11. James

CHAPTER 11

JAMES

S tanding at my office window, I stare out at the busy street below. It's eight thirty, and Billie is half an hour late.

Letting out a sigh, I shove my hands into my pockets. I was too hard on her yesterday.

It's not just the fact that she had to leave early. I understand that.

It's that she didn't tell me she has a kid.

Not that she's obligated to. I just hate that she didn't, because that's one more thing I didn't know about her.

Add that to how she looked when she came back into the office — so afraid, so fragile — and then her clear expectation that I would be rude to her, combined with my frustration over the meeting, and it was the perfect storm.

I snapped. Said something pretty uncaring.

I was wrong, and I need to take it back. Who knows if she'll even want to hear an apology, though?

The phone rings on my desk, and I whirl around. Billie?

Nope. It's Roger, one of my associates on the East Coast.

"Roger," I answer, trying to put on my best happy voice. "How's it going?"

"James, my man!" Roger says, his voice booming through the phone. "I'm doing great, thanks for asking. And yourself?"

"I'm fine," I say, my mind still on Billie. "What's up?"

"Just thinking about the Hawaii conference next week," Roger says. "You still planning on going?"

I frown. The conference? What conference?

And then it hits me. I forgot all about ThisTech, one of the biggest tech conferences in the world. I almost always go to it, but I've been a little distracted the last couple weeks, and I haven't thought about it once.

"Uh, maybe," I say, rubbing my chin. "Will you be there?"

"You know it," Roger says, and I can hear the excitement in his voice. "It's going to be a networking goldmine, James. You don't want to miss it."

I consider it for a moment. It's true that I could use a break from work. And maybe a change of scenery would do me some good, get me out of this funk I've been in. "All right," I say, finally making up my mind. "I'll be there."

"Awesome," Roger says. "Later."

As I end the call, I realize I do feel a little better. Maybe a trip to Hawaii is exactly what I need.

But then I think of Billie again, and my stomach sinks. I need to talk to her, to make things right.

And what better way to do that than a trip to Hawaii?

It won't be all fun and games. We'll need to work some, but she should still have time to enjoy herself.

And maybe she'll forget all about how I shoved my foot in my mouth yesterday.

The door opens, and Billie strides in. She has bags under her eyes, and her hair isn't as styled as it usually is.

And yet she still looks hot as hell.

I highly doubt anything could make this woman look bad.

"Sorry I'm late," she mumbles. "Quinn can't go to school until her fever has been broken for twenty-four hours and I was up half the night looking for a babysitter, and then I found someone but she got stuck in traffic, and then I dropped my phone under my seat in the car and couldn't call, and…" She trails off, looking defeated.

I can't stop gazing at her. She also hasn't put on makeup this morning, and damn she looks amazing.

Delicious. Perfect.

My hands are still in my pockets, and I ball them into fists. I'm an unexpressed mess of needs.

"Quinn?" I ask. "That's a nice name."

She looks taken aback. "Really? That's what you're telling me after yesterday?"

I feel a pang of guilt as she reminds me of yesterday's incident. I know I need to make things right, and fast.

"I'm sorry about yesterday," I say, taking a step closer to her. "I didn't mean to offend you. I was just, you know, caught off guard."

Her eyes narrow — a bad sign. "You don't have employees need to leave for family emergencies sometimes?"

"Not… often."

"They do have families, though. I'm sure they do. They're just neglecting them in order to work here."

A chuckle falls from my lips. "You're ballsy. It's almost like you're asking me to fire you."

Alarm lights up her eyes, and I instantly regret saying it.

"Relax." I go to my desk, putting some space between the two of us. "I'm not going to fire you. You do things your own way, which is a problem, but you're also an asset to this company."

She folds her hands in front of her. "Okay."

Wow. She really doesn't give a fuck.

That or she has more pride than is good for her. If it's the latter, I understand. I'm guilty of the same crime.

As I sit down at my desk, I can't help but feel bad for hurting her feelings. I know that I need to make things right between us.

"Billie," I say, turning to face her again. "How do you feel about taking a trip to Hawaii with me? There's a big tech conference happening next week, and I could use your help. Terri will be holding things down here, and I won't be able to do everything on my own."

Billie looks at me, surprised. "Hawaii? That sounds amazing. But isn't it kind of short notice?"

I shrug. "I have a private jet. We can leave at any time."

She bites her lip, contemplating. "I don't know, James. I have Quinn and—"

"You can bring her with us," I interrupt. "I'll make sure there's a nanny to take care of her while we work."

She looks at me skeptically. "Why are you doing all this? I don't understand."

I take a deep breath. "I know I came off as an asshole yesterday, and I'm sorry. I want to make it up to you, and I also need your help at the conference."

She thinks it over. "Of course I'll come. But only because it's part of my job."

"So you're not accepting an ‘I'm sorry' trip?"

"Packaging a work trip as an ‘I'm sorry' trip is kind of lame, don't you think?"

I snort. She has me there.

"I usually combine my business and pleasure," I say.

"I'm sure you do." She grins, and a heat wave passes between us.

A moment later, and we both get the unintentional suggestion behind the words. Billie clears her throat and looks away.

I can't help but feel a tingle of excitement. I'm not sure what it is about Billie that makes me feel so alive. Is it her fiery spirit? Her quick wit? Or is it something else entirely?

I shake my head, trying to clear it. "So, Hawaii it is. A few days should be enough to get packed and ready, right?"

Billie nods, still looking away. "Sure thing, boss. Although, I'll leave Quinn behind."

"I meant what I said. She can come. I'll pay for a nanny and—"

"No, no. It's okay." She gets busy setting her computer up for the morning. "She has school, plus she gets anxious on planes."

She's still not looking at me, and I get the impression that she's not telling me the full story.

But who am I to call her out on it? What she does with her daughter isn't my business anyway.

…Even though I'm intensely curious.

What is Billie like as a mom? Who is the girl's father?

Billie doesn't wear a wedding ring, but that doesn't mean the two of them aren't together.

The thought makes jealousy burn through me. I can't have her, but I also don't like the thought of any other man having such a privilege.

Attempting to distract myself, I turn my mind back to the conversation. "We'll have to bring Quinn a present from Hawaii. What kind of things does she like?"

Again, Billie hesitates. She probably still thinks I'm not being genuine.

"She likes stuffed animals and books," she finally answers, still focused on her computer.

"Stuffed animals and books it is," I say, making a mental note. "And what about you? Any particular requests for the trip?"

Billie looks up at me, her eyes narrowing. "What are you trying to do? Bribe me with gifts?"

I hold up my hands in surrender. "No, no. Just trying to make it an enjoyable trip for you as well. We'll be working hard at the conference, but there will be downtime too. I want you to have a good time."

She doesn't say anything for a few moments, then nods. "Okay. Well, I've never been to Hawaii before, so I guess just… enjoy the scenery?"

I grin. "Oh, we will. We can absolutely make time to explore together." The words come out before I even realize what I'm saying.

Billie arches an eyebrow. "Is that right?" she says, a hint of amusement in her voice. "You plan on working me to the bone and then whisking me away for a romantic getaway?"

I feel my face flush, realizing how it sounds. "No, no, that's not what I meant. I just meant—"

But Billie cuts me off with a laugh. "Relax, I'm just teasing you. It sounds like it'll be a fun trip."

I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding. "Good, I'm glad. It'll be nice to have someone to explore with."

Billie nods, and we get back to work. But my mind can't stop spinning with thoughts of her and the upcoming trip. I can't wait to see what adventures Hawaii will bring. Nothing romantic can happen between the two of us, but that doesn't mean we can't cut loose and have a good time together.

A good, appropriate time.

An appropriate, amazing time.

Grinning to myself, I turn away from her.