“It's weird seeing you in the morning. Usually I can move all around the room and you don't budge. What gives?”
“No clue. I just woke up and decided that staring at you like a stalker would be a great way to start the day, and I was right.” She flipped on the light and smiled as he hissed like a cat.
She walked into the kitchen as Jake got up from his bed and stretched.
“Morning, buddy.” She worked on the coffee while he moved up to lick at her legs. “You and I don't get up this early, usually, do we?”
A knock at the door surprised her a little, and she had to jog to the bedroom to grab her robe before opening it. Mark stood out in the darkness of the early morning, a warm smile on his face and a white bag in his extended hand.
“What are you doing up?” He walked in as Jamie moved back. “Is the apocalypse coming?”
“What's this?” She took the bag and lifted it to her nose, breathing in deeply and groaning. “Are these fresh donuts?”
“They sure are.” He walked to the coffee pot in the kitchen. “I bring them for me and Alex every Monday morning, but I picked up extra this morning. Guess I knew that you’d be up somehow.” He tapped his head. “Mental telepathy. In your sleep you were calling to me for Krispy Kremes.”
“Yeah, that’s exactly what I was doing after I had sex with your brother.”
He covered his ears. “TMI, Jamie. TMI.” She shrugged, and Mark rolled his eyes before sitting down at the breakfast bar and pulling out a cinnamon-sugar cake donut. “Here, you can have the first one.”
She took it and sat beside him. “It's still hot. I'm in heaven.” She took a bite and glanced over to see Alex watching her with his eybrow lifted.
“That's mine.” He walked toward her and leaned down, biting the edge of the donut as she jerked it away and laughed.
“No, it's not. He brought me one, too.” She pushed the bag toward him. “Here's yours.”
“You brought extra?” Alex glanced over his shoulder.
“Yep, and now she knows our secret.” He shrugged and lifted his coffee cup to his mouth. “How much you wanna bet she's going to start setting her alarm to get up on Monday mornings just in the hopes of scoring a hot donut?”
“No need to bet.” Jamie examined the treat before taking another big bite and licking at the sugar that crusted her lips. “It's going to happen.”
Chapter 12
They rode to the office altogether, which was a new experience but a pleasant one. Alex listened to talk radio the whole way, and Mark chattered about everything and nothing. Jamie tried to keep up and stay involved in the conversation, but it was too early in the morning. She finally resorted to staring out the window and resting her head against the plush leather of Alex's Lexus.
“Don't forget that we have meetings all day, that investor luncheon, and then the presentation to our shareholders about the possibility of a hostile takeover today.” Alex turned back to look at her after he'd parked the car in the large garage right next to the building. “I'll need both of you helping me.”
“Sounds good. I'm here for anything you need. You know that.” Jamie got out of the car and ran her fingers through her hair as she waited on the guys. Alex might not have gotten much sleep, but he needed a whole lot less than she did. The need to be grumpy rolled over her, but she dismissed it.
“Are you concerned about the possibility of a takeover? I mean, is it really likely that something like that would happen without your consent?” Mark asked as they walked toward the front door.
“Anything is possible. One thing I've learned over the last year is that even though you think you know people, you probably don't. It's a shitty lesson to learn, but I'm grateful for Nicholas teaching it to me.” Alex opened the door as Jamie and Mark shuffled inside.
“What does you knowing someone or not knowing them have to do with anything?” Jamie asked just before they moved through security.
“Because the firm is owned by shareholders. I own forty-nine percent of the stock, but they have more power than I think you guys realize. If enough of them decided to sell their shares to another company... we could end up in a really bad position.” He pressed the button on the elevator and turned to face them as he slid his hands into his pockets.
“What's the likelihood of the other owners selling their shares to one company with the understanding that it would screw you?” Mark crossed his arms over his chest. “That honestly doesn't seem like a possibility at all.”
“You'd think it wasn't, but I'm telling you, shit like this happens all the time.” Alex held the door as it opened, and Jamie couldn't help but reach out and touch the side of his face before moving by him.
“It's going to be okay, baby. Don't get too stressed today.” She leaned in and kissed him softly.
“I know. I'm working on it, but it's a big deal. I've worked my whole adult life to build this place into what it is.” He moved out of the elevator and winked at her. “Go get the conference room set up. Have Mark help you. I'm going to work with Justin on keeping the agenda and making sure we don't get off schedule today.”
“Alright. I love you.” She walked down the hall and called out to Mark. “We're in charge of making sure—”
“I heard him. Let me grab another cup of coffee and I'll meet you there.” The sound of Mark's voice left her with no other conclusion than the fact that he really wasn't happy. She could understand it perfectly. If Mark was anything like Alex, then he had an entrepreneurial spirit that wouldn't rest until he birthed something great in the business realm. Alex would have been depressed to do the mundane job that his brother was given to do most days of the week, too.