Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 69096 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 345(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69096 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 345(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
“It’s enchanting.” He lowers her arm. “Beautiful, really.”
I shake my head to make sure I’m awake and not standing in some parallel universe.
Carrie sighs softly. “I have to get back to my lab. I wanted to stop by to firm up dinner plans with my sister.”
That snaps Mr. Thorsen out of his Carrie-induced spell.
I make a mental note to ask her what in the hell that fragrance has in it because I’ve never seen my boss like this.
“Here’s your ice, Abby.” He shoves it at me without a glance in my direction. “Ice up that ankle. When it feels better, go ahead and take the rest of the day off and enjoy your dinner with Carrie.”
I shake my head in shock. “What?”
I’m typically here at least twelve hours a day, and I often bank time on the weekends too. Corporate law has its perks, but when you’re just starting to build a career, you have to give it your all.
“An injury like that needs to be taken care of.” He glances briefly at my perfectly fine ankle hidden beneath the leg of my pants. “If it’s still bothering you tomorrow, and you need the day to recuperate, let my assistant know.”
“Sure thing!” I say a little too enthusiastically.
“Mr. Thorsen?” Svea, my boss’s executive assistant, suddenly appears in the open doorway of my office as if on cue.
He glances over his shoulder at her. “Yes?”
“Kirby’s school is on line one, sir.”
I expect him to dart off without another word to anyone because his daughter is his number one priority, but he turns his attention to Carrie. “It was good to meet you, Carrie. Take care.”
“You too.” She nods.
“I’ll drop the document I picked up from Mrs. Collymore by Svea’s desk on my way out, sir,” I say to his back as he leaves.
“That’s fine,” he responds with one last look at my stepsister.
As soon as he’s out of sight, I close the door. “What the hell was that all about?”
“What?” Carrie points at my leg as I walk over to my desk. “What happened to your limp?”
“My leg is fine.” I take a seat on my white leather office chair. “It was a misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding that ended with you scoring half of a day off.”
“Crazy, right?” I laugh. “By the way, I need a bucket of whatever scent you’re wearing because it took the Hyde right out of Mr. Thorsen. He was straight up Jekyll just now.”
Carrie laughs at the reference to the first classic movie we saw together. The story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is one of her favorites. “You’re not serious, are you? Mr. Thorsen seems like a pretty nice guy.”
“A pretty nice guy?” I laugh my way through the words. “He’s not. He’s a very strict boss, not to mention demanding and ruthless.”
Her brow furrows. “On social media, he’s a big teddy bear.”
I push to my feet. “What?”
“I might have made a fake account to follow his socials,” she admits. “He posts a lot of content with his daughter. Her mom is a supermodel. She’s gorgeous, Abs. It’s no wonder they made such a beautiful baby together.”
“Kirby is sweet.” I smile because who wouldn’t when thinking about the little blonde-haired, brown-eyed, five-year-old daughter of my boss?
“I bet her mom is too.” She sighs. “All the nice guys like that are taken.”
I ignore the nice guy comment because my boss does not fall into that category. He’s nowhere in the vicinity of being labeled that. “I’m pretty sure they aren’t together anymore.”
She taps the toe of her shoe against the floor next to the rug. “He flew to Paris to see her for a weekend last month. They’re together. Chesca posted a picture on her Instagram of Rook, Kirby, and her in front of the Eiffel Tower.”
I overheard Svea telling another lawyer that Rook and Chesca broke up last year, but the heart can be unpredictable. It’s likely for the best because Rook Thorsen is a wolf in every way, and Carrie is a sweet little lamb that needs to steer clear of men like that.
“I need to get back to work.” She moves a step closer to me. “I’m going to make tacos for dinner tonight. Shredded beef with all the fixings, including homemade salsa.”
“I’ll be there.”
“Good.” She tilts her chin down. “You can tell me later about the fake limp.”
“It’s a short story, but I’ll fill you in.”
With a nod, she turns to leave. “I noticed the big sneakers weren’t by our door this morning. Does that mean you’ll see the one-night stand guy today?”
“No,” I answer honestly. “It means he’ll get his shoes back, and I’ll enjoy my unscheduled half a day off alone.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Declan
“A package was delivered for you.” My assistant, Huck, waves a hand toward my open office door. “It’s a big one.”