All of Me (All Series Book 2) by Natalie Ann Read Free Book Online

come to us and we would go from there. It leaves us out of the middle.”
    “It’s a good idea. I’m surprised you thought of it.”
    “Actually, Mary did. Well, she suggested that we contract with a local real estate office and see if we could work something out. I had Sean look into it and he said it would be more beneficial to hire someone full time. Then all these pesky changes can go through that person and free us up to do the actual work.”
    “I like it. Who’s going to do the interviews?” Phil hated interviewing. Hating sitting with people and asking generic questions with all those awkward silences. Or people rambling on, trying to impress him.
    “I’m going to have Sean vet out the people and narrow it down. Then you and I will have to meet with them and have the final say.” Alec stopped talking and sent him a glare. “Get over it, Phil. You want the right person, then you have to be part of it.”
    “I know. Fine, let’s get moving on it. I’m ready to be done with all this stuff and focus on what I actually enjoy doing.”
    “I agree. It’s my hope this position can take over all the miscellaneous things on the rental properties for us too. The new tenant walk-throughs and showing the properties and such. Maybe even taking all the rehab calls and the initial client meetings before I get on site.”
    “Okay, it all sounds good to me.”
    “Don’t forget about tonight,” Alec said, when he stood up to leave.
    “What’s tonight?”
    “The Chamber Dinner.” Phil groaned. “Yeah, I know. I don’t want to dress up anymore than you do. But it’s good business and free publicity with the award. Don’t worry, Mom and Dad will be there, along with Kaitlin and Ryan. You won’t have to sit in the corner by yourself while I socialize.”
    Phil snorted. He never sat in the corner by himself. At least not since he was a kid.
     
    ***
     
    “I’m so glad you could go tonight,” Kaitlin said to Sophia when she picked her up. “Ryan had every intention of attending, but something came up at work and he couldn’t make it. I could have gone alone, but it’s better to have a date.” She ended with a little chuckle.
    “As long as no one thinks I knocked you up,” Sophia said. She very rarely let herself go like she did with Kaitlin. She would have never made a crass comment like that to anyone else. There was something about Kaitlin that allowed Sophia to be herself. To not put on the sophisticated act that she acquired growing up.
    All those fancy dinners and affairs she’d had to attend with her parents, the high-priced vacations, and the occasional private school. In order to fit in, she’d had to act like those around her. Very rarely had she felt free to just be Sophia. At this point in her life, she wasn’t sure who the real Sophia was. A mixture of all those acts for sure, but never one by itself.
    “I don’t think anyone is going to guess that,” Kaitlin replied, giggling.
    Sophia grabbed her short suit jacket and slipped it on over her emerald green dress. Green was her favorite color. It made her eyes stand out even more than they already did.
    She thought her eyes were her best feature—bright, rich, almost a perfect shade of kelly green. “Either way, I’m glad for the invite. It’s a good opportunity for me to mingle and make some contacts in the area.”
    Twenty minutes later they were walking into the restaurant where the Chamber Dinner was being held when Sophia came to a standstill. The last person she’d expected to see tonight was Phil, let alone see him in a suit.
    Her abrupt stop caused Kaitlin to bump into her and let out a little huff, drawing Phil’s attention to them. Sophia froze. Images of him in that suit brought back a surge of heat making her want to fan herself. Worse yet, he noticed her reaction and had one similar, if she were to guess by the look in his eyes.
    Kaitlin, oblivious to the tension around her, reached up and gave Phil a hug.