Resist Me Not

8

Friday was going by pretty quickly as everyone worked on the finishing details of the preliminary construction plans. Thankfully, I didn't need to sit in on all the meetings. However, that meant that I spent a good portion of my time responding to emails from Mrs. Turner and the other assistants with updated forms, blueprints, and contracts.

I was grateful when our lunch break came. I excused myself and went to a nearby cafe. I wanted to eat lunch alone so I could call Eric. I hadn't had a chance to talk to him since before we went clubbing, and I wanted to let him know about the delay in coming home.

I placed my order with the server and swiped right on his number in my cell to call. I looked at my watch and figured it would be in the mid-afternoon there, so he should be at his desk.

"Hey, babe!" Eric greeted me immediately. My heart swelled, hearing his loving voice in my ear. I didn't realize how much I missed it.

"Hey!"

"I can't wait to see you tomorrow night. Do you need me to pick you up from the airport? Or is Ryan going to have a driver drop you off?"

"Well, about that..." I paused a moment to take a sip of my cucumber-infused water. "One of our clients, the Upton's, has invited us to their vineyard in Napa Valley for the weekend."

"The Upton's? Harry and Barbara Upton?"

"Yeah. Mrs. Upton mentioned that she knew you at dinner the other night."

"Wow, I haven't seen them since I don't know when. They were, well, are, really close to my parents. It makes sense that they'd be going into business with the Herman family. What are they building this time?" Eric asked with interest.

"They want us to help redesign their old mall that has lost business over the years. They want to make it into a mix of trendy apartments with high-end boutiques and stores that will attract people back into the area. This is a massive partnership between the Upton's and two other clients."

"Sounds like a good move. So will you be at the Upton's all weekend and then fly home from there?"

"That's the plan. Mrs. Turner changed our tickets, so we'd fly home Monday morning," I stated as my food arrived.

"Well, have a great time in Napa. You'll love the Upton's vineyard. They have some of the best wine."

"Thank you for being so understanding, Eric. That's why I can't wait to be your wife." I smiled.

"I can't wait for you to be my wife too," he said so softly and lovingly. "I have to get going though. I have a meeting in about an hour that I need to finish preparing for."

"Okay. Well, I'll call you tonight when we get to their place."

"Okay. I love you," Eric said, and the phone disconnected.

I finished eating my lunch, paid the bill, and rushed back to the office to close up all the forms and paperwork that we had worked on. By the time it was 4 o'clock, we were about done. All that was left was getting the permits, plus the contracts finished and submitted, for phase one of the construction project to begin.

We had already checked out of the hotel that morning. By 4:30, we were heading straight from the office to the airport. Hank dropped us off at a private jet check-in terminal. I hugged him goodbye and thanked him for all he'd done for us over the week.

I had never seen a private plane in person, let alone be on one, and I was impressed. The Upton's plane had a cute name painted on it, 'Up-Ton in the Sky.' Harry and Barbara Upton were already on the plane, drinking champagne by the entrance as Ryan, Adam, and I boarded.