Chapter 6

That morning, Samantha worked hard to get ready for her meeting with Greg. She wanted to look professional, so she wore a navy suit and did her best to command all of her nerves at bay. As she walked into the office, she was racing with thoughts in anticipation and anxiety.

That elevator ride to the top floor took longer than it usually did. Samantha took a deep breath before she stepped out into that sleek, modern office. Rachel greeted her with a smile and motioned to go left, toward Greg's office.

When she entered, Greg was seated at his desk, flipping through a set of documents. He looked up and smiled warmly. "Good morning, Ms. Reynolds. Please, have a seat.

Samantha drew out a chair across from him and sat down, trying to collect her thoughts. "Good morning, Mr. Thornton."

Greg gestured to a set of blueprints spread across the table. "I wanted to go through a few last-minute changes with you. We're just about ready to finalize the project, but there are a few more ideas I wanted to run by you."

Flipping through the papers, Samantha put all her personal problems aside and got down to work. The excitement about the project was palpable in Greg, and she felt a sense of satisfaction with them as they finalized the edits to the designs.

"Your attention to detail has been impressive," Greg said, bending over the blueprints, his eyes beaming. "I'm really pleased with how everything is shaping up.".

"Thank you," Samantha replied, trying to temper her feelings of pride and relief. "I'm glad you are pleased with the progress."

Greg's face turned serious. "There's this particular thing I wanted to tell you. I've been noticing you have put a lot of effort into this project. You really seem to care about your work."

Samantha nodded. Her heart pounded. "I do. It is important to me."

Greg eased a bit forward, eyes locked. "I appreciate that. At the same time, I would like to confirm that we are clear about something else too. From your demeanor, I have been getting vibes of something more beyond professional skill.

Samantha's breath caught in her throat. She forced a smile, trying to keep her cool. "I assure you, my focus is to deliver the best results for this project."

Greg locked onto her eyes a bit longer than necessary, his glare piercing. "Of course. I'm just very interested in the people I work with. It's important to me that we have a good working relationship."

Before Samantha had time to respond, Greg's phone buzzed. He checked it before exhaling an irritated sigh. "Sorry, I need to take this call. Feel free to look over the final designs. We'll finish up once I'm done."

She nodded, going back to studying the designs as her mind lingered on Greg's words. He was getting increasingly interested in her life, and she felt he was closer to uncovering her secret.

The door to Greg's office opened, and she saw a familiar face walk in while she was working. It was Alex, the colleague Greg had introduced during their previous meeting. He nodded at Samantha before taking a seat in the corner.

"Morning," Alex said casually. "I'm just here to go over some of the logistics with Greg.

Samantha nodded in return, then, with an effort to remain professional, turned her attention to the task at hand. As she worked, a rising sense of apprehension wrapped itself around her as she wondered what Alex's presence was going to mean for her and the project.

When Greg finished his call, he returned to the conference table. "Thanks for your patience. Let's go over the final details.

As they wrapped up, Greg couldn't help but keep his eyes on her. "I gotta tell ya, Sam; I was impressed with how you took care of all that. Looking forward to the final results."

Samantha smiled slightly. "Thank you. Looking forward to seeing it all meshed together."

Greg rose and offered his hand. "I appreciate all your hard work, Ms. Reynolds. I will call you again soon to let you know the next step."

As Samantha left Greg's office, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was brewing underneath. After all, Greg did show interest in her beyond the professional level, and Alex was just that ingredient to add yet another layer of uncertainty.

Back home, Samantha's mind wandered elsewhere as she was preparing dinner for Lily and Emma. The girls' chatting and giggles were much needed, but her thoughts continued to fall back to Greg and this tension developing between them.

She settled down with her laptop after putting the girls to bed to find as much information as she could on Greg's strange ways of late. Her search turned up a news article about Greg's business dealings and some sort of family gathering he had gone to recently.

Samantha's heart stopped as she saw the photo of Greg with a woman and a child—his family. Suddenly it hit her. Greg had moved on, had built a life for himself, and the idea of their paths crossing again was more complex than she had imagined.

As she shut the laptop off and began to get ready for bed, Samantha knew that how things played out going forward with the project—and her interactions with Greg—would be the keys. She had to keep her focus on her work while somehow being able to regain control of the pitfalls around her from her past and present.