The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven) novel Chapter 602

"And how much will you be paying your interns? Will they get commissions or bonuses for the work done? You'll have to figure these out on your own," Douglas said. "Once you've done that, you're good to go."

Sasha nodded, though she didn't fully understand what Douglas had told her. "Thanks, Dad"

"No problem." He stared at Sasha and suddenly realized how much she had grown. No longer was she the little girl he and his wife had spoiled and protected over the years. Smiling, he added, "Of course, you can always come to me for advice if you run into trouble. I'll help you."

Sasha pouted. "You love me too much, Dad."

"Well, of course. You're my daughter," Douglas said proudly. "Who else would I love if not you?"

They talked for a little while longer before Sasha returned to her room. She fished out her phone and called Shane.

He picked up instantly. "I took down a whole bunch of notes. Shall we meet up and go through them together?"

"Sure. Tomorrow's Saturday. We have all the time to go over our plans," Sasha replied. She wouldn't have to worry about their meeting interfering with her day job, too.

Shane agreed. "Got it."

"You can decide on the time and place," Sasha responded.

"How does 4:00 pm sound?" Shane suggested. He figured Saturday morning was as good a time as any to sleep in.

However, Sasha rejected the idea. "No dice. We'd better meet up earlier so we could go office-hunting together. We still have to figure out where we should set up our office and our rent budget."

Shane was admittedly disappointed. "In that case, shall we meet at 9:00 am instead?"

The morning breeze was crisp and refreshing as it brushed against Zane's skin. He thought about work as well as his relationship with Annalise. He also contemplated ways to nurture Willow.

By the time Zane finished thinking, it was already past ten in the morning. After some hesitation, he made his way to Annalise's bedroom and knocked on the door.

…

I set my work aside when I heard knocks coming from the door. When I opened it and saw Zane on the other side, I asked, "Is something the matter?"

"Of course," Zane replied as he stared at me, his eyes glittering with emotions I could not read. "I'm guessing you woke up really early this morning?"

I nodded, wondering why he would ask such a thing.