Rory: Hope City, Book 7 by Maryann Jordan (uplifting books for women txt) 📕

lifted a perfectly arched brow. “He said as long as I was working and not working the room, he was fine!” As the three laughed, their attention was snagged by several others coming in to oversee some of the night’s events before the guests arrived.

“I can’t believe the night is finally here,” Todd said. “I know the Partridges started on this building long before we were hired to work on the interior, but the last few months have been such a thrill.”

“I hope we meet some potential new clients tonight,” Barbara added, her smile wide.

“I’m sure we will. The Partridges have invited many of the upper echelons of Hope City. I know Anthony would like to finish selling the condos and leasing the office spaces.” Looking around, she added, “Barbara, you take the first floor and just make sure everything’s the way we left it yesterday. Todd, you take the third-floor office model, and I’ll hit the one on the eighth floor.”

With nods of agreement, Barbara headed to the far side of the lobby toward the first-floor model office they had ready for the gathering, and she and Todd stepped into the elevator. He alighted on the third floor, then turned and put his hand on the door to stop it from closing. She looked up and cocked her head to the side.

“I always think there should be a perfect time to say great things.” Chuckling, he shrugged and held her gaze. “But I find in life that if I’m always waiting for the right moment, it sometimes passes by, and I don’t say what I should. So, I’ll take this moment standing at the doorway to the elevator, probably getting ready to sound off all kinds of alarms, to just let you know that working with you is a dream come true.”

Surprise and pleasure shot through her, but before she had a chance to respond, he continued.

“You took a chance on an unknown designer straight out of school and gave me huge responsibilities when we got this contract. I learned a lot from you, and I learned a lot from this job. But mostly, Sandy, I want to thank you for your friendship. Truly, you are the best boss and friend.”

Her eyes filled with tears as he bent and kissed her cheek. Then, waving his hand in front of his face, he said, “Now don’t start crying, or I will. After all, I’ve got a model office to check!” With that, he stepped back and the elevator doors closed.

The air rushed from her lungs as her smile spread across her face. Before she knew it, the ding of the elevator sounded just before the doors opened, and she stepped out onto the eighth floor, still smiling. The gala gathering was not going to be walking around all floors. Anthony had allowed her to choose several offices that would be available to see as well as several of the condo models.

The eighth-floor lobby was well-lit, but not knowing who might be in the building before she arrived, she’d had the office model locked. Stepping inside, she flipped on the lights and breathed a sigh of relief when there was no crackling sound coming from the switch plate.

She walked around the office scanning every detail. It had been hard to choose the one they wanted to present for the gala considering that office interiors reflect the business as well as the clients' own personal aesthetic. That was why she chose three very different models. The one on the first floor was designed with dark, heavy furniture and a warm color palette. Todd’s model was sleek chrome and white modernistic furniture, and the color palette of black, white, and silver, with the occasional splash of red.

But the one she’d chosen was her favorite. Eighth-floor views of Hope City, including a large corner office that overlooked the Inner Harbor. Dark floors with furniture in a mixture of dark and cream. In the area that would encompass office space for several employees, she shunned the idea of cubicles but also equally shunned the idea of a wide-open space that gave no one a sense of privacy. Workers might need to band together for the sharing of ideas and projects, but everyone deserved a space they could call their own. She discovered a company that offered five-foot sectional walls with locking wheelbases. They could easily be moved to create any shape or design needed. The desks were also sturdy but lightweight, and with their lockable wheels, the room could be altered and changed in multiple ways within a few minutes, allowing for desks to be pushed together or separated as needed. The color palette of cream and blue was her favorite, one she’d used in her own office.

Everything looked perfect, and she flipped each light switch on, flooding the area with brightness before leaving the door open and moving back to the elevator. The doors opened, and she jolted seeing Todd. “Is everything okay?”

He reached out and grabbed her hand, gently pulling her into the elevator. “Everything is perfect. I just talked to Barbara and the first-floor office already has a few early goers looking at it. I decided to come up and escort you back downstairs.” Leaning down, he offered a sneaky grin. “Plus, people are starting to arrive and the servers are passing around food. There are champagne cocktails, and the shrimp puffs are divine!”

“I can’t believe you’ve already scoped out the food,” she laughed, looping her arm through his.

They stepped out of the elevator onto the first floor, and Todd was right. Men in black suits and tuxes, women in evening wear, and servers scooting about with trays of hors d’oeuvres and champagne filled the lobby.

The next three hours were a blur, and she was glad Todd encouraged her to nibble on the food early because there was no time once the speeches were over and Anthony had introduced her as the head of Carmichael Designs, in charge of all the office