Edge of Grey
Page 30
“Why didn’t you ask Green to join us?” I asked.
“I already know his thoughts,” the Admiral said.
“I like being able to watch over her, Admiral,” White said.
“What are Green’s thoughts?” I asked.
“He’d like to remain your handler.”
“What about them working as a team?” I asked.
My father looked at White to answer that question.
“Works for me,” White said.
“Good. Now—” My father stood and gestured toward the door. “We don’t want to be late for dinner. Your mother wouldn’t like that. We can discuss the rest of business during the meal.”
“We aren’t staying,” I said.
“Thank you for the invitation,” White interjected.
“I’m sure the two of you have some catching up to do and things at the office have probably been pretty hectic,” the Admiral said.
We nodded and stood as well.
“I’ll be quick then. I want to hold a meeting with all of the partners soon. I think it’s time to let everyone know all the details of our previous arrangement, Rick. Also, I’d like to invite DeLange, Jake, and Helix to the meeting so we can all start working together. I don’t want to blindside you but I’ll be suggesting a merger of sorts. Mesa will be undergoing some major housecleaning and I know we will be shorthanded for a time as we go through and cull unwanted employees. As you know, Mark did not vet his employees the same way you do over at White and Associates. I believe Jake will be released from the hospital sometime this week.”
“Sounds good, Admiral. Just give me enough time to inform the men,” White said.
We walked from his office back toward the kitchen where my mother was setting the table for two.
“Go have some fun,” she said as we made our way for the door. “You deserve it.”
We said our goodbyes and walked out to White’s Mustang.
White opened the passenger’s door for me.
“Do you have any suggestions for our first date, Ms. Grey?” he asked as I took a seat in his vehicle.
I stammered and he put on his wolfish look as he shut the door. He strutted around the front of the car as I fought the flushed feeling that threatened to overwhelm me.
“Somewhere intimate for dinner, Ms. Grey?” he asked after he slid behind the wheel.
“Sure.”
He drove us to an elite restaurant I’d never been able to get into.
“I’m not dressed for this place.”
I smoothed my hair and then my shirt. Then I remembered my bruised face. All swelling had gone down but I still looked like I’d been punched in the face. I reached up and touched my cheek.
“Don’t worry. Even if you’d been rolling in the mud for a week you’d still outshine every woman here. You don’t need fancy evening wear to fit in.”
White came around to my door and held his hand out to help me out of the seat before he handed the keys to the valet. When I stood from the seat he offered me his arm. His chin was held high and he wore a satisfied smile as he paraded me into the swanky establishment.
I followed his lead and held my own head high. I was on his arm, after all.
“Mr. White,” he was greeted at the front door. “It’s good to see you again.”
“Ms. Grey?”
A woman came up to us and waited for me to respond to her question.
“Yes?”
“One moment.”
Her face beamed as she walked away. She returned with an arm load of long stemmed red roses.
“These are for you.”
White reached over and took them for me.
“Thank—thank you.” I fumbled the words.
We were led to a private setting and I was offered a small bit of wine.
“The gentleman asked for this wine but wants to make sure it’s to your liking,” I was told.
I didn’t even taste the wine as I sipped it and stared at White. After a full minute of silence White’s grin moved from the side of satisfaction to the side of amusement and I realized the other man was still standing beside me waiting for my approval.
“It’s perfect. Thank you,” I said and felt myself flush again.
He smiled and filled our glasses before he left us alone for a time to go over the menu.
“You didn’t tell me you’d planned this,” I said.
“Those are the most expensive roses on the planet. They don’t last more than a week and I’ve been buying them every week since I saw you pining over Gabriella’s roses when she first started dating Martin. I’d hoped this day would come long before now. I’d say it’s long overdue.”
THE END
-oOo-
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Discover other titles by J.C. Phelps
The Alexis Stanton Chronicles
Color Me Grey
Shades of Grey
Reflections of Grey
Traces of Grey
Fragments of Grey
Edge of Grey
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