unnecessary. I’m just doing my job.”
“Have I ever worried about what the other suits do?”
“No, sir.” Changing the topic, she asked, “Did you have a good vacation? How’s Ethan?”
He smirked. She’d met Ethan just once, but the two had hit if off splendidly. Drew could tell she had a crush on his friend, but Ethan knew better than to dip his pen in Drew’s company’s ink. That was the last thing Drew needed. It wasn’t that he owned the company, but if Ethan broke her heart or vice versa, Drew would end up picking up the pieces and, more than likely, looking for a new assistant.
“My trip was wonderful, thank you. Ethan is the same, still enjoying the tropical life.”
“That’s good.” Anita tilted her head to the side, studying Drew intently. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but there’s something different about you.”
“Is there?” Drew knew exactly what thatsomethingwas but didn’t offer any information.
Anita smiled sweetly, undoubtedly realizing he didn’t want to discuss his personal life. She rose from the chair. “If that will be all, I’ll be at my desk.”
“Thank you, Anita.”
Drew let out a long breath and started to tackle his day.
After finishing his calls and gently letting down Jenna by informing her she couldn’t access much more from her funds before accruing charges, Drew headed out to his lunch meeting.
Thirty minutes later, he arrived at Grenadine’s, an upscale restaurant in the heart of Chicago. Businesspeople filled the majority of the tables. According to the hostess, Jeremy had already arrived, and she escorted Drew to his table.
Jeremy stood when Drew approached. They shook hands and gave each other a slanted hug. “How’s it going, Mitchell?”
The men sat down, and both ordered a drink. “Things are good, thanks. How are you? How’s the family?”
“Everyone’s doing wonderful, thank you. Christmas was hectic, but that’s what you get when you have twin five-year-old girls.” Jeremy chuckled as their waitress returned with their whiskeys in hand. “I’ve never seen so much pink in all my life.”
Drew’s thoughts flashed back to the “pink” aisle, where he and Lacey had bought toys for the kids in the orphanage.
“Sounds like a blast.”
Jeremy lifted his glass and took a sip. “Okay, who is she?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Drew grinned and sipped as well, enjoying how the smooth whiskey warmed his throat on the way down.