Seduced by Design

Lazy Morning

Molly

“Well…” I muttered as soon as Mr. Phillips left the office. Alastair, Atticus, Hank, and Damon all looked over at me and smirked. “Well…” I said again.

“Right…” Damon agreed. We had just finished our meeting with Mr. Phillips and he literally had no budget. I was curious about that, but I was far more excited than curious. “Should we go and scout out the motel tomorrow?” Damon asked as he looked over at Hank.

“Sounds good,” he agreed. Damon then looked over at me and I nodded. I wasn’t double booked, but I did need to finish my current project. That meant I had to get back to work.

“Text me the details,” I said before I left the office. I had worked throughout the weekend so that I could be done with the project, and now it was reveal time. The client, Jessica Thames, had hired us – AKA me – to restyle her one-bedroom home. I had taken all of her needs, wants, and desires into consideration. If she approved of the designs, then it would be one full day and done. By the time I got to the office, Jessica was already waiting for me.

“Miss Thompson,” she greeted with a big smile as she stood up. I was so embarrassed because I hadn’t expected her to be here already. “No, no, I’m early,” she hurriedly explained and while I relaxed a bit, I was still uneasy. “I’ll…um…I’ll just wait here for you…for when you are ready,” it became apparent that she felt unsure due to my silence.

“My apologies, you took me completely by surprise,” I admitted. Nancy looked horrified by the whole thing, and I chuckled as I shook my head. “But there is no reason for you to wait any longer. Let’s head into my office,” Jessica’s bright smile returned, and I led her into my office. Thankfully, I had cleaned up earlier this morning. And thank f**k I was as organized as I was. Sure, my drawing table was a total mess, but it was my organized chaos.

“I’m so sorry…” Jessica started as we sat down in the little lounge area I had in my office.

“No, no need to apologize. I was just coming back from seeing a client, and I wasn’t expecting you to be here already. No harm done. I have everything ready for you,” I said as I handed over the portfolio I had set on the coffee table earlier. Jessica relaxed as she started to flip through the portfolio. She had a few questions, and I had to explain a few things, but overall, she was quite happy with my designs. Nancy came in with a tray of drinks and snacks. I nodded at her in appreciation, and she shot me a wink before she left us alone once again. I smirked at that as I turned my attention back to Jessica.

“This is perfect, Molly. Exactly what I wanted,” she said as she shut the portfolio. “It’s like you heard me,”

“Thank you,” I said with a smile. “Now all we have to do is set up a time for when we can come in and do everything,”

“Well, I have a pretty busy week this week, but next week should be good,” she said, and I nodded as I took out my work phone.

“That works for me. I can put in all the orders and if we start early, we can be done by the end of the day,” I said. Jessica looked momentarily surprised before she squealed with excitement.

“One day?”

“Yes, just one day,” I confirmed. Jessica enjoyed her cup of coffee while we chatted and confirmed a few details. By the time she had left, I was smiling ear to ear. Not only was my client happy, but she was already referring me to her friends. That was always good news. However, now I had to work on Mr. Phillips project. While it was great that he hadn’t given us a budget, it was also potentially a problem. Which meant my job would be harder. But it was still exciting. And since I had nothing more to do, I relaxed on the couch and took out my personal phone. I hadn’t spoken to Jaden much since that bachelor weekend, so I lazily scrolled through our messages and smiled. I decided to send him a message even though I knew he was at work and wouldn’t answer until later.

Molly: Hey! How are you doing?

I set my phone aside and got started on preparing my schedule for this upcoming week and next week. By the time I was done with it, I was organized, and everything was scheduled for the next four weeks. I was surprised to see that Jaden had responded.

Jaden: Well, hello stranger. I’m fine, how are you?

I thought back to my conversation with Vanessa and Damon and sighed. Was now the right time? It was a weekday, and did I really want to just insert myself into his life? Maybe it was time for me to take that step.

Molly: I’m fine. Listen, what’s for dinner tonight?

I decided to play it cool and casual, while I secretly hoped he would just play along.

Jaden: I honestly have no idea. I have four unhappy kids, so it needs to be epic.

I frowned when I read his reply. I wanted to pry into his life, but still, I knew he was at work.

Molly: Do you want to meet up for lunch and talk about it?

I offered. When Jaden didn’t immediately respond, I left it at that. The last thing I wanted to do was push him. I alternated between my work phone and my personal phone while I waited for something to happen. It was pretty boring on days like these, and it meant I was done with my orders quickly. And then I got a lovely surprise when Jaden messaged me just before lunchtime.

Jaden: Meet you at the vineyard restaurant at one.