One Long Last

Fantastic!

That was the last word Charleigh heard from her brother and boss, Tripp, after her presentation before him and Kayden Braxton, the COO, and co-founder. 

She'd been working her ass off for the past three years at Braxton and Wrylee Associates as an associate architect, and she just spent four weeks on her desk to make a good impression. She deserved more than just the word fantastic. 

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't even get a good job from him. It was not that she was fishing for compliments. This time, she wasn't sure if he meant it because she didn't get a lot of it from Tripp. She didn't care about it anymore for as long as he would keep to his promise.

"Are you ready for your promotion?" Tripp Wrylee asked. 

Charleigh said silently, "Been born ready."

"Great. Your flight will be tomorrow. Do your best, Charleigh. Don't come back until you impress the client."

She stopped placing her things back into her tote bag and finally lifted her gaze to her brother. "I think you've been hard on me for years, Tripp, to know if I can do this or not. I can handle this. This is not my first project, anyway. And the last time I checked, I haven't screwed things up." If she didn't count her last relationship. She inwardly grimaced.

"Okay. I'm just reminding you that the firm's credibility lies in your hands." Jeez, he had his own way of boosting her confidence.

"You haven't told me about the client. And where exactly I am going? You only told me to design a 26,000-square-foot modern commercial three-story building. That's it." She assessed her brother. As always, she couldn't see any emotions on his face.

"It's in Hopes Spring."

"Oh, I can do it." Wait. Where is it exactly? "I hope you can tell me more than 'fantastic' when I come back," she said confidently. 

She was a hundred percent sure about her promotion, and already dreaming of her name on a nameplate on her new office door.

"You need to get the approval from the city mayor. He also owns the old building." Why did she feel like there was more than what Tripp was telling her? 

"You mean, our client. Piece of cake." She hung her bag around her shoulder. "I'll check my email. Thanks."

Charleigh was ready to leave the conference room when Kayden called her name. "Yeah? Wanna add something? Like the great history of Hopes Spring, maybe I should be making a three-story floating building above the spring, on a lake, or at a mountain's peak. I just wanna make sure I won't miss every detail, you know. Do they ride a horse sleigh? What's the weather there? I should have done my homework."

Kayden chuckled. "Nope. The city is a little bit smaller, but they're not completely outdated when it comes to technology. And they definitely have Wifi and Netlfix."

"Good to know." Charleigh nodded because she couldn't live without the internet. It was part of her daily life. 

"We made sure the building is going to be built on the land. Good luck." 

Kayden Braxton was the definition of tall, dark, and handsome. His dark bronze skin made him more attractive in his dark blue tailored suit. When he smiled, he could be a toothpaste model.

"Thanks, Kayd." She stepped closer to wrap her arms around him. She could easily hug him like a brother. 

She'd known Kayden since college. He was also Tripp's best friend. She felt that Kayden was the one who convinced her brother to let her join their firm. When it came to Tripp, she wouldn't exactly expect anything from him other than his cold shoulder and authoritarian. Maybe that was why the firm was successful.

"There's another thing you should know," Kayden said when he pulled from their embrace.

"Kayden," Tripp warned his best friend, and it didn't miss Charleigh's suspicious eyes.

Since she got this project, Charleigh knew something was off. For the starter, Tripp handed it to her on a silver platter. Then, the client should have been around during her presentation, and that never happened today. 

She would be traveling to Hopes Spring to do another presentation and make a good impression, but she was more determined to get her promotion than to grill them with questions. If she had to climb the highest mountain, she might not think twice.