Page 26 of One Quick Obsession

And that was why I needed to stay away from him. Of course, his sister was here, and I was trying to impress my friend, as well as the rest of her family, when it came to the wedding today.

No pressure.

“Hey there. I’m okay. I didn’t know you’d be here this early.” I smiled, looked at my watch, and held back a wince. Apparently daydreaming about Hudson had made time move far too quickly. I wasn’t behind, but I was no longer ahead either. This man was a menace.

I quickly closed down my computer and moved around the desk to hug Isabella.

Her hold tightened as she let out a sigh. “It’s good to be back. I love living in Denver. But I think I’m slowly becoming a Cage Lake resident.”

“You are a Cage Lake resident, considering you’re married to a local. It just happens.”

Isabella shook her head. “Weston needs time in the city too though. So this way we’re both able to get what we need, and we don’t have to choose. And frankly, I enjoy being able to work in the office.”

Isabella worked with Cage Enterprises. Everybody in the family had the option of doing so, although they needed to find their niche. Not every sibling did, however. Ford owned his own company with his husband and their family. They ran security for the Cages, but they had a completely different business and focus. Hudson didn’t work with Cage Enterprises at all. He was an artist. I held back a smile thinking about that art. He always surprised me, how talented he could be, even beneath the gruff growly exterior.

Isabella hadn’t always worked with the Cages, and in fact, I knew had resisted working with them even after she’d found out that they were siblings. She was damn good at her job as a forensic accountant and could do most of her job outside of the offices. Getting to know her family and becoming a cohesive unit was a large part of why she spent so much time in Denver.

“Anyway, I see that your team as well as the wedding planner are running around with such efficiency that I knew it had to be your doing.”

I smiled at that, even as nerves began to tense my shoulders. “Oh good. I’m glad that they’re on schedule. I was just working on a few things and then I’ll get back to it. I promise I’m not leaving them alone.”

Isabella frowned at me, and I realized my voice had gone slightly high-pitched.

“They’re your team. Of course they’re doing what they should. I’m not here to check on you, Scarlett. I just wanted to see how the wedding was going. I trust you. You’re the best manager we could ever want. In fact, you could be managing an even bigger establishment. I’m just glad that you’re here.”

Even as she said the words, I wanted to believe her, yet part of me knew that she was still part-owner of the place that paid my bills. She, more than some of the other Cages. Aston, James, Blakely, Flynn, and Isabella were all part of Cage Enterprises and therefore my bosses. They were the owners of this establishment. Technically everybody else in the family were considered owners, because they were part of the main trust, but they weren’t part of the day-to-day ownership. Much of the Cage business and will info had been newsworthy and I couldn’t help but pick up on some of it. Hudson didn’t work for Cage Enterprises.

Of course that’s just reminding me that technically Hudson wasn’t my boss, and that was my main excuse for telling myself not to think of him. But that was fine. I had plenty of other reasons not to think about him. Ever. At all. For anything.

I swallowed hard and tried not to let my thoughts show on my face.

“Oh. I know.” I paused. “I should still go check on them. It’s good to see you. Is there anything you need?” I asked, my voice still slightly high-pitched.

“We are good. Do your thing.”

I moved past Isabella and down the corridor. I was stopped by a few of my team members, answered their questions, and kept moving to the beautiful open area where the wedding would take place.

The flowers were set, the chairs in order, and yet, I needed to go by each point with the wedding planner to ensure this went off perfectly. This wedding and event was the first step in ensuring that we grew as a company.

The couple, Mark and Jacob, were fabulous, caring, and had wanted their perfect day. And I was going to make sure that happened.

Denise, their wedding planner, came up to me with a list in hand. “We have a few little snafus, but nothing we can’t handle.”

I gave her my calmest of smiles. “Give me the list and I’ve got it.”

The other woman’s eyes widened. “No it’s okay, I can handle this.”

“You work on the next steps and let me see what I can do for the resort.”

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Isabella frown at me, before another person came into view. Shoulders tense, I told myself that I could handle him. Of course I could. Just because Hudson was here, hovering, didn’t mean I needed to fall into a heap.

“Okay fine. I’m going to take you up on that. Thank you,” Denise said with a sigh. “You have been doing so much for this wedding, and I know we couldn’t have done it without you.” She squeezed my hand, and then practically ran towards another person on her staff. I lifted my chin and read through the note. There were only small things, ones that my team members could do, but I would make this happen. I needed to ensure that I wasn’t going to fail at this. I had already failed at so much.

“Scarlett. Are you okay?” Isabella’s phone rang then, and she cursed. “One second. And then you’re going to tell me why you have that look on your face.”

“Everything’s fine. I’m just working.” I moved past her towards the kitchens where I needed to speak with the chef about a minor thing that could turn into a major thing.

“Scarlett, breathe.” I moved out of Hudson’s reach and glared over my shoulder as I kept going.