Page 3 of Falling for a Grumpy Hero

FORD

J ared Rexton, my friend and colleague who worked for me as a civil engineer, dropped into a chair across from me at the cafe in the lobby of our building. I narrowed my eyes at him immediately, jumping right in without any prelude.

“Are you serious?”

He blinked hard, a frown forming on his brow as he cocked his head at me. “I usually am, but what are you talking about this time?”

“That girl,” I bit out. “Lisa. Lilo. Luna. Whatever her name is. The person currently occupying the office we designated for my assistant. Are. You. Serious?”

“Oh. That. Yeah, I am serious.” He leaned back in his seat, his frown morphing into a grin as he raised an eyebrow at me. “Her name is Lila and why do you ask?”

“Well, maybe because she’s insane.” I stared at him for a long beat, wondering if this was his idea of a joke.

Jared had known me for a while now though, and he ought to know that I wouldn’t find it funny if it was.

“She talks, Rexton. A lot. And she does it fast. She also plowed into me in the elevator this morning and nearly knocked my coffee right out of my hand. So she’s not just a talker, but she’s clumsy too. ”

He chuckled. “She is a real person, Ford. People tend to talk, don’t they? Even you do it on occasion.”

“Reluctantly,” I said. “The last thing I need is some chatterbox in my ear all day long. Is she even qualified? Because she seems incredibly scatter-brained.”

“She was the most qualified candidate for the job by a long shot,” he assured me calmly. “She’s overqualified, actually, given that she managed a high-price art gallery in Manhattan for the last five years. Trust me, she can handle being your assistant.”

I pulled a deep breath of air into my lungs, letting it sit there for a moment before exhaling slowly.

This was what I got for letting Jared conduct the interview on my behalf.

I’d been at a conference in California for the last couple weeks and he’d offered to step in to help have the position filled by the time I got back.

While I’d been there, I’d thought the conference was my worst nightmare. I honestly wasn’t sure how I’d survived, but it turned out that coming home to find out he’d hired someone who couldn’t seem to stop talking was even worse.

My worst , worst nightmare. And since she already signed the contract, I’m stuck with her. At least for now. Fucking fantastic.

I sighed. “If she’s such a big-shot gallery manager, what’s she doing here? Is she running from the law? Is there an abusive ex-boyfriend going to show up and cause problems? I don’t need any of that shit in my life.”

Jared smiled, his head shaking. “It’s nothing like that. I promise.”

He paused when our server joined us, dropping off the coffee and sandwiches I’d ordered on my way in. I liked to be efficient, and sitting around waiting for food without even having ordered it yet made no sense to me.

“Thank you,” I said curtly when the woman put the plate down in front of me.

Jared rolled his eyes before he grinned up at the waitress. “Hey, Jennifer. Thanks for this. How are you? How’s the wedding planning coming along?”

“Well, I’m starting to understand why people elope, but I can’t complain. How are you?”

I frowned as I listened to their exchange. Saying that you understand why people elope sounds like a complaint to me, yet you say that you can’t complain. There is something seriously wrong with humanity. Or maybe just with the education system.

Deciding it wasn’t worth the headache trying to figure it out, I tucked into my club sandwich, not even considering joining their conversation. When Jennifer finally walked away, Jerry looked at me like that had been a mistake.

“You know I love you, bro, but you’re really fucking rude sometimes.” He wrapped his fingers around his coffee mug and picked it up. “Would it kill you to be polite sometimes?”

“I am polite. I said please when I ordered and thank you when she delivered that order. What more do you want from me? I don’t expect my customers to come to my workplace and interact with me on a personal level. Why would it be any different for her?”

He groaned. “Your customers expecting some kind of personal interaction is exactly why Lila is going to be a valuable asset. She lit up the office the second she walked in for her interview and just in her first week, she’s already proven to be a welcome addition to the team. Everyone loves her.”

“Why?”

“Why?” He scoffed down a chuckle. “Honestly, Ford, they love her because she’s all sunshine and rainbows. She’s a breath of fresh air and we needed that. Combined with her experience, I really think she could do well with us if you give her a chance.”

I didn’t respond immediately, not in the habit of saying stuff just to speak. Not anymore, anyway.

Before I wound up simply reiterating the concerns I’d already raised about the woman who’d slammed right into me earlier, I considered some of the points that he’d made.

By all accounts, Lila was my complete opposite, bubbly, so colorful that looking at her made my eyes hurt, and apparently, she was already well loved by all.

The people in the office respected me, but I was entirely sure they did not love me.

Nor did I want them to.

On the other hand, she had the kind of experience that did, in fact, overqualify her for this position. I was still a little concerned about what she was doing here, in Virginia Beach and at CE, but ultimately, I had asked him to take this off my plate—and he had.

I didn’t have to bother with resumes and interviews, and the seat I’d needed a butt in? It had a butt in it. “Alright. I’m not convinced, but I’m willing to give it a chance.”

“I’ll swap assistants with you if you’re really that against Lila,” he offered. “My assistant shouldn’t mind, but I can check with her just to be sure.”

I waved him off and reached into the satchel hanging across my chair. “Let’s see how it goes. I’m sure she’ll be fine, but if an angry ex-boyfriend or the cops show up, I’m pointing them in your direction.”

Mentally shifting gears, I drew out the folder I’d brought along and dropped it on the table. Jared placed his fingers on the plain manila folder and pulled it closer to him, around his yet untouched sandwich.

“What’s this?” he asked as he opened the cover and peered down at the information within. “Heritage House? I’ve never heard of it. Is it one of ours?”

“I want it to be,” I said, picking up my sandwich again. “We’ll need contractors on the job when I get the bid.”

“Another residential project?” He grimaced. “I really don’t understand the appeal of these. We should be going after that new super-center they want to develop. The commercial projects make so much more money, but I suppose I’m digressing.”

“The commercial contracts are your thing, not mine,” I reminded him. “The reason I’m showing you this is because I’ve been struggling for the last month to get the couple who own this place to accept the bid.”

“Okay. What’s going on?”

“They’re eccentric arty types who have ideas in mind that won’t work structurally and they’re not accepting the bid because I won’t agree to ideas I know I won’t be able to deliver on.”

Jared scanned over the first couple pages, then shut the folder and pushed it back toward me.

“Turn it over to Lila. If anyone can get through to these people, it’ll be her.

She makes friends with everyone and I’ve got a feeling she’ll speak their language.

I told you, Ford. She can be a real asset, but you’ve got to put her to work. ”

“I hadn’t thought of that, but I suppose I can give it a try.”

Sunshine and rainbows might actually work on these people. It was like nails against a chalkboard for me personally, but Lila was colorful and so were these clients. Jared was absolutely right that she might be able to reach them.

He looked at me from across the table, his expression more understanding and open than I was met with from most. We’d worked at the same firm for a while before we’d passed our exams and he was one of the few people in my life who knew snippets of my history.

We’d grown close while working together in the trenches until we’d fully qualified, and I’d let him in initially because he’d reminded me of Luke. Dark blond hair. Green eyes. Good sense of humor.

Every now and then, I still saw my old friend in him, and this was one of those moments.

I knew Jared didn’t understand everything I’d been through.

He didn’t have any military background himself, so it was difficult for him to decipher some of it, but at least he tolerated the darkness that had overtaken me since my time in the service.

“Look,” he said, his face straight but not stern or angry.

“I know she’s not what you wanted, but she is what the firm needs.

Moreover, she knows what she’s doing, she’s going to be able to help you navigate some of your blind spots, and I have faith that she’ll be able to help you bring in this client. ”

I took what he’d said onboard, even if I wasn’t ready to start counting my chickens with this contract.

We’d have to see if she had it in her first. I was only considering this because I’d been striking out with this couple for much too long and I wasn’t stupid enough to keep doing it when I had a new potential weapon in my arsenal.

When I got back to the office, I strode directly to Lila’s door and walked in without knocking. She looked up immediately, clearly startled, but before she could say anything, I dropped the folder on her desk.

“Look through this bid and reach out to the clients on my behalf. I want another meeting with them to see the house again, but I also need you to manage their expectations. What they’ve asked for is impossible, and if anyone tells them otherwise, they’re lying.”

Cornflower blue eyes held mine as she nodded, her seemingly natural red hair in a ponytail behind her head that bounced with the eager intensity of that nod. “I’m on it.”

She even gave me a strange little salute that made me feel totally uneasy as she pulled the folder closer. “Rest assured that it will be done, Mr. Callahan. I’ll have feedback for you within the hour.”

While part of me wanted to keep staring into those very blue eyes and try to figure out how any person could be so peppy and happy, I simply grunted in response, turned, and walked away.

Once I was in my own office, I shut the door firmly behind me and hung my head in my hands, desperate to get out of that dark space that was constantly trying to suck me in and spit me out.

Working with someone like her wasn’t only going to be difficult because of how annoying I found that sort of personality. It wasn’t even really that at all. Professionally, I could shut out the noise and do what needed to be done.

What she was, however, was a constant reminder that there was still light out there and that I didn’t know how or if I’d ever claw my way back to it.