Fated Read Online Free Page B

well as Caden's flowers.
    I
hesitated before I left, wondering if I should tell Caden I was leaving or
offering to pick something up for him for lunch. Macie had told me that I
didn't need to check in with Caden before I left the office to run errands, and
that he fended for himself when it came to lunch, but I still felt weird just
leaving without a word.
    I
knocked on the door to the studio and waited, but there was no response so I
left after a few moments. I had no problems with him not wanting to be
disturbed.
    I
picked out a bouquet of flowers that I personally would have liked, a dozen
white calla lilies. I smiled wistfully as they brought back one of the few good
memories of my childhood. My father had presented my mother with a bouquet of
calla lilies, her favorite flower, on their tenth wedding anniversary. Just a
week before they had both died in a car accident. It was one of the few
memories I had of my parents since I was only eight when they passed away, and
I clung on to the idea that, regardless of their early death, their life had
been worthwhile because they had loved and been loved.
    I
paid for the flowers with the credit card Macie had given me, which I had been
authorized to use. I understood why Caden was wary of a stranger working for
him. I had a lot of access and was privy to details of Caden's life that were
of a sensitive nature, even though Macie had told me she didn’t know much about
Caden's personal life since he was such a private person. Still, I know I would
have felt uncomfortable with a random person answering my mail and using my
credit card.
    Caden
was back in the office when I returned, although he wasn't where I expected him
to be. He was sitting in the chair in front of my desk, and I simply gave him a
bland smile as I sat down, putting the flowers and a sandwich I had picked up
on my desk.
    "Did
you need something?"
    Caden
glanced at the calla lilies and then back at me. "I would've thought you
would have gone for a dozen long-stemmed red roses."
    "Aren't
red roses a little trite? They show lack of thought and they're a meaningless
token of a cliché." I shrugged. "At least calla lilies are
pretty."
    Caden
studied me for a moment before responding. "That seems like a pretty
cynical view. I thought most women thought roses were romantic."
    I
wanted to get off the topic of flowers. It was leading us into a discussion
that seemed too personal. "Most women probably do. I should put a damp
towel around the bottom so they stay fresh."
    I
walked to the bathroom adjoining the office, carrying the bouquet of flowers,
and went to work on dampening a paper towel to wrap around the cut ends. Caden
was still sitting across my desk when I returned, so I repeated my earlier
question.
    "Did
you need something?"
    Caden's
amber eyes followed me as I sat down behind my desk. His constant watchful gaze
was making me feel awkward, so I covered it up with conversation.
    "Did
you already have lunch?" I quickly checked his schedule on the computer
and saw his day was clear until dinner. Great, then he'd have all the time in
the world to hang around the office and make me feel uncomfortable.
    "I
grabbed a bite upstairs while you were gone."
    I
nodded, glancing at my sandwich but not touching it. There was no way I was
going to start eating with Caden watching me, despite the protest of my empty
stomach.
    Caden
reached down to a plastic bag next to his chair I hadn't noticed and pulled out
a smartphone. He laid it on my desk. "This is for business use, and so
that I can reach you whenever I need to. It's already activated. This is the
number you should give out to my contacts if they need to reach you, but only
at my discretion. I don't want everyone having it."
    "Okay,
thanks." I knew that Macie had a work phone as well, so I didn't think
much of it. I just hoped it didn't mean Caden was planning to make good on his
threat of three a.m. calls.
    "I'll
be in the studio for the rest of the day. I had the office