Johnson Family 1: Unforgettable Read Online Free PDF Page A

the security guards posted near the elevators.  
    “Good morning, Ms. Johnson,” they both greeted her.  
    “How are you?” the older one added. 
    “Fine.” Ivy paused at the desk. “How’s your grandbaby?” 
    His eyes lit up. “He’s walking now.” 
    “No way. Already?”  
    “Yes, ma’am.” His face filled with pride.  
    “Next thing you know, he’ll be pulling everything down.” 
    He chuckled. “He’s already started. Taken over the house, to hear his mother tell it.” 
    “I remember those days. I wish her luck.” 
    She could take the executive elevator, which required swiping a card to gain access and was used exclusively by the top executives of the company. But she preferred to come in the front and mingle with the staff. On the way up, she chatted with people in the cabin before riding to the top floor alone. 
    “Morning,” she said to the receptionist at the front when she stepped out onto her floor. Abigail was an attractive brunette with her hair styled in a chin-length bob and a wireless headset on her head.
    “Morning, Ms. Johnson.” 
    Ivy continued to another part of the floor, which opened into an office suite where her executive assistant, Cynthia, stood waiting for her arrival. With her sparkling blue eyes, flaxen hair, and exuberant personality, she’d garnered lots of attention from the men in the office, but she was a consummate professional and one of Ivy’s best friends. As soon as Cynthia saw her, she walked around her desk to offer Ivy a warm cup of coffee.
    “How’d it go last night?” she asked.
    “It was a long night.” Ivy took the coffee and entered her office. Cynthia followed close behind.
    Decorated in bright colors, the office resembled someone’s home rather than the office of a corporate executive. She’d chosen the casual style on purpose, bringing in her own decorator to extend the colors from her house to this space. Deep oranges, reds, and gold filled the artwork and the pillows on the gray sofas in the sitting area. An area rug in the same bright colors held the space together.
    She walked around her L-shaped desk and sat down in the executive chair. Last year she’d switched out the black one for a chocolate color. The chamois-soft leather had been a splurge she was glad she hadn’t resisted. The way it cupped her derriere was like sinking onto a pillow filled with down feathers.
    “But how was the party?” Cynthia cracked the blinds just enough to let in light but not so much that the sunlight would be distracting.
    Ivy sipped her coffee. “Great turnout, lots of people in attendance.”
    She toyed with the idea of mentioning Lucas, but decided against it. Why dredge up the past more than necessary? The sight of him had made her heart race the same way it did when she went full-throttle at the maximum incline on the treadmill. That bugged her. He shouldn’t have affected her so much.
    She and Cynthia had been friends since their days at Emory University in Atlanta. They’d immediately bonded when they discovered they both hailed from the Northwest. Cynthia knew about Ivy’s relationship with Lucas because she’d been one of the friends with her the day they’d met him at the restaurant. As the weeks wore on, she’d also teased her mercilessly when Ivy ditched her friends to spend more time with him.
    “Everyone seemed to have a good time,” Ivy continued. “You should have come.”
    “No, I couldn’t. Rick’s only on leave for a few more days, and I want to spend as much time with him as possible.” She held up her hand. “Before you say I could have brought him with me, we wanted to spend time alone .”
    “Ooh. Does that mean you finally got laid and I can stop hearing about passion parties and the toys you bought?” Ivy rolled her eyes in fake annoyance.
    Cynthia giggled, blushing. “For now. I think he’s given me enough loving to last until the next time I see him.” She sighed dramatically. “God, I love