Later,he told himself.We'll talk later.
They stayed like that for a while, Riley reading while Grant just held her, both of them warm by the fire. It was the kind of afternoon that felt stolen—perfect and fragile and too good to last.
Grant should have known something would interrupt it.
Riley's phone buzzed on the coffee table. Once, then again, then a third time in rapid succession. Riley frowned, setting down her book.
The fourth buzz was an actual call. The sound cut through the warm cocoon they'd built, sharp and jarring. Riley frowned, glancing at the screen.
"It's Sandra," she said.
Grant's hands stilled on her feet. "Your boss?"
"Yeah." Riley stared at the phone like it was a snake. "I should probably take this."
"On the day after Christmas?"
"She doesn't really believe in holidays." Riley's thumb hovered over the answer button, hesitation clear in her expression.
Grant felt something cold settle in his stomach. A whisper of dread he couldn't quite name.
"Go ahead," he said, trying to keep his voice casual. "I'll be here."
Riley nodded and stood, walking toward the kitchen for privacy. Grant watched her go, that cold feeling spreading through his chest.
He couldn't hear Sandra's side of the conversation, but he could hear Riley's responses. The shift in her tone from casual to professional. The tightening in her voice.
"Hi, Sandra. Merry Christmas."
Pause.
"I understand, but I'm not back until next week?—"
Longer pause.
"I know, but this is approved PTO?—"
Another pause, and Grant watched Riley's shoulders climb toward her ears, watched her free hand clench into a fist at her side.
"The presentation isn't until mid-January?—"
Grant's throat tightened.
"I— Yes. I understand. Let me see what I can do."
Riley hung up and stood there for a long moment, her back to Grant, not moving.
"Everything okay?" Grant asked, even though he already knew the answer.
Riley turned, and her expression was carefully neutral in a way that made Grant's chest ache. "There's a client emergency. A campaign we've been working on for months is falling apart."
"And they need you."
"Sandra says the client specifically asked for me." Riley crossed back to the couch but didn't sit. "They're calling an emergency meeting tomorrow."
"Tomorrow." Grant's voice came out flat.
"I know. The timing is awful. But?—"
