I instinctively stood up. Our eyes met, and I realized he was incredibly handsome—the kind of guy who'd turn heads on the street.
"Lorraine Stevenson?" he called my name.
"Yes," I replied, taking in his face. He looked even better up close.
He also scanned me from head to toe before saying, "Take a seat."
After I sat down, he continued, "I'm Edward Austen. Your desk is by the floor-to-ceiling window, number eleven. No need to rush into work today. Take your time to get familiar with the company..."
At first, I'd hoped he might be Gilbert. But clearly, he wasn't, which left me feeling oddly disappointed.
As I left the office and headed to my desk, my phone chimed with a new message on WhatsApp. It was from Gilbert.
I glanced back at Edward in his office, who was focused on his computer.
I couldn't help but smile to myself. "Why did I even think it could be him?"
After much hesitation, I finally decided to text Gilbert Baker back: [Sorry, my phone broke, and I didn't receive your message.]
Gilbert replied quickly: [Baby, I want to see you. Where are you?]
I stared at the screen for a long time before responding: [I'm in Strohull.]