Falling for the Billionaire

16

Jake spent the next couple of days introducing Jeremy to how Corisi Enterprises looked from the right side of the computer. In addition to the image consultant Dominic had found for Jeremy, Jake had offered him an office in their main building. At first he'd balked at the idea of formally joining a team, but the lure of working, even temporarily, with the Waltons proved too tempting for him to pass on in the end.

If the initial tests were correct, the Chinese server was patched and ready to go. No more surprise rewriting of the codes. No more unauthorized access to emails or mainframes. Between his parents and Jeremy, Jake doubted there was another company on the planet as secure as Corisi Enterprises had become.

This should have been a time to celebrate, but Jake found no real joy in the news. He lingered in the Corisi Towers long past when everyone had left for the day. He didn't want to admit it to himself, but he didn't want to go home.

Dominic walked in Jake's office, plopped in one of the chairs in front of his desk, and propped his feet up on it. "Stop sulking."

Jake leaned forward and pushed his friend's feet off his desk. "I'm not sulking."

Unperturbed, Dominic stretched his legs and crossed his ankles on the floor before him. "Do you know what your problem is?"

"I'm sure you're going to tell me."

Dominic smiled. "You're over-thinking this. Normally I respect that side of you, but it doesn't work with women."

"Spare me the Cro-Magnon tips on romance."

"I don't care what your IQ is–you're an idiot if you think that sitting in this office is going to get her back."

"She said she needed time to figure out a few things."

"That is code for, 'Get off your ass and show me that you care.'"

"How have you never had a restraining order taken out against you?"

"Say what you will, but my woman is planning a wedding and yours is..." Dominic snapped his fingers as if he'd just remembered something. "Oh, yes, you don't know what she's doing because you're giving her time to figure things out."

Jake pushed his chair back and stood. "What's scary is that you're beginning to make sense to me." He needed to take action now before she figured him right out of her life.

Dominic joined his friend near the door and gave him an encouraging slap on the back. "The trick is selective hearing. Women tell you what they want; they just throw in all that other shit to confuse you. Now stop thinking and go get her."

"You're right." Jake said and suddenly he knew exactly how to do it.

A week later, Lil was eating a salad at a small table in a café of a downtown office building. True to his word, Dominic had found her a job immediately upon her return. Mrs. Duhamel had flown back to Boston with her, determined to watch Colby until they found a nanny both she and Lil could agree on. Although it was difficult to leave Colby, there was something invigorating about the challenge of learning a new job. She didn't know much about graphic design, but not surprisingly, the position offered as much on the job training as she wanted.

Okay, there were definitely perks to being Dominic's little sister.

A shadow fell across the table. Lil looked up and her breath caught in her throat.

Jake.

"Please forgive my boldness, but when I saw you I had to come over and introduce myself. Jake Walton." He held out a hand in greeting.