Page 23 of The Arrangement

I laugh. “Also, your schedule for next week has been confirmed, and I got you in for a haircut next Thursday.”

A slow smile slips across his lips. It tugs at the corners of mine.

I would never admit it, but doing these small, personal things for Jason is the favorite part of my job. He never asks me to doany of them—massages, haircuts, or having groceries delivered when he’s been working late all week. But his appreciation when I spot a need and work to meet it makes it worth it. Those things matter more to my boss than the safety manuals, even though I don’t think he would admit that either.

It surprises me how well I fit in at Brewer Air and, quite frankly, how well I do my job. I was nervous when I accepted the promotion to executive assistant. But Jason’s belief in me—his assurance that I could do this job and would excel at it—made me believe it, too.

“Also,” I say, ignoring the butterflies in my stomach. “Your mother emailed you this morning. I marked it urgent. You’ll probably want to look at that sooner rather than later.”

“Why?”

I grimace and stand. “It seems she wants to cut her security detail in half.”

“What?”

“Yeah. I slowly backed out of that one and left it for you.”

He runs his hands down his handsome face. “I’m convinced my family is trying to kill me this week.”

“I—” My cell phone rings next to the coffee. Greta’s name flashes on the screen, making my stomach drop. She doesn’t call unless something is wrong with Mimi, and with Mimi’s recent falls, I’m scared. “I’m sorry, Jason. But can I take this? It’ll only be a second.”

“Absolutely. Want me to come back?”

“No. Just wait right here,” I say a little too quickly, bringing the phone to my ear. “Hey. Is everything okay?”

“Hi, Chloe. I hope this isn’t a bad time.”

“What’s up?”

“I just checked on your grandmother. We played a little gin rummy, and I took her some banana bread I made for breakfast.”

“That was very nice of you,” I say, lifting my eyes to Jason. His eyes are filled with curiosity and concern.

“She’s a sweetheart, and I’m happy to do it. She still has a pretty big knot, but I think she’s feeling better, and her spirits are better today, too.”

I exhale a hasty breath, saying a quick prayer of thanks that this call was a good report and not a bad one.

“I’m happy to hear this,” I say. “But I’m at work right now, and my boss is here. So I’d really like to finish this conversation tonight when I’m at home.”

My cheeks burn under Jason’s watch as I try to get her off the phone.

Greta has never called me in the middle of the day to chat, and I’ve never accepted a personal call unless I’m on my lunch break. I’m sure Jason doesn’t mind, but I still don’t like looking so unprofessional.

“Oh, of course,” she says. “By the way, before I let you go, Thomas told me you were seeing him this weekend. I’m thrilled, Chloe. Absolutely thrilled. He’s coming in tonight for a conference tomorrow and I can’t wait to see him.”

“I’m excited, too. But I really do need to go.”

Jason’s brows pull together.

“I’m sorry—one more thing now that I think about it. Was that Friday or Saturday night you’re seeing him?” she asks. “I’m supposed to play bingo on Friday night and bridge on Saturday, and I can’t remember which to cancel.”

I wince. “It’s Friday night. But I do need to go. I’ll talk to you tonight. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye, sweetheart.”

I look up to find Jason crossing his arms over his chest.

My smile is weak as I set the phone back down. “I don’t normally answer personal calls at work, but my grandmother hasn’t been feeling well. I was afraid it was about her.”