Chapter 23

Monica wasn"t the least bit surprised when breakfast was delivered at the same time Amelia showed up. She should"ve known Luke wouldn"t believe her when she said she would eat something.

She wouldn"t admit this to him, but there was the likelihood that she would"ve forgotten to mention it to Amelia when she came in. Not because she wasn"t starving but because she had a tendency to forget the small things once she let work consume her.

"These waffles are to die for ..." Amelia moaned from where she sat on the other side of the desk.

Luke had ordered enough to feed a half dozen people, so it only made sense she shared with her secretary.

"It"s from the little café around the corner." Monica took her own bite from the stack of waffles and let her eyes roll back into her head. These were almost as good as an orgasm.

"Damn. We kept saying we were going to order lunch from there but kept forgetting. Now I want to kick myself. If their lunch is half as good as their breakfast, I think I"ve found my new favorite spot."

She had to agree. Although if their lunch was this good, then she would need to start working out again. A meal a day from this café, and she was going to gain a ton of weight.

"You can thank Luke for the new addiction."

"Is Luke also the reason for the hunky man who now sits down in the lobby all day? I feel bad for how lonely he must be down there that I"ve even considered moving myself down just to keep him company."

Monica almost spit her coffee across the desk.

"Amelia," she gasped.

Her secretary had been with her since she moved to her new position. Most people assumed Amelia was shy and withdrawn but they didn"t know her like Monica did. It was only when they were alone that she opened up and showed her true personality. She wouldn"t go as far as saying they were best buddies, but she considered Amelia a friend at work.

"Oh, please. You know he"s good looking."

"Yes, Ryker is good looking, but he"s also a shameless flirt. That man has heartbreak written all over him."

Amelia didn"t back down. "Who says I"m looking to get my heart involved? Sometimes a woman just needs a good roll in the sheets. Ryker seems like the type who can provide that."

Her friend wasn"t wrong. Monica would bet Ryker was great in the sack but that"s all he would ever be. At least that was the impression she got from him.

"I thought you were into the whole soulmates thing? You wanted the whole package, white picket fence, two point five kids, and the fairy-tale life."

She didn"t think any of that was stupid, but that"s all Amelia talked about. Her friend didn"t date just to date. She dated with the intention of it ending with a walk down the aisle.

"That was a teenager"s dream. I"ve realized to tamp down my expectations and let myself live a little. Soulmates is a fool"s errand."

There was something Amelia wasn"t telling her. Something happened to change her friend"s mind, but she didn"t know how to approach the subject without crossing the barrier that the two of them had drawn early on. Personal lives were just that––personal. Amelia didn"t ask about her love life and Monica respectfully did the same.

Monica was saved from figuring out how to ask when Amelia"s watch beeped.

"Oh, crap. That"s your five-minute reminder."

Monica looked down at the time on her computer screen. She had five minutes until the board meeting.

"Shit," she hissed and pushed back her chair to stand up. "Can you grab my files while I clean myself up? I don"t think I spilled any syrup on my dress."

She looked down at her outfit but couldn"t see anything. Stepping into the connected bathroom, she took two minutes to go over her appearance. Her hair was pulled back into a tight bun at the base of her neck. Not a single hair was out of place. Her makeup was subtle. She usually preferred to go a little heavier when she had to meet with the board but there wasn"t enough time. Running a hand down her dress, she smoothed out any invisible wrinkles.

Shit, her jacket. The dress had small cap sleeves, so she would normally choose to pair a dress like this with a light jacket to give it a more professional look.

"Amelia, have you seen . . . "

Her secretary was holding the jacket between two fingers and a stack of folders in her other hand.

"Have I mentioned how much of a lifesaver you are?"

"I"ll consider the impromptu breakfast as your way of expressing your gratitude."

Since the breakfast was more Luke than her, she would make sure to order lunch for Amelia again soon. At least she wouldn"t be the only one becoming the size of a house with all the food the two of them planned to eat.

"Let"s get this over with."

The board meeting was just as boring as she knew it would be. Once a month she was forced to smile through what was essentially the "good ole boys" club. The only thing that made it tolerable was the fact that Amelia was with her through it. Carmichael"s dragon assistant was also in the meeting, but considering Monica was positive the woman didn"t like her, she didn"t count.

"Ms. Cole. A word, please?" Mr. Stull"s sweet smile crossed her path.

Walter Stull was one of the few men who treated her kindly when she bought in as a partner. He cared more about her skills than her gender.

"Absolutely, Mr. Stull. Join me in my office?"

"Lead the way." He continued to smile at her as he waved her in front of him. With most men, she would wonder if they just wanted to look at her ass, but not Walter. He was a happily married man who idolized the woman he was married to.

"What can I do for you?" Since the meeting seemed more casual than business, Monica opted to sit on the couch.

"Tell me about the vandalism and fire."

Monica"s spine straightened. She had almost forgotten that she snapped at Carmichael the morning after the vandalism. Had he gone straight to the board behind her back? No one mentioned it during the meeting.

"I can see I"ve startled you. I didn"t mean to do that. I play golf with the chief of police. He knows of my involvement with the company and he mentioned they believe someone is targeting you. I don"t want you to think I"m checking up on you. I"m just genuinely concerned."

Her posture softened the more he spoke. She should"ve known that since it was Walter asking her, it hadn"t been done maliciously.

For the next twenty minutes, Monica explained everything. Starting with her trip to Rome to meet Fletcher and ending with Luke"s thoughts that the fire was a targeted attack on her despite its nature. By the time she was done talking, she wondered if she sounded a bit paranoid. She hadn"t thought so when talking to Luke but what did someone from the outside think?

"I never did like Samuel." Walter shook his head. "From the first time I met him, I knew there was something wrong with the man, but Carmichael wouldn"t hear of it."

Monica couldn't hide the shocked look on her face.

"Don"t look so surprised, dear. A hard-working man doesn"t need to glam himself up."

She snorted. "Sorry." She covered her nose. "It just reminded me of conversations I used to have with Ash. I thought everyone on the board liked Samuel. Everyone seemed so shocked when he was arrested."

"That"s because it would do me no good to tell Niles I told you so. He"s not the kind of man who would take kindly to that, so I kept my thoughts to myself, but I was glad when you convinced Niles to let you buy in as a partner. Your hard work speaks for itself."

It was the first time anyone at the company had recognized how hard she worked. It felt good to know it wasn"t going unnoticed.

"Thank you."

"No need to thank me, dear." Walter patted her knee once as he stood up. "If you need anything, don"t hesitate to reach out. I hate bullies and the ones that hide are even worse. I"m glad you"re not letting this Fletcher intimidate you."

Walter reminded her of a sweet grandfather who snuck his grandchildren candies when they came to visit. She was glad to know she had him on her side.

Amelia waited until the elevator doors closed behind Walter before she slipped into the office.

"What did Mr. Stull want?"

Monica smiled. "I"ve got one board member rooting for me to succeed."

Amelia mimicked her expression. "And you"ll win over more of them. I have faith in you."

She was glad someone did because if the last few days had done anything, it had shaken her confidence. Not through intimidation, but because others would see her as a weak link and that was the opposite of what she tried to convey to those within the company.

Walter gave her hope, and that would get her through this mess.