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Rex
“I don’t want to upset you more, but I have a question.”
She sighed, “I’m not mad at you. What is it?”
“Do you want me to look into a few things? I’ll talk to Cameron and make sure this is resolved quickly.”
Laura didn’t respond, so I glanced at her.
“Rex, don’t risk your career or reputation for me.”
“I’ll give up everything for you.”
“I won’t ask you to do it.”
“You don’t have to. I will, so if you decide it’s time to move on. I’ll follow you to wherever you want. I can’t lose you. My family will understand.”
Laura sighed. “I’m staying put. I had to be dramatic or Dad would’ve made light of what happened. I was really scared at the time. It wasn’t a lie.”
“I believe you. Will you let me take care of it?”
“Yes. But be careful, and don’t get into trouble.” Laura groaned. “And please don’t punch Cameron.”
“I can’t make any promises on the last part, but I won’t do anything that will jeopardize our relationship.”
“Okay. I’ll let you handle it,” Laura relaxed.
I wanted to soothe her, but it needed to wait until after work. We spent a few hours touring rental properties and had lunch onsite. Laura handled everything with a professional elegance. She smiled and chatted with her staff. Laura was in her element, and the tours went well. She was settled in and comfortable on the drive back to the office. “Rex, what are you thinking about?”
“You. I enjoyed our time together. You care about your staff.”
“We’re like a tight knit family. Your Grandfather is all about family, but you know that,” Laura teased me. “And to answer your question, I’m feeling much better.”
“I’m glad to hear it. Would you like to stay at my place? I know you can take care of yourself,” I added before she could fuss. “I’ll worry, so it’s for my benefit.”
“Honestly, I was thinking the same thing. I would like peace and quiet. I need it right now.”
“Okay, so I have a four o’clock meeting, and Miss Barbara is revising my schedule for morning calls, so I should be finishing up right around five o’clock today.”
Laura sighed, “Perfect. I never leave work on time, but this will be the second day in a row.”
“We can stay longer if you want,” I teased her.
“No thanks,” she laughed. “Do you plan to be at Savage Paradise tonight?”
“Yes, from seven o’clock until midnight. Mischa and Theo will close since I have to work at ten tomorrow morning.”
Laura sighed, “Your work schedule is insane.”
“I picked up my work ethic from my Grandfather and parents, but I enjoy my downtime.”
Laura winked at me, “I know you do. ”
I chuckled, “You’re too much for me. You can come to the bar and crash in my office if you get tired.”
“Sure. We should go to my house first. I’ll pack, so we can get to Savage Paradise early. I want to order takeout and relax.”
“Sounds good,” I pulled into a parking space in front of the building. “I’ll see you in a few hours.”
“I can’t wait,” Laura gathered her things and left my car. She had a sassy little walk. I watched her until she went in the building and then tapped Theo’s number.
He answered on the third ring, “Hey, how’s work?”
“Productive. I need you to look into Winston Crane and Cameron Wright. The second guy is Laura’s ex.” It didn’t take long to catch Theo up on what happened.
He cursed under his breath. “They all sound like assholes. Laura deserves better.”
“Yeah. I’m fixing things on my end, but I gave my word I’ll handle it on level.”
“Okay. I’ll check them out and get back to you.”
“Thanks. I’ll be in around six o’clock. You and Mish can take it easy until midnight.”
“Cool, see you then.” Theo ended the call.
I left my car and went back to work. The afternoon wrapped up without any issues. Laura was ready to go on time. We went back to her place.
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