Page 3 of Love In Hiding

“No rush,” he said, nodding, then moved past Braylon into his boss’s office and took a seat in the chair in front of the desk.

Having been employed less than two months, he was putting his head down and leaving dust in his wake as he went back to the grind, starting over and making a new name for himself.

He was reading emails on his phone when the door shut behind him. “Come on over here. West will be in shortly. He’s held up on a call.”

Just great. West Carlisle never came to meetings with him. Only for the final interview.

The dude put patience and stone-faced to shame. Talk about not getting a read on anyone. He thought for sure after his final interview there was no shot in hell he was getting the offer.

But when it came in the next day, more than he could have ever imagined, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Hell, he would have taken less to just avoid being unemployed or forced to go to California.

No one, especially Ryker, knew he was interviewing.

He’d filled the application out to take the bar in California three days after he’d been “given his offer,” but he had no intention of actually doing it.

He just knew enough to make sure all options were lined up on the table.

Confessing that to Braylon had the older man laughing and praising him for standing up for himself but not being reckless.

That was one word that would never describe Spencer Jensen in his career.Reckless.

“Not a problem. I wasn’t aware West was joining us.”

“Last minute thing,” Braylon said. “We’ll fill you in more when he gets here. Before that, we can just chat. How are you feeling here?”

And that right there made all the difference. The fact his boss was human. Cared enough to even ask that question. And not overwork his ass so much the first month that he hadn’t known if he was coming or going, but rather gave him time to catch up on the vast businesses that The Carlisle Group owned.

“Great. I’m up to speed with what has been given to me. I feel comfortable enough taking more on. Though I appreciate the lighter workload, I hate to say I’m not sure what to do with myself.”

“Go visit your sister,” Braylon said.

He laughed. “I went over Memorial Day weekend since I had the extra day. It was nice to see Zac. He’s getting huge.”

His nephew, Zachery Spencer Bond, was eighteen months old and racing through Coy and Angel’s home like it was his own personal racetrack.

“Foster said he saw you there one day,” Braylon said. “A dinner at Scott and Helena’s.”

“Yes. On Sunday.”

And that was the six degrees of separation. Foster Carlisle’s brother-in-law was the brother of Spencer’s brother-in-law. Coy’s brother, Drew Bond, was married to Charlotte Carlisle’s sister, Amanda.

Crazy small world when you think about it.

Or not, as he was positive that when Coy found out the shaft Spencer was getting at his job, he’d mentioned it to Drew, then Amanda to Charlotte, who then told her husband, Foster, and here he was.

Not that he thought he was given a charity job. West Carlisle was the last person who would do that.

So instead, he should be thankful that his connection might have gotten his foot in the door.

He’d never asked, and they didn’t volunteer. He’d submitted his resume when the headhunter he was working with gave him the information.

“It’s nice to visit with family,” Braylon said. “And as you know, I’ve got a massive one. My mother, she’s on our case more than we’ve got time.”

“Is she still in town?” he asked. At his other job, he never knew personal details like this. And maybe he wouldn’t have here either if there hadn’t been so much commotion around the Carlisles’ mother Aileen’s visit to the office last week.

“She is. I’m not sure how long she’s staying with Laken and helping with the baby. I imagine one of them will get sick of the other soon enough. But I’m glad you’re able to breathe some. You’ll be busy here. You might feel you were at your other job at times, but I promise it won’t be fifty-two weeks a year.”