He wasn't there.
And somehow that bothers me more than if he had been.
I splash cool water on my wrists and press my thumbs into the corners of my eyes.One breath.Then another.
You're here to do a job.
You're not the fan girl from Hintertux.You're the woman who writes the story.
A soft knock sounds on the door, not urgent, not for me.Just the usual bustle.I take the hint.
Out in the hallway, the air feels cooler.Less contained.I adjust my jacket, roll my shoulders back, and walk toward the group of skiers to shake hands.
Just another day.Just another meeting.Just—
Footsteps.Fast.Confident.Somehow I know.
My pulse skips before my brain catches up.
Then the guys spill into view, and right behind them—
Thomas.
Fresh from training, towel slung around his neck.His perfect legs are exposed in loose shorts.
I don't stop walking.I just brace for impact.
Thomas
I stride down the hallway just as the doors swing open and the guys pour out of the conference room in loose formation, half-laughing, half-hungry.I throw on my best apologetic expression.Classic move.Well-practiced.
Honestly, I was hoping I wouldn't be the only one skipping the briefing.It's early October.Discipline usually has a slow start.But no such luck.Apparently, I'm the lone slacker.
That sucks.
To be fair, it wasn't on purpose.Jonas spent the whole morning working magic on my knee.When that sharp, familiar pain lit up behind my kneecap yesterday, I nearly panicked.
But the session went well, and after two hours of hard workout, thighs burning, sweat dripping, but no pain in the knee.The relief flooding my thoughts must be oozing from me now, making it difficult to look guilty when I would rather jump for joy.
I spot Martin first and call out, "Tell me I didn't miss anything important."
Martin claps me on the shoulder without missing a beat."Only your favorite—microphones and feelings."
"Don't worry," Niko adds, grinning."We've got a professional now to clean up your mess."
Niko jerks a thumb toward the briefing room.
“PR bodyguard.Finally, someone to stop you from 'uh… yeah… We'll see."
"Lucky me."I swipe the towel over the back of my neck, still warm from the gym, my mind
half somewhere else.
Then I see her.
No.No way.
Martin tilts his head toward her like he's presenting a wine menu."Meet our new boss of the mic—Katharina Berger.Communications wizard."
