Full Of Himself
“Guest?” Luke was puzzled. “What sort of guest?”
“One who’s full of himself,” Vinson replied with an ambiguous smirk.
Luke remained somewhat mystified until Rayson came knocking.
“Larson Group’s Derek Sully has requested to see you, Mr. Nightshire.”
It became apparent to Luke what Vinson meant earlier.
He snorted. “I’ll do as you asked and keep the issue pertaining to the building materials under wraps.
Seeing that you’ve come to Horington, I bet that blasted Trevor must be waiting for us to become
desperate enough to go to him begging on all fours.”
Vinson’s lips lifted into a smirk. He offered no further comment.
Luke stood up, smiling ear to ear. “Please attend to your visitor while I see to the manpower and
logistical matters. It’ll all be settled by seven-thirty, guaranteed.”
“Good. Rayson, see Mr. Yeager out and have the other gentleman brought in.”
“Understood!” Rayson bowed and cordially showed Luke to the door.
Once outside the office, Luke could no longer contain himself. “A personal question if I may, Rayson.”
“Please ask away,” Rayson assented.
Luke took one glance at the door to the office that had closed back by itself before he asked, “Has
someone as young and accomplished as Mr. Nightshire settled down yet? If he hasn’t, I may be
acquainted with a couple of outstanding young ladies that I could perhaps assist with connecting him
to.”
Rayson’s smile froze over in place. He coughed before he leaned in. “Mr. Nightshire is already
attached.”
That took Luke by some surprise. “Attached? To a scion from which family, I wonder?”
“Not a scion, but a boss,” Rayson replied with a laugh.
In his misapprehension, Luke responded with even greater astonishment. “I’ve never realized that Mr.
Nightshire bats for the other side.”
“No. It’s nothing like that!” Rayson nearly broke out in a cold sweat as he hastened to explain, “She’s a
woman. A woman.”
That came to Luke as some relief.
“That’s good to know, or I’d be genuinely shitting my pants otherwise… being a family man and all.”
Rayson pursed his lips at Luke, completely flabbergasted. “What on earth were you thinking?”
“Look at me now. You won’t be able to tell that my head was much fuller, and I was quite the dashing
lad back in the day!” said the guffawing Luke as he strode off.
After Rayson saw off the self-besotted Luke, he took his time with the representative from Larson
Group, only heading into the waiting room after a dozen minutes had passed. “Our apologies for
keeping you waiting. Mr. Nightshire was preoccupied just now. Now, please follow me,” he said genially.
“All right. Okay.” Derek gathered up the antique vase as he stood up.
“Mr. Nightshire.”
Derek placed the vase on Vinson’s desk as soon as he stepped inside the office.
“What’s this for?” Vinson evoked a feigned look of surprise.
“A little gift from Mr. Larson. Didn’t he have to cancel his lunch appointment with you previously at the
eleventh hour because something cropped up for him? Mr. Larson felt really bad about it and expressly
tasked me to send this to you as a token of his apology.”
Vinson cast a leisurely gaze over the antique vase. “A Chanaean vase from the seventeenth century…
Isn’t this apology from Mr. Larson a little too substantial?”
“Not at all. Not at all, Mr. Nightshire,” replied Derek as he waved off his counterpart’s concerns. “This is
just a polite gesture from Mr. Larson, and he’d feel that you’re still upset with him were you to
decline…”
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