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I kept my tone even and light as I asked, “I thought I was supposed to be doing all the extra things you didn’t want to do.”
“She’s not for me. She’s for you.” As I tried to process what he could possibly mean by that, he explained, “If she trains as my assistant, but with you here, she’ll learn the best ways to do things, as well as any quirks you might have. By the time I’m ready to completely step down, she’ll be able to be your assistant as you take over from me.”
He wanted me to take over scouting for the company.
Now, I felt like shit for thinking he was trying to keep me away from Aurelia and taking me all over the damn country to keep me busy. This entire time, he’d trusted me enough to train me to do what he did. I vowed I wouldn’t make him regret his decision.
After the waiter left with our orders, I turned back to Sofi and held out my hand. “It’s nice to meet you. Sorry if I came off a little grumpy. I didn’t sleep well last night.”
“Not at all.” She smiled, and her entire face lit up.
It hit me like a punch to the gut. I’d never had such a visceral reaction to anyone before. I’d noticed she was attractive, but this was beyond an acknowledgment of general physical appearance. I’d been around beautiful women before. Beautiful women who threw themselves at me because of who my family was. But there’d never been anything like this. I had no idea what to do with it.
Damn.
“Your grandfather tells me you recently received your MBA from the University of North Carolina.” Sofi interrupted my thoughts. “I’ve never left Nevada, not even for college.”
“Where did you go?”
“University of Nevada Las Vegas. Really adventurous, right?” She laughed and stirred what looked like a cup of tea. “I majored in landscape architecture but ended up leaving before I got my degree.”
“Why was that?” I asked, stirring creamer into my coffee.
Something flickered in her eyes, there and gone again before I could figure out what it was. She gave a casual shrug. “Life happened.”
“We know all about that, don’t we?” Grandad joined the conversation. “Now, here are the properties I want us to view today.”
With that, we shifted to work, but I found my attention straying to Sofi more often than I was comfortable.
I was such a bastard.
* * *
The afternoon had turnedfrom hot into scorching, and each time we moved out of the air conditioning seemed hotter than the last. I’d abandoned my suit jacket after the first property, and now my sleeves were rolled up, and the top button of my shirt was undone. Grandad didn’t look like he’d even broken a sweat, but he must’ve understood that my wardrobe changes were better than me passing out from heatstroke because he didn’t say anything about it.
“We’re making good time,” I said as I slid into the back seat of the car, my thigh brushing against Sofi’s and making my gut tighten. “Only two more to go.”
“A slight detour, if you don’t mind,” Grandad said. “I’m feeling a bit drained. Would you mind viewing the last two without me, Deklin?”
Immediately, concern replaced everything else I was feeling. “Are you okay? Dehydrated? When was the last time you had something to drink?”
His eyes narrowed. “I said I’m tired, not dying. You just wait and see how much energy you have when you’re my age.”
I flushed but didn’t back down. “You shouldn’t ignore it if you think something’s wrong.”
“Deklin, let it go.”
I heard the warning in his voice and debated whether or not to heed it.
“I’m tired, and at my age, it’s not good to push myself. Now, between you and Sofi, I am confident I’ll have everything I need. So, we’re going to take me back to the hotel, and then the two of you are going to continue on and finish the list for today, so we don’t get behind.”
I didn’t like it, but I knew better than to argue with him when he was like this. It would be better all the way around if I just did what he said. Besides, if he wanted me to take over doing this myself, this would be a good test run.
Seventeen
Sofi
Jude’s leavingDeklin and me alone to see the last two properties was unexpected, but I supposed it shouldn’t have been. He was concerned enough about the engagement to hire a stranger to seduce his grandson. Lying about being tired was hardly a stretch.