Tangled In Strings

Chapter Twenty-Four

He smirks, tearing his eyes from the golf tournament on the screen. "I had to utilize the rare moment you weren't watching over me."

"You aren't well enough to be here," I snap, setting my bag onto the desk. Rebecca walks into the room, holding a tray of take-out and my scowl deepens.

"Chinese, Norman? Are you serious?"

He chuckles, taking it from her. "I'm going to die any day now, Scarlett. I might as well eat what I want."

Breathe, just breathe. My eyes reopen, and flash a look of apology to Rebecca, who seems disturbed by his nonchalance on the subject but manages to smile at me before leaving us alone.

"How long have you been here? Have you taken your medication? How did you get here?"

"So many questions," he says, in an oddly good mood. I glare at him and he rolls his eyes. "I've been here an hour and fifteen minutes. I took my medication, yes. And I got here by taxi, since you hid the keys to the car."

The phone rings, and I snatch it off the receiver. "Yes?"

"You sound so commanding, damn. I'm not used to it."

Carlos's voice makes me smile. "It's been a crazy morning. Norman found his own way here this morning, without me knowing."

"Ooh, damn. I'll come up in a bit, say hi to him. I got those photos edited how you wanted for the billboard."

"Perfect. I'll see you in a bit."

Rebecca enters again, just as I'm stuffing my bag into a drawer. She sets down contracts, ledgers, unopened mail—piles of work.

"I don't miss that," Norman says, breaking his chopsticks.

"Yes, you do," I reply.

He laughs. "Yes, I do."

I sit down, with a heavy sigh.

"How are you feeling? Giovanni sounded pretty worried when we spoke. For him to stay an extra day..."

I begin to tear through the seal of the mail with my index finger. "I had a pretty bad fever, but he got it down. I'm good."

"Good?"

"Good enough to come to work, and as soon as you are done with that food, I'm calling Adam to bring the car around so he can take you home."

"You sound just like your mother. Her voice would get that low when she would be really pissed at me."

I don't comment on that, so, he changes the subject.

"You look right in here."

I glance around me at all of the new furniture, still able to picture exactly where all of his things used to be. I'm sure he remembers too. "It doesn't feel right yet."

"It will. You own this place. You have command over all of it. Every hallway, every room, every stapler is yours. It won't take long for you to realize that."

It seems like a stretch, but I smile anyway, and open my computer. He listens to me make phone calls, watches me talk over final decisions with the departments, and I let him, wanting him to see that I have his company in my best interest, that I won't fail him.

Carlos comes up and sits with him, talking and joking around with him as if he weren't his former boss. I watch Norman truly tire the moment Carlos leaves, and send a text to Adam, to tell him to come.

There's a knock on the door, and I look up from my phone as Jerry strides through the door.

"Can I have a word?" he asks, glancing to Norman en route to my desk. I nod.